Women On The Verge - Early Previews Questions

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 1:15am

The Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown cast recording has been playing in my car all week, and I have a few questions about Shoes From Heaven and My Crazy Heart.
Shoes From Heaven- When Shoes From Heaven was used as the finale how was it staged? I know that in the final version Pepa walked into her apartment to find everyone asleep, but in the song Shoes From Heaven all the women sing together. Was the scene with everyone asleep not in the show at that point?
My Crazy Heart- Did the women just walk into her room and start singing? How was this staged? I know the first few previews did not have the Overture. Did they still show Pepa on the rotating bed through the Gazpacho curtain? If so, what music was used?
Thanks in advance :) I have just been curious about this

Updated On: 8/28/11 at 01:15 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 1:26am

I never got to see Shoes From Heaven.

My Crazy Heart: I'm pretty sure the bed rolled off the stage and the women all sang the song in lingerie. It was a pretty dark opening. I liked it at the time, but ultimately Madrid worked much better.

And I believe the early previews DID have the overture. I think a poster was expecting a traditional overture, so after the first preview they said there was none. But I'm pretty sure the Yazbek "overture" was always there.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 1:32am

If I remember correctly from the foggy memory of the crazy previews thread, people said more of an "overture" was added at about the second or third performance, after something really short at the first preview or so. Now whether this is true, I don't know, and there was always something like an overture at the start of the show, but I'm not sure when what we know as the overture (what's on the recording) went into the show.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 1:42am

Thank you Oh and for On the Verge I read somewhere that someone mentioned Patti was swinging over row b of the orchestra.... is that right? Did the women actually go over the audience? I had the impression that they were harnessed deeper in the stage (behind the curtain line), not over the audience.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 1:48am

Has anyone come across or have any pictures of On The Verge? The flying was such a highly controversial and much debated element of the show and I've been dying to see what it looked like, especially because I love the song so much on the CD!

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 1:52am

Phreak and Piano, check your PMs. :)

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 1:53am

When I saw it, the women just sorta hung there, no swinging, and the only thing controversal thing was why were they hanging and how uncomfortable they looked.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 1:56am

Patti had an absolute ball up there. She would swing back and forth, kicking her legs, like she was a child on a swing. She would also file her nails, lol.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 2:05am

Many, many thanks ljay889! I've been really curious about that scene since I heard about it!

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 2:05am

I saw the first preview and Patti clearly loved being up there. She was swinging, kicking her legs and taking it all in.

Sherie looked unhappy. Then again she almost caught on fire during the first preview. :)

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 2:10am

I still remember those first preview reviews... Didn't the taxi break down... And there was something about a TV sliding across the stage when it wasn't supposed to?

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 2:15am

I saw some mishaps during regular performances. Once the Taxi Driver's steering steering fell off, lol. Burstein had fun with it, though. And once, Ambite's motorcycle had to be pushed out in act 1, as opposed to rolling across the stage on an automated track. Definitely a pretty complicated set.

I am convinced that this is one show that people will be talking about for years to come. I was able to see it seven times, and I'm grateful for that. Updated On: 8/28/11 at 02:15 AM

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 2:16am

The taxi broke down a few times and had to be manually pushed, sets would just stop and all the actors would run offstage, projections would freeze or revert to error messages, Sherie's bed-when on fire-erupted higher than expected and just missed her-she ran offstage. The theatre then smelled like burnt wig.

I think all the melee took me out of the show and I didnt get to fully enjoy the score.

I think the show could have been a bigger success, but it was far too "green" to have hit the stage when it did. They needed a few more weeks. Sher told the audience the show we were seeing was the first time the cast was running the show from start to finish on stage.

I think that is pushing it for previews.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 2:23am

Yikes! Between the projections and treadmills I can definitely see why there would be so many problems. I still want to know how they stored some of those huge set pieces that slid on stage for a 3 minute scene then slid back off again.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 2:27am

I think this production could have been much more successful without all of the bizarre and lavish technical set pieces. From what I can tell, the true beauty of the show is Yazbek's score, and simple staging would allow the actors and the score to shine.

If they were keen on using all of the frills that they tried to, they needed to do an out-of-town run. Skipping that was a huge mistake. Just think about how Aida would have been opening immediately on Broadway with that huge pyramid set piece that constantly broke down.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 2:28am

Oh and I forgot that possessed TV did roll across the stage a few times when it wasn't supposed to. This got applause and laughs from the audience.
The audience was pretty bewildered with the problems and stops and starts and I'll never forget how absolutely apes@#t they went after "Model Behavior". To see Laura execute this marathon of a number without a hitch after all the stops and starts of the matinee. The audience just started cheering and hooting. They went wild.

It was really cool. Laura was blown away. I think she came out and took a bow after the number.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 2:29am

I agree with pianomann. I look forward to some new productions of the show without all the bells and whistles.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 2:33am

I am so excited for local theatres to (hopefully) start picking this up. There are a couple theatre companies in my hometown that I think could just nail this show.
And Bettyboy - was Shoes From Heaven used as the finale in the first preview?

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 11:59am

Yes "Shoes From Heaven" closed the show. At the time I remember thinking it was beautiful.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 12:13pm

I saw the show a week into previews and the show began with the black curtain behind the scrim going up, showing Pepa's bed spinning down center, reflected in the slightly angled mirror, she checked the answering machine, sat back down on the bed, Patti enetered left, began 'My Crazy Heart' and all of the women joined one by one, dimly lit, Pepa joined at some point, and that was that.

I saw it about a week into previews and the show went off without a hitch, but Ivan's staircase was taken off by stagehands between 'Lovesick' and the chase scene, slightly visible albeit intentionally dim lighting.

[zepka102]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 12:36pm

I'm so addicted to the cast recording. I was very upset it closed a week before my tickets. I just don't understand why Shoes From Heaven was dropped... it's absolutely gorgeous!

You'd think the show was going to be a hit, between Yazbeck's score, the cast, and Sher directing.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 12:51pm

How was Shoes From Heaven staged?

[After Eight]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 1:23pm

"I am convinced that this is one show that people will be talking about for years to come. I was able to see it seven times, and I'm grateful for that."

I enjoyed it myself, and am glad it now seems to be being reevaluated.

It's unfortunate that the first two reports here after the first preview were so long and so ruthless, by two normally impeccable posters. I think their reviews set off a snowball effect of negativity right from the start.

[rougeduck]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 1:39pm

I was there for the TV sliding. It was a beautifully awful night.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/28/11 at 2:12pm

It's unfortunate that the first two reports here after the first preview were so long and so ruthless, by two normally impeccable posters. I think their reviews set off a snowball effect of negativity right from the start.

I TOTALLY agree. Then Kyle4 started his bullsh*t. The show had no chance here after that first night.
Updated On: 8/28/11 at 02:12 PM