Songs for a New World — Page 3

I would like to see them do Starting Here, Starting now next year. It is formatted beautifully and smartly conceived.

Most of my thoughts have been shared, but will add briefly:

I enjoyed some moments last night and thought there was a ton of talent on the stage. I was familiar with many songs but not the whole work. Some choices felt misguided, but it was good to see the cycle presented with lots of skill and enthusiasm.

Colin is given the weakest material, but was also the least prepared, so his acting suffered, if it even existed.

They used books about 1/3 of the time, but that was also the weakest 1/3. The final song felt uncertain, which detracted from the overall effect of the evening. I suspect they'll improve over the short run.

The dancers were overused, and I didn't quite get how extensive use of pop & lock and the robot was supposed to contribute to the plot, aside from using up the large space.

The pianist/director was indeed extremely emotive. I didn't necessarily find it distracting as I was far house-right and the piano blocked some of him, but could see how others would, depending on the angle.

JRB was in attendance, and very graciously signed a playbill for my friend, who is a stoic, grown man but could barely contain his excitement.

Who dressed Shoshana? Her act 1 garb produced a muffin top and unintentionally exposed midriff, and you could definitely see some things you weren't supposed to in the Mrs. Claus outfit. She spun it into comedy, but it couldn't have been intentional.

Finally, the superfans were out IN FORCE last night. Huge, separate applause and hollering for the house going to half, the house going dark, the orchestra's first note, each actor's first appearance, and each actor's first note. Boisterous hooting and laughing for funny lines before they were even fully sung. I'm happy that others were enjoying themselves so much (and felt compelled to show it, though at times it was more "look at me, I'm having fun!" than natural), but it reminded me that if you're not a superfan, you may have a better chance to appreciate these Encores presentations by going to a performance other than the first (or last) one.

Updated On: 6/28/18 at 09:06 AM

TonyVincent said: "Most of my thoughts have been shared, but will add briefly:

I enjoyed some moments last night and thought there was a ton of talent on the stage. I was familiar with many songs but not the whole work. Some choices felt misguided, but it was good to see the cycle presented with lots of skilland enthusiasm.

Colin is given the weakest material, but was also the least prepared, so his acting suffered, if it even existed.

They used books about 1/3 of the time, but that was also the weakest 1/3. The final song felt uncertain, which detracted from the overall effect of the evening. I suspectthey'll improve over the short run.

The dancers were overused, and I didn't quite get how extensive use of pop & lock and the robot was supposed to contribute to the plot, aside from using up the large space.

The pianist/director was indeed extremely emotive. I didn't necessarily find it distracting as I was far house-right and the piano blocked some of him, but could see how others would, depending on the angle.

JRB was in attendance, and very graciously signed a playbill for my friend, who is a stoic, grown man but could barely contain his excitement.

Who dressed Shoshana? Her act 1 garb produced amuffin top and unintentionally exposed midriff, and you could definitely see some things you weren't supposed to in the Mrs. Claus outfit. She spun it into comedy, but it couldn't have been intentional.

Finally, the superfans were out IN FORCE last night. Huge, separate applause and hollering for the house going to half, the house going dark, the orchestra's first note, each actor's first appearance, and each actor's first note. Boisterous hootingand laughing for funny lines before they were even fully sung. I'm happy that others were enjoying themselves so much (and felt compelled to show it, though at times it was more "look at me, I'm having fun!" than natural), but it reminded me that if you're not a superfan, you may have a better chance to appreciatethese Encores presentations by going to a performance other than the first (or last) one."



We were both on the same page.

Went last night, the 28th. A wonderful way to spend a Thursday evening.

Shoshana did the same with the cork last night and also "called" for a line. She was perfection. What she added vocally, style wise, was perfect.

Nobody overdid anything vocally. Donnell was pretty restrained which did not work for "She Cries". He sang perfectly but without a lot of emotion throughout the show.

Kilgore was fabulous. Of course everyone was waiting for KING OF THE WORLD and there was app!ause at the begining of the song. He nailed it but didn't take it as over the top as I think people were expecting. He saved that for FLYING HOME. His vocals just soar in that number. And the clarity of his voice is astounding.

For me, Ms Pfeiffer quietly stole the night. Her CHRISTMAS LULLABY was just amazing. I was holding my breath and a bit choked up. She too was perfection and her chemistry with Bean was fun to watch.

