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Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-'07 Season

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#1

Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-'07 Season

Posted: 6/18/07 at 3:33am

My favorite moment at the theater are that special number, or a particular line reading, or a quiet moment, or just the way the band is playing, or the number is choreographed that mesmerizes me, gives me goosebumps, and makes me feel I am one of the luckiest people for having been able to experience that moment.
What are some of those moments you experienced this past season?

My top 6 Moments (SPOILERS):
1) Donna Murphy's Lenya screaming to Cerveris' Kurt Weill: "I never lied!" during their last confrontation at the end of LOVEMUSIK.
2) Donna Murphy's "Could I Leave You?" at Encores! FOLLIES.
3) Christine Ebersole stepping outside of the GREY GARDENS mansion in her Little Edie costume at the beginning of Act II in that show.
4) Audra McDonald's showstopping "Raunchy," especially when she stopped after the cartwheel and the whole audience cheered for her.
5) Christopher Innvar's File kissing Audra McDonald's Lizzie in the middle of the rain at the end of 110 IN THE SHADE.
6) Erin Davie's brilliant progressive breakdown as she sings "Daddy's Girl" in GREY GARDENS.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
#2

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 3:41am

5) Audra's "Old Maid" in 110
4) Journey's End's curtain call
3) The final moments of Grey Gardens
2) The explosive opening/closing of A Chorus Line
1) I'd love to say the entire performance of Follies at Encores, but I will reduce it to the ultimate "chill factor" for me out of any musical: "Hi...Girls...Ben...Sally..."
#3

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 3:48am

The thing that pops into my mind first when I think of small moments is watching Raul during What Would We Do Without You after his moment with the kazoo and just seeing the emotional collapse in his face while the rest of the cast goes on with the number. Brilliant.
#4

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 4:03am

Barbara Walsh's "Cigarette?" line in Company. I wasn't a big fan of her performance as a whole, but the choices she made with the end of "Ladies Who Lunch" were absolutely inspired.

Donna Murphy's "Could I Leave You," specifically the strain you could FEEL in the single word "yes" at the end.

The very end of "Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise)" in Spring Awakening, with all the girls (especially Kim Grigsby, the brilliant musical director) completely rocking out until the final cutoff.
"Why, I make more money than... than... than Calvin Coolidge! PUT TOGETHER!"
~Lina Lamont


My name wasn't, isn't, and will never be Scott.
#5

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 4:10am

This is corny, but I really loved the last big number in Mary Poppins ("Anything Can Happen"). It was such a magical moment. And also when...

SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER

Ashley Brown flies over the orchestra towards the mezzanine at the end.


EDIT: Argh! Sorry, I just comprehended the "small moments" part of the thread title. Okay, so mine wasn't a small moment, but it was a great experience!
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611

Updated On: 6/18/07 at 04:10 AM

#6

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 4:15am

Scott, I couldn't agree more about Donna's magnificent, painful, and shocking (to me at least) singing of the word "Yes" towards the end of the song, I believe I had heard about six different renditions of the song before her and it was the first time I felt so much for Phyllis. For me it was by far the highlight of what was already my favorite theatrical experience.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
#7

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 8:54am

millie~ I TOTALLY agree with that small/big moment, and to add another from the same show


*SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER*

When Bert welks up onto the ceiling during "Step in Time":
It totally took my breath away, and redeemed the overall mediocraty of the show

END SPOILER



And also in "Coast of Utopia" in Part II, Bakunin and Herzen's final discussion together featuring the quote in my sig. Bakunin slowly floating away in the boat helm..... I think about it all the time.


"Are you sorry for civilization? I am sorry for it too." ~Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck
#9

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 9:04am

I have a few "moments" that really stick out...

POSSIBLE SPOILERS?




1) Journey's End: the last 10 minutes and curtain call
2) Spring Awakening: when Moritz kills himself
3) Company: the final few notes Raul sings in "Being Alive"

Updated On: 6/18/07 at 09:04 AM

#10

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 9:14am

My top five (yes, most are GG, but nothing has moved me quite so much)

5. Actually-this is a "LoveMusik" moment: "September Song" sung by Donna Murphy and the other gentleman (not Pittu)-I have performed this song and the interpretation in the show was so different from what I'd done that it made me re-think the piece. Powerful!
4. Coast of Utopia: When the scenes shifted and the music rose up and the scrim revealed the peasants and serfs-both real and not. Excellent!
Top 3 are GG!
3. "Will You?" at the end of Act I: This song has moved me for awhile-watching Edith's breakdown is a devestating experience-that I find myself inextricably moved by.
2. "Another Winter in a Summer Town"-The end of this song has actually started moving me more as I saw it. Incredible moment in the show-when the chimes ring and she's about to leave, then hears her mother's voice.
1. The last line of "Around the World"-No matter how many (and it's many!) times I see Grey Gardens, this moment makes me get goosebumps and start to cry EVERY time. Just possibly the most touching, beautiful moment I've ever experienced in theater.
"A birdcage I plan to hang. I'll get to that someday. A birdcage for a bird who flew away...Around the world." "Life is a cabaret old chum, only a cabaret old chum, and I love a cabaret!"-RIP Natasha Richardson-I was honored to have witnessed her performance as Sally Bowles.
#11

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 9:46am

Some of these may not be totally "small" but nevertheless... (5-1 are all VERY close in specialness)

6) The gorilla totally crashing through the "4th wall" and getting 2 inches from my face during Tarzan.

