Zhivago-Final Dress Review

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 5/10/06 at 3:21am

Zhivago playing at the La Jolla Playhouse is an overall good production. The highlights are the sets and score by Lucy Simon. I did not recieve a playbill so I don't know the actors names or the names of the songs. The actor who played Yurii Zhivago was amazing. He has a powerhouse voice and is a suberb actor, the actress who played Lara was also very good, and the chemistry between them worked beautifuly. The actress who played the wife, was in my opinion the weak-link. She had some trouble transitioning between notes, and wasn't as strong as the others. There is not a lot of dancing in the show, it is more characters walking and going across on platforms. The set like I said is the strongest aspect of the show. It is many moving platforms, coming off stage and going up and down, which many scenes take place on. The hyrdolics of the stage broke down several times, and they had to stop the show. In the score, although many of the songs sound the same, they are very good. The score is similar to the Secret Garden, and there were no really catchy tunes, they were much more solem and not as upbeat. Overall, with some changes in the book, and a couple scenes cut, this show will rock. It has great potential. Updated On: 5/11/06 at 03:21 AM

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 12:48am

*Updated*

[allofmylife]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 1:04am

I chased after the rights for the original movie to turn into a musical for a few years in the 90's. It was very complicated because of the weird way the movie was produced. When Boris Pasternak wrote the book, he was trapped behind the iron curtain. An Italian Communist publisher named Giangiacomo Feltrinelli got a copy of his manuscript and published the book basically, I was told, without express permission. Apparently Carlo Ponti wanted to make a movie so he did a deal with the publisher and bought whatever rights he had, then put an enormous amount of $$$ in escrow in case Pasternak ever got out of Russia (I think the heirs got it when the Berlin wall fell)and just made the movie anyway (freewheeling days of the 60's).

When Garth Drabinsky had the rights, I assumed he's get one of the truely great composers of our time to do this show on an enormous scale. It could have been a juggernaut that would run endlessly like Les Miz. From what I read here, it's much more modest in its goals and what it accomplishes.

I'm not sure if that's a good or sad thing...

[lite2shine]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 1:17am

Sending my positive thought to the company. Go Melissa!

[dented146]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 1:51am

Needy-Lara is Jessica Burrows and in the rehersal I witnessed she was indeed splended. I wish I had been there tonight. I can't speak to the quality of the production yet but I can assure allofmylife that this is no small production. The sets are tremendous and the cast numbers about 35 (I think). And neddy. if the weak link turns out to be the actress that plays Zhivago's wife Tonya. Rena Strober from Les Mis then things may turn out fine.
Updated On: 5/11/06 at 01:51 AM

[mlsheehan]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 10:03am

I believe the weak link in the show are the lyrics. They were laughable (in fact the audience did laugh at several inappropriate times).

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 12:41pm

Isn't Matt Bogart Yuri?