The new orchestrations/arrangements are just steller. They breathe new life into this music. Also the addition of the strings is just wonderful. And the band/orchestra sounded great.

There were some sound problems in the last 20 minutes that were annoying at times and whoever was mixing the sound did a poor job during a few songs by basically dropping out the backing vocals.

The dancers were ok. Not sure why hip hop dancing was chosen. And at times the dancers were not in unison when they were supposed to be. They worked best in THE WORLD WAS DANCING. Go figure.

But all in all it was a thrilling night. I hope somebody decides that this version should be recorded and makes it happen.

I was asking about Merch earlier in the thread. There is a window card and magnet just for this show along with the other items mentioned. Got my magnet.

Updated On: 6/29/18 at 01:48 AM

I'm sure it became a bit, but they were definitely about to jump. Amidst the cheers and laughter, I heard one breast riff, "Murray!" in a whistle tone.

AntV said: "JRB didn't always get on piano for Christmas Lullaby at every show did he? Cause he did Saturday night."

He did not. That was a special closing night surprise. Was it distracting at all? It’s such a quiet moment in the production.

Solea and Mykal were the standouts for me. They were excellent. “Christmas Lullaby” and “Flying Home” were exquisite.

I want to defend the use of books in hand for this production. That used to be the norm at Encores shows since they are technically supposed to be staged readings, and I thought it was smart of these actors to use the books when they did. The books were used during the group numbers because this show’s harmonies (which sounded so tight) are extremely difficult. Being a great soloist doesn’t make you a good part singer, and memorizing harmonies is much harder than learning solo melody lines, so good for them for not sacrificing anything musically. In addition, they’ve had about a week of rehearsal; not a lot of time. You will commonly see the singing ensembles of Encores shows holding a binder as they stand in small groups at a mic to sing group numbers. This is nothing new. Hold that book and flip that page, Shoshana!

I really hope we get a cast recording out of this. The interpretations and voices are so different from the original, and while I’d never want to forget that original recording, I’d love these fresh voices and orchestrations preserved.

I had a nice, long reflective post written but then my WiFi connection dropped on me.

Anyway, I have to reiterate much of what has been said—this was lovely production and a great way to spend the evening. The dancers add nothing, but Solea Pfeiffer’s Christmas Lullaby is breathtaking. Colin Donnell was solid and sounded good, but was just outshined a little by those around him. I enjoyed Shoshana Bean in this much more then I’ve enjoyed her in the past. And finally, I have nothing more to add about Mykal Kilgore. I don’t get how he does it. The dude is a beast and he has great hair. I’m scared of talent like his.

Updated On: 7/1/18 at 06:35 PM

teatime2 said: "Any rumblings about a cast recording?"

Yes, there are.

HeyMrMusic said: "AntV said: "I want to defend the use of books in hand for this production. That used to be the norm at Encores shows since they are technically supposed to be staged readings, and I thought it was smart of these actorsto use the books when they did. The bookswere used during the group numbers because this show’sharmonies (which sounded so tight) are extremely difficult. Being a great soloist doesn’t make you a good part singer, and memorizing harmonies ismuch harder than learning solo melody lines, so good for them for not sacrificing anything musically. In addition,they’ve had about a week of rehearsal; not a lot of time.You will commonly see the singing ensembles of Encores shows holding a binder as they stand in small groups at a mic to sing group numbers. This is nothing new. Hold that book and flip that page, Shoshana!"

This is a good point. For the record, I was not criticizing the use of books in my post -- just observing that those parts also had the least confidence/acting/effect for me. With the sound design, I don't think those complex harmonies had a chance to shine. I love complex 4-part harmony, but didn't really notice them in the moment.

We are truly blessed/spoiled by the Encores! series. I've been going since they actually were "staged readings," and the fact that most of these productions are now just as elaborate and polished as Broadway's open runs is amazing. In a week they are able to create a more affecting presentation than many Broadway productions can muster in 6+ weeks of rehearsal. Granted, the material is usually of high quality, and it is often directed with a more discerning audience in mind than some of the tourist fodder, but I frequently have multiple Encores productions in my personal top 5 each year. What a testament to the talent involved to throw it all together so quickly.

Updated On: 7/2/18 at 08:55 AM

Colin definitely needed them, on Wednesday at least.