5) Watching my friend Kristin's face as we watched Wicked from front row center...especially when Elphie flies.

4) Watching The Vertical Hour develop and grow from the third preview to closing performance. Just amazing.

3) Being at 110 Audra's first night back after her father's memorial service. Just to be part of that audience that night was magical.

2) (Off-Broadway, but...) Being in the audience for No Child... the night the UFT bought the show out for new teachers. The show ran 30 minutes longer than normal because we were reacting to everything. It was an amazing experience.

1) Being at The Vertical Hour the night Julianne added in her imitation of Bill Nighy's "hand and hip thing" on the line "Charming as hell." It totally threw him. And then having her talk with me about it at the stage door afterwards. Totally cool!
Experience live theater. Experience paintings. Experience books. Live, look and listen like artists! ~ imaginethis
LIVE THAT LESSON!!!!!!

Updated On: 6/18/07 at 09:46 AM

#12

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 9:55am

Closing weekend of The Little Dog Laughed: Julie White's eyes filling up with tears at the end of the show, as she exclaimed "THE ENDING! THE ENDING!".
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe." -John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#15

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 10:17am

Bwayfan4, I'd *strongly* advise you to put a spoiler warning in your post.
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611

Updated On: 6/18/07 at 10:17 AM

#18

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 10:38am

I wasn't trying to be rude. Anything involving something that could twist the plot around such as a death is a spoiler. And can ruin the show for a lot of people. Just wanted to avoid that on this thread.
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
#19

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 10:45am

FOLLIES, specifically Donna Murphy during the entire performance!
GREY GARDENS, specifically the end of "Will You" when Big Edie asks it as a question and the walls close in around her and the final moments from the end of "Another Winter" to the end of the show.
THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED, all of Julie White's monologues!
During THE COAST OF UTOPIA, the musical interludes and the openings with the ocean waves swirling around the actors.


Happy...Everything! Kaye Thompson
#20

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 10:47am

I also loved Danny Burnstein's little Adolpho jokes, such as when he sings his name high, low, and fast. Also: "WHHHHHHHUUUUU-AAAAAAAAATTTTTT?!?!"
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
#21

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 10:51am

WARNING! Possible Spoilers Below!


1) Cerveris' line in Love Muisik, " She loves me, you never did!" I've been in that situation and I felt all my organs drop like a foot and a half.

2) Love Musik- "It Never Was You," I actually cried. A lot.

3) The final twenty minutes of Journeys End, including the curtain call. I literally felt like I couldn't move.

4) I third Donna Murphy's "Could I Leave You?" Everyone has said all there is to say about it, already. Absolutly thrilling.
"I wouldn't let Esparza's Bobby take my kids to the zoo...I'd be afraid he'd steal their ice cream and laugh."- YankeeFan
"People who like Sondheim enjoy cruelty."-LuvtheEmcee
#22

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 10:54am

Oh... I forgot. My MOST magical moment was seeing Vanessa Redgrave twice already (at least twice more before it closes) in The Year of Magical Thinking. When that ocean-type sound swells up and the curtain drops... Wow. Both times I've been shaking at the end. And the second time... technically second row, but there was no seat in front of me, so it was like front row. Just...wow.
Experience live theater. Experience paintings. Experience books. Live, look and listen like artists! ~ imaginethis
LIVE THAT LESSON!!!!!!
#24

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 11:09am

Many many moments from this season, in no particular order. SPOILER ALERT!!!



The drunken phone-call in Frost/Nixon. Frank Langella was amazing, portrayed (though this scene is fictitious) the levels to which Nixon had to sink in order to admit any culpability.
Bill Nighy in The Vertical Hour, especially his facial expressions and his diction ("filthy-mindedness" was a treat!). Saw this twice, Julianne Moore seemed to have made little effort to establish any chemistry which made Nighy's performance all the more spectacular. He should have definitely been Tony-nominated, he carried this play.

Now on to the shows...

Raul singing Being Alive. Have seen this show a lot now & that song still moves me.
Kristin Chenoweth as Ella/Passionella. Wow. What a tour-de-force (loved her top D!).
Gavin Lee in Step in Time (I was disappointed by Ashley Brown however).
Christine Ebersole's face when John McMartin tells her she's an actress without a stage.
Another Winter in a Summer Town, when MLW calls out to her and she realizes she can't leave.
There are many more GG moments, obviously Will You and Around the World... such a brilliant show.
Why, hello Margaret! Yes darling, half past five. Well, everyone, simply le tout Park Avenue and la creme de Hyannis! Well, the press table's going to be awfully crowded... but if you don't mind sharing a folding chair with Harper's Bazaar... Sing? Me? Heavens no, it's Edie's day, not mine... Although people can be so insistent, and I hate to disappoint. Twist my arm, blackmail me, threaten my very life, and who knows? You might get a verse of something...
#25

re: Small Moments You Were Lucky to Experience at the Theater From the '06-

Posted: 6/18/07 at 11:10am

I'm usually bad at picking out tiny little moments, but I have to say, one of the most wonderful things I've experienced this season is the very, very end of Company, when Bobby is up there alone and blows out his candles. It's a great moment on its own, but one of the things that always gets me when I see the show is that collective gasp/sigh of delight from the audience as it happens. I've come to love seeing the way people react to the show, since I love it so much, and that moment is great, because we're all sort of collectively experiencing this perfect, touching ending.
A work of art is an invitation to love.

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