The cast of the Best Show of 2012 will be at Barnes and Noble on the Upper East Side

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 1:38pm

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/167734-Stephen-Sondheim-and-Encores-Merrily-Cast-to-Appear-at-Barnes-and-Noble

[Wynbish]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 1:41pm

Colin is in Vancouver shooting Arrow. Wonder if he could take a day or two off.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 1:48pm

His presence is confirmed it says.

[macnyc]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 2:51pm

I did enjoy that show!

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 3:07pm

I don't know how I will react meeting Sondheim, but it will probably have religious connotations.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 3:17pm

Currently confirmed to appear are Sondheim, Tony-winning orchestrator Jonathan Tunick, Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tony Award nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger, Adam Grupper, Betsy Wolfe and Elizabeth Stanley.

Colin isn't confirmed yet.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 7:59pm

Far be it from me to disagree that this is nowhere near the best show of 2012.

[binau]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 8:57pm

According to the PS Classics website "Colin Donnell, alas, will be out of town"

[rich.hanson59]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 11:28pm

Has anyone been to a signing at B&N before? What time would you recommend getting there? The listening party is at 3, with the signing beginning at 4. Thanks in advance.

[theatrefreak0109]

Posted: 7/9/12 at 10:53pm

What time should be good for the signing?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/9/12 at 11:00pm

Drat! I thought you were talking about GODSPELL.




Long Live God!

[PianoMann]

Posted: 7/9/12 at 11:55pm

The lines at these events vary greatly. I've been to two this year, for "Follies" and "Porgy and Bess," and both events started at 4. I arrived to the "Follies" signing at 1 and there was already a really long line, but I managed to see the cast within 20 minutes after they started the signing, but wasn't even guaranteed a slot. For "Porgy and Bess," I arrived at 2, and even when they event started at 4, there were only about 30 people there, which was quite sad to see.

I'd expect a fairly large crowd because Sondheim has been announced, but there are no other HUGE names like Bernadette Peters, etc. so I wouldn't think this would be as busy as the "Follies" signing. I plan on arriving at 2.

If anyone else ends up going, let me know, as I'd love to meet some Broadway World posters while I'm there!

[theatrefreak0109]

Posted: 7/10/12 at 12:02am

TY PianoMann your information is very helpful. I plan on getting there at 11 early i know but i am determined.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 7/10/12 at 12:15am

Nothing wrong with getting there early; if you haven't been to this B&N they have a really nice café right next to the staging area / queue for these events and they have free, unlimited WiFi and, of course, a plethora of books to keep you occupied for the few hours!

[Wynbish]

Posted: 7/10/12 at 11:01pm

Did anyone ago?

Lin and Colin tweeted that Colin made an appearance via FaceTime.

Updated On: 7/10/12 at 11:01 PM

[keb2]

Posted: 7/10/12 at 11:06pm

I went! There was a decently sized crowd, enough to fill the room twice over, I'd say. Lin-Manuel Miranda drew four raffle tickets for Sondheim prizes (Sondheim-signed copies of Finishing the Hat & Look I Made a Hat, Follies CR signed by EVERYONE, Merrily CR). Then photo ops for the press (Mr. Miranda brought Colin Donnell along on Facetime on his iPhone), and then the signings started. They signed for everyone in the room plus ten people on the standby line.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 7/10/12 at 11:13pm

I was there too! It was definitely a nice-sized crowd; similar to the amount of people for Follies, and a tremendously larger group than they had for Porgy and Bess. As always, it was quite efficiently run, and the cast was definitely happy to be there. It was a pleasure to meet Tunick as well.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 7/10/12 at 11:32pm

I was there. Very pleasant experience except for the old bitch who caused a scene because she thought people cut her in line.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 7/11/12 at 4:31am

I wish I could have been there, but I had a previous commitment. I'm living vicariously through you guys, thanks for sharing!
I hope you guys told Elizabeth Stanley, that she is EVERYTHING!!! And her performance as Gussie Carnegie was Tony-worthy. The entire cast was perfection. I truly feel sorry for the ones that missed this and for the ones that didn't get it. A clever show with a brilliant book and a fabulous score, and a story we can all relate to, at least the ones that love to have "old friends", like myself.
It was hands down the best I've seen all year, by far.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 7/11/12 at 8:36am

