Trevor Nunn is directing The Bridges of Madison County in London — Page 2

RippedMan said: "Agreed! Great score but I don’t think Sher knee what he was doing"

One thing he may have got out of it are incredible performances though. I guess it's always hard to tell how much the director shaped the performances, but this is basically Kelli's best work in my opinion*, with other notable performances from Steve P and Whitney Bashor. Even Hunter F did a good job at being so unromantic and plain it was easy to see how the story could progress. I'd be surprised if any cast will ever match the aesthetic quality, intimacy and tension of this original cast (although I guess everyone always says the originals can never be topped).

*I really believe it's her NEXT TO NORMAL, GREY GARDENS, GYPSY etc. I wish she had received greater recognition for the role.

AEA AGMA SM said: "The comment meant keeping the casting of the leads in their late 30s, not the time period of the show."

Well, then, as Gilda Radner-playing-Emily Latella used to say, "Never mind."

Any major changes to the score? Did he cut "State Road 21?"

QueenAlice said: "How does Jenna sound singing this legit score?"

Disappointing in my opinion (caught the show Saturday night as well). It sounded like she was struggling to sing the score. I've seen her in other productions and she was always a standout but yesterday it seemed to me that both leads were struggling vocally including the already mentioned crack. There was no ease in their singing and no strength in the places where Kelli/Steve excelled. It's made all the more obvious once members of the supporting cast/ensemble start singing.

Also pretty much agree with all of qolbinau's points, particularly about the staging.

I saw the first preview (which was actually their final dress rehearsal) on July 13. Nunn's direction doesn't really add anything new to the show although this does feel much smaller and more intimate compared to the original staging (and it's not just because the Chocolate Factory is tiny). I think this could transfer to the West End and do well, but this likely won't make it to New York. It just doesn't add anything new to the show.

I will say, this is not a beautifully sung Bridges. It sort of reminded me of Follies at the National in that the singing was serviceable, but the acting blew me away. I can't remember any names, but the lead male struggled with the score and cracked several times. The cast was strong across the board. "Another Life" was a bit disappointing and sung with little power or presence. The kids were great. The standout of the show was Marge. I always felt Marge was sort of a throw-away character before but in this production she was really the heart of the show in many ways.

Jenna Russell - I really loved her in this. In general, she struggles with the score and doesn't even try to go for the money notes. This took a while to get used to, especially in comparison to O'Hara and Stanley who sang the score with ease. That said, I thought she gave one of the best performances I've seen this year. She acted the hell out of the role and fully break my heart by the end. Her choices in the last 30 minutes of the show alone were perfection.

The design and tech are incredibly ambitious for the space. There were a few rough moments and you could tell everyone was still getting used to the tech and set (at one point the kitchen wouldn't come on and the kitchen table chair kept falling off the table).

The book and score seem intact. State Road 21 (which I have already disliked) really works in this production. It does a great job getting the energy back in the theatre and the lead vocalist is really great.

I think the biggest change is that the only people who are onstage are the ones in the scene whereas the original staging had lots of folks coming on and off for different reasons. It could be because the Chocolate Factory is so small, but I loved the focus just being on the story itself.

If anyone has specific questions, I can answer them. I really enjoyed this one and if you're in London definitely check it out.

qolbinau said: "I have a question re: Marge. In the original production she was a throw away but here she has at least two important moments: one in when she sung “get closer”, which was so hilarious and camp. In the original production I thought this was actually just coming out of the radio but here it was a camp funny solo. What happened originally? I can’t remember. Second, when she could tell that Jenna was very upset re: cheating and said she needed to talk to her husband, she was so understanding and kind of like “I know what you did I will support you”. It also was a bit of an arc from what started as a nosey character. Again, I don’t remember this in the original production. What happened?

Also, in general how did the ending compare to the original? In the original I don’t remember Kelli being as devastated as Jenna. But I only ever saw the show once originally and over 5 years has past so my memory is hazy on this point. Jenna really was quite devastating at the end. I would consider seeing the show again just for her, I just wish I could see an understudy lead male. "

Kelli’s ending wasn’t overdone. She didn’t play it with outward hysterics. She played it with a pensive sadness that was chilling.

Re: Orchestra. If I recall correctly, there is a 10-piece orchestra for this production so it isn't the reduced orchestra we have typically seen at the Chocolate Factory. The orchestra and score really soar in this production.

I highly doubt it - it's getting killed by the critics. I'm a little sad/annoyed that with everyone involved they couldn't pull it off. Very disappointing, especially after we've had such good productions of American musicals here recently.

Updated On: 7/25/19 at 05:38 AM

OUCH!

Where did it all go so wrong...

Nunn's Fiddler was the best thing I saw last year, glad I didn't rush out and get tickets for this.

I'll wait til they drop on Todays Tix x