The All-Sondheim Thread- Page 12

[Plum]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:00pm

It's playing at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Margo. The place is also a gallery and a restaurant, which makes finding the proper door a real delight.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:01pm

The Act II chromolume scene was amazing -- thanks to advances in technology it was eye-popping. A real improvement over the original. Act I was interesting, using lots of easels with blank canvases around the stage to clever effect at times (the second not speaking soldier was simply a painting of a soldier rather than a life-size cardboard cut-out). The lighting was a bit on the murky side at times, but overall it was an effective new design concept for the show.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:03pm

Menier Chocolate Factory? Sounds like quite a fascinating venue to see the show. You'll have to give us a full report -- if you can ever score tickets, that is.

[KMF_NYC]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:05pm

I LOVED Audra's Dot at Ravinia --- played with all ranges of emotions soared through the score. I would jump at the chance to see her in full scale production of this (or just about anything).

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:06pm

jealous of K

[Plum]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:10pm

*sob*

I just wanted the student price and I have to show ID at the box office and the box office is by London Bridge but I've already been by there 4 times and waaaaaah.



Never fear. If I have to stake the place out I'll get those tickets. And until then I have Mary Poppins to console me.

And the venue is, indeed, a converted chocolate factory, which I would find a whole lot more amusing if they would just sell me the damn tickets.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:11pm

As long as the ends justify the means, Plum!

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:12pm

So what the hell is he working on now? I'm supposing that BOUNCE is history, so.....what next?

[Plum]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:14pm

It's a mystery, Borstal. Well, at least as far as I know. Other than the often-posited but never-coming Groundhog Day adaptation, I haven't heard any speculation.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:26pm

In the last interview he gave on Bounce, he said that he, Weidman and Prince had decided to put the show away for a while, let it marinate and then they plan on revisiting it with fresh eyes in a year or two. So, it may not be dead, but presently it's in a coma on life support, waiting to be re-awakened.

I'm curious if he ever made any progress with the Groundhog Day project. I haven't heard him mention it since that long interview with Frank Rich he did at the Kennedy Center during that Festival.

His tradition has been to wait for other people to bring material to him -- Assassins is one of the few projects that he instigated himself -- so perhaps it's time for Weidman, Lapine or some new collaborator to come to him with some brilliant idea.

[Plum]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:31pm

I'm surprised the Sweeney revival hasn't been selling a bit better than it has. I mean, I wasn't expecting 100% attendance every week, but 71.2-86.7% isn't exactly stellar for the beginning of a run that Brantley slobbered all over. Am I getting worried too quickly? Maybe it's just mental associations with another good show at the O'Neill.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:42pm

Sweeney Todd never has been and never will be a soldout hit, no matter what the reviews are. Most people just don't want to see a show about somebody cutting up innocent people and baking them into pies. Cannibalism will never be as popular a subject as mysterious phantoms haunting opera houses or rival witches during their growing up years. We all exist in this alternative universe where nobody gives the subject matter a second thought and people get excited about Stephen Sondheim scores and radical new stagings -- if you look at what tops the box office figures every week, it's clear most people out there don't care about such things and just want to be entertained, not be made to think, feel, or be challenged.

This production might end up being the first Broadway Sweeney to return its investment (chiefly because it's so cheap to run with the tiny cast/orchestra which is a fifth of the size of the original Prince staging). It'll likely post numbers in the 90s during the holiday season and the struggle along in the 70s and 80s (perhaps even lower) during the winter. It'll turn a profit eventually, but it's going to take a little while.

Updated On: 11/21/05 at 02:42 PM

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:53pm

I think the 85% number will be the standard high water area for the production, yet that number should be enough to keep the show afloat if it can sustain. I agree it will bump along at the low 70's during the winter. There are just too many negative assumptions to overcome. Which is unfortunate.

I will be traveling to Cincy to see the Doyle COMPANY, and am looking forward to it.

I continue to need theatre that makes me "think, feel, or be challenged."

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:56pm

I want to pitch an idea to Sondheim. How would I go about doing it?

I heard something about glass-topped coffee tables once...anyone know what I'm talking about?

