1,931 posts
|
Post by LaLuPone on Sept 22, 2023 16:53:21 GMT
If I was ALW there's NO WAY I'd have let them cut 'The Lady's Paying'..... to avoid Patti Lupone having an 'I told you so' moment. Haha. Honestly one of the reasons I love the song so much is because of how much Patti hated it, the bit in her book where she talks about it is so funny! |
|
1,483 posts
|
Post by steve10086 on Sept 22, 2023 16:59:11 GMT
If I was ALW there's NO WAY I'd have let them cut 'The Lady's Paying'..... to avoid Patti Lupone having an 'I told you so' moment. Haha. Honestly one of the reasons I love the song so much is because of how much Patti hated it, the bit in her book where she talks about it is so funny! I like the way he reused the music he wrote for his wedding! Wonder what Mads thought of that  |
|
|
|
|
|
Post by max on Sept 22, 2023 17:32:48 GMT
Honestly one of the reasons I love the song so much is because of how much Patti hated it, the bit in her book where she talks about it is so funny! I like the way he reused the music he wrote for his wedding! Wonder what Mads thought of that Ah, interesting I didn't know that, re. the wedding. Do you know what the intention was i.e what type of music it was trying to be style wise, and what tempo? I think I heard an earlier, instrumental-only version on the box set 'Now and Forever' (?). It felt to me like it was drawn from a recognisable style I can't put my finger on - a sort of Rondo? Very European, and (while all opinions are valid) for my taste Lupone was reflecting her ignorance of the style rather than better taste when saying it was a terrible piece of music. I was amazed as I thought of it as quite sophisticated in its light skipping qualities, and highpoint in the show. p.s. perhaps it was Mads who suggested 'The Lady's Paying' was the only possible title! |
|
|
|
Post by erik24601 on Sept 22, 2023 17:41:33 GMT
I LOVE A FLAAANNNEL ON A MANN I was just about to say that it’s a shame that “ahlavflaaaanalanaman” (soz Patti) won’t feature any longer 😂 |
|
|
|
Post by danb on Sept 22, 2023 17:42:15 GMT
Boring seating question ahoy. If row B is the front row is the orchestra in a nice wide pit meaning I won’t just spend the night looking up Scherzys nose?
|
|
|
|
Post by newyorkcityboy on Sept 22, 2023 17:43:24 GMT
Presumably The Lady’s Paying has been retained in its original form (ie Surrender)?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post by max on Sept 22, 2023 17:56:16 GMT
Someone on X/Twitter commented on the choreography of this production, and whether Glen Close and Patti Lupone would