The Woman in White (11/4/05)- the good, the bad, and the downright ugly- Page 2

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 1:32pm

No, sorry, I was unclear...

They are both of the London cast. One is, I think, a highlights version. The other looked like some sort of collectible thing.

They were also selling the Phantasia CD.

[kec]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 2:17pm

I can tell you the full OLCR comes in a box the size of a cd case. Within the box is the jewel case with two cds and the libretto in a separate book. I hadn't heard they had done a "higlights" cd, though.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 3:25pm

I have no idea if they did either, but there were 3 distinct piles of CD's at the merchandise counter. One was the full London CD with the libretto, one looked like some other Woman in White CD, and the other was Phantasia.

[angelic1]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 8:42pm

I saw the show today and overall I enjoyed it. I must admit that the projected sets were (though very, very cool) a bit distracting. I felt like they belonged in another show or something. Is it going to be a trend?

I loved the cast. Lisa Brescia was amazing considering who she is understudying for (that's hard work!) and Michael Ball always pleases. I enjoyed it very much, although the audience was somewhat annoying. But, that's nothing new. Still, I left the theater singing Phantom, I wonder....

[Piazzaslight]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 8:51pm

How was the audience annoying, angelic? I just want to know how.

[angelic1]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 8:53pm

Oh, just the typical candy wrappers, cell phones, and people who walk in 10 minutes after intermission ended and are sitting in the center of the row and make everyone get up. Sorry for the lack of description.

[Piazzaslight]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 9:19pm

Oh, that's descriptive enough...

Also, another thing I want to know. This is for those who saw it only. At the performance you saw, were there any kids there? I wonder that very thing. When I see it I don't want to feel like the only kid there (Well, technically I'm a teenager, but I'm close to being a kid...) There were only a few kids there at the show when I saw it in London.

Updated On: 11/6/05 at 09:19 PM

[bwaybabe85]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 9:45pm

Haha, that reminds me. When I saw the show last week, I was sitting in between a snoring middle aged man and an unwrapping candy woman on the right. I was quite amused.

[angelic1]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 9:48pm

I didn't really notice any children. There were a few teenagers.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 9:58pm

yay for Lisa Brescia!

[Liz_Bennet]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 10:21pm

I have seen projected scenery work (in London, go figure), but only when it had to project a vague sense of place without becoming the main attraction or do any heavy dramatic lifting (the screens were wide, but very short). I'm not sure if they would work in such a large form.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/6/05 at 10:54pm

There were very few children when I went on Friday. Some teenagers, but no families or anything like that.

The couple sitting behind me (tourists) hated the show, beacuse they thought it was "too heavy". They actually said they wished they had seen Beauty and the Beast instead. I'd really love to know if the TKTS worker told them this show was just like Beauty and the Beast...

The couple next to me loved it, however, and went and bought the CD at intermission.

I suspect that this show will divide audiences just like the one on Friday night. Although strangely enough, the man who hated the show was standing and shouting "Bravo!" when Lisa Brescia took her bow.

[Phantom05]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 1:46am

Woman In White..."Too heavy"...That makes me chuckle, lol. Broadway audiences have become way to used to shows like Hairspray, All Shook Up, Wicked, etc. I think there may be a bit of the 80's trend coming back, and I hope so, but I don't know how audiences will react?!? Shows like Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, etc., were all very heavy and darker in plot, and they were all highly successful...Then, somewhere in the 90's, times changed and after 2000, we started getting these juke-box musicals; and now..."movies-turned-musicals". With new and impending shows such as Wedding Singer, Catch Me If You Can, Legally Blonde, etc., people are getting way too used to the movie-musical style, which is a bit annoying to me. However there are a lot of very promising "darker" productions opening soon as well such as Lestat, A Tale Of Two Cities, and a few others. I am excited that musicals, more heavy in nature, are making a return to the Broadway stage...IT'S ABOUT TIME; not that the other aren't fun, lol!

Later!

Phantom05

[grizzabella]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 10:44am

This has been a terrific discussion, and I realize I'm weighing in a bit late in the game, but I have to go along with adamgreer about some of the lyrics. I haven't seen the show yet, but I have the London CD and there are a few lines that make me cringe, too. The "fish" line referenced earlier is one, as is "All my sketching soon will have you wretching". For me, this one just jars, not to mention that no respectable Victorian lady would ever say it. But there is some good writing here, too. Mr. Fairlie's lyrics, for the most part, are fun, and Fosco's "You Can Get Away With Anything" is delicious.
"We all have got a spot of farce in us
but only some of us are larcenous
And few still divine the thrill in us
that comes from being truly villainous."
Obviously, we're all going to make our own judgements on this show, but in my opinion, where the lyrics succeed, they succeed very well, but there are some moments where they fall flat in equally spectacular fashion.

[EganFan2]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 10:44am

I thought Phantom's lyrics were perfect. There are a few lines in WIW that I cringe at. Like something about "his manly, rugged arms" in that "Perspective" bit (actually I HATE that whole part).

[EganFan2]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 10:45am

Double post, sorry

Updated On: 11/7/05 at 10:45 AM

[kec]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 11:16am

"The "fish" line referenced earlier is one, as is "All my sketching soon will have you wretching". For me, this one just jars, not to mention that no respectable Victorian lady would ever say it."

But isn't Marian a bit different from your run-of-the-mill Victorian lady? I'm not saying she isn't respectable -- she is -- but while I don't believe a "proper" Victorian lady would say that line, I get the impression that Marian is a bit more outspoken than most other women of that era might have been.

I agree with you though, about Count Fosco's final song. As sung by Michael Ball, they are truly delicious, especially combined with his facial expressions.

[grizzabella]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 11:47am

I take your point, kec, about Marian being more outspoken, and far more her own person than most Victorian women. She definitely is, but given the time and context, I doubt even she would make a reference to vomiting, especially to a man whom she doesn't really know very well, at this point. It just wasn't done. For me, it's just one of those anacronistic lines that clashes with the time period in which the show is set. It's just a personal quibble, but the line still annoys me.

[EganFan2]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 2:10pm

I love that song, and "I Believe My Heart". Even though "Heart"'s lyrics are not that original, it's still a lovely song.

If I had to choose one song (melody wise this time) that I hated, it's "Lost Souls". Ew.

[Amanda2]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 4:22pm

Can anyone tell me if that insipid line "I must disregard his charms, and his manly rugged arms" is still in the show? I have only ever heard the OLC, and according to those in the know, some of the lyrics have been changed since. Its the only line in the whole production that gets on my last nerve. Much appreciated.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 4:25pm

that horrible line was still in as of saturday night...