[Plum]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 2:59pm

But here's what gets me- it is entertaining. "A Little Priest" alone provides more entertainment value than entire shows I can think of. And horror movies do well all the time, don't they? I hate to say this, but maybe if it wasn't sold as A VERY IMPORTANT SONDHEIM MASTERPIECE it would get more buyers.

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 3:06pm

As entertaining and funny as Sweeney can be it's not particularly accessible, especially with the minimal staging and very different interpretation of the revival. It maybe entertaining, but one can't just sit back and watch without some thought about what's going on. Also some people will be unable to catch many of the lyrics if they aren't already familiar with them. Updated On: 11/21/05 at 03:06 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 3:12pm

"I heard something about glass-topped coffee tables once...anyone know what I'm talking about?"

I'm not sure if I know what you're talking about ....... but I always heard that it was Jerry Lewis who into ....... that. And no I don't want to be any clearer than that.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 3:21pm

I knew someone would know what I was going for...well done.

Jerry Lewis, huh? Tricky to keep one's balance up there with the leg braces, isn't it? That must be why he started the foundation.

[Plum]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 3:27pm

Thank you. Now my brain will never be clean again.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 3:31pm

As if it was a clean one to start with, Plum. Puh-leeze, gurl.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 3:37pm

I agree with Yoda and Plum, it is entertaining, but some people refuse to be entertained and forced to think at the same time.

I also must say, I totally agree with toucheme re: Plum's mind.

Updated On: 11/21/05 at 03:37 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 3:39pm

Moving on...................

I think MERRILY might do well in a revival. Certainly better than the 16 performances of the OBC. The book revisions have made the story much clearer and it's one of Sondheim's most mainstream, "tuneful" traditional musical comedy scores. As Prince, Furth, Sondheim etc... now realize having seen so many reworkings of the show over the years, MERRILY works much better cast with real adults rather than kids (kids can't be completely convincing with Furth's ultra cynical, sophisticated dialogue), so imagine the 30-somethings who might be available to play Charlie, Franklin and Mary. Not sure if it can survive going the commercial route or not, so perhaps Roundabout needs to take it on. Could be terrific.

Updated On: 11/21/05 at 03:39 PM

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 3:47pm

After seeing an off off broadway production of Merrily this summer I completely understood why it failed and was sure that a revival would never work. Then I saw NYU's recent production and completely changed my mind. I think that with the right cast and the right director Merrily could do pretty well, not great, but well.

[fiatlux]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 3:50pm

"Yes, could we please take a raincheck on anymore Doyle "reimaginings" for a while? I "

Pity you should say that - his ITTW was magnificent and ACW made some sense :)

There's an orgy of Sondheim this weekend in London - I'll be revisiting SITPWG then there's Sondheim at 75 at the Hackney Empire,The Sondheim Conference at Goldsmith's and SBSBS is playing - talk about feast or famine.

ATG has officially announced tour of John Doyle's version of Sweeney with Jason Donovan (which is interesting casting) - unlike the original tour it will be playing a lot of the larger UK theatres - they really know how to sweat an asset - I wonder if they think they can make it into the next Chicago......

Updated On: 11/21/05 at 03:50 PM

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 3:51pm

Well, i'm not sure about percentages for Sweeney, but they sold $750,000 worth of tickets after the NYTimes review came out, which is alot of folks for a show like that. I agree it may not be everybody's liking, but I'm with smartpenguin: I don't care if people who haven't seen the show like it or know what's going on or not; I had a great evening and it's been on my mind ever since. I can't say that about many shows at all. Just a question for the folks on the thread: Are you interested in radical revivals, successful or not, or more assured recastings of original stagings? I mean this sincerely, not trying to "talk down" to the Sweeney naysayers--for I see the rationale behind Doyle's detractors. But I feel like Sweeney as directed by Hal Prince has been done, recorded, and the concert version was fairly faithful to that staging concept as well. So watching Doyle's was alot of fun and fascinating to me and I would like to see more revivals approached with the same freshness, though perhaps not the actor-musician route. Any comments?