I got to B&N about 4:20pm and was told that there were no sealed CDs available for sale. They did have 2 opened CDs that I could purchase with a full understanding by B&N that if I could not get into the signing they would accept them for return. What could I lose? So I purchased the two opened CDs and got on line. I was almost to the end of the line which had maybe 30 people on standby outside the room. A few disappointing things I noticed. The "professional" autograph collectors were there. They were running out of the room having got CDs signed and frantically got on the end of the line. I overheard their discussion about whether or not they should cut their green wrist bands off because they might be prevented from re-entering the room if it was noticed they were in there once already. B&N staff did come around and announce there was a 5% chance that we would actually get in to get the CD signed. Mr Sondheim was going to promptly leave at 5pm and another actor had a curtain call. Still the line remained. At 5pm the door was closed and no one else was let into the room. The line for the most part shifted from the signing room to the register in the CD department and the registers started to ring the returns back into the store. I didn't hear much complaining by those who didn't get in. It is obvious if it was all that important then you should have taken the day off work or got there much earlier. Just strange though that there really wasn't all that many people left outside the room to accommodate and there also wasn't a thought to offer to those waiting if they were interested in signatures minus Sondheim and the actor who had to leave for his show. For me it was one of those if it happens it happens. Yes, B&N took back the open CDs as promised.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 7/11/12 at 8:42am

BTW - just noticed that there are 5 available on eBay starting at $99.99 and Buy It Now for $119.99

[PianoMann]

Posted: 7/11/12 at 9:08am

I ended up sitting next to that older lady and her friend once the stand-by line was allowed to enter the signing room, and she turned out to be quite nice and knowledgeable, but it was irksome listening to her tell every Barnes and Noble employee that everyone in the stand-by line had cut her (although someone I was with said we all did cut her based on how the line snaked through the aisles, so that's too bad).

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 7/11/12 at 9:31am

Because of the gaps in the line due to the aisles, part of the line (seriously only about 10 people) unwittingly jumped the front of the standby line. I was actually the first person on the line who didn't have a wrist band, so I lost my place. It was so few people though that it didn't matter to me, so I just kept reading my book. I still got my CD signed, so no big deal.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 7/11/12 at 9:34am

PianoMann...I may not have been close enough to experience "that older lady" complaining about all the line cutters but I did have a nut of my own in front of me! My guy (maybe 50 yrs old) was telling everyone who would listen that it would be his father's birthday next week and he really really needed Sondheim's autograph for a gift. With no CD in hand he stood there with a ripped page from a magazine that advertised the event. Someone tried to gently remind him that it was clearly stated that only CDs would be signed but the "Rain Man" continued to sway back and forth with his 5hit eating grin and highly polished forehead while stating that Sondheim would sign this paper. Never ceases to amaze me how these events are like magnets to the bizzare.

[KPHenegan]

Posted: 7/11/12 at 1:07pm

I got there a little after 3 PM yesterday, but ended up fairly far back in the standby line and missed making it in when they closed the doors at 5. I, too, was a little surprised they wouldn’t have tried to accommodate the people still in line depending on who could stay later--there weren’t that many of us left at that point. But I wasn’t disgruntled--it’s how those things go. I did have a serendipitous happy ending to the afternoon, though. My wife had met me at the cafe afterwards, and I pointed out the performers on their way out who’d been at the signing (she didn’t see it at Encores). We happened to go up the escalator right in front of Betsy Wolfe; I wasn’t going to attempt to talk to her, but my wife wasn’t going to let the moment go and said hello to her. I managed to say I missed getting the CD signed, but noted I’d seen the show at City Center. She asked if I had the CD handy, and I appreciatively took it out thinking I’d at least get her signature. Getting to the top of the escalator, instead of taking out a pen, she took out her CD and handed me HER booklet--which she’d had everyone sign back at the table! I was flabbergasted and didn’t want to take it, but she insisted. So even though I didn’t get to circulate to everyone at the table, I still got a signed booklet in the end. I can’t believe how gracious and thoughtful she was giving up her book (I sheepishly handed her mine in exchange). And by the way, the photos of her at the signing posted on another site don’t do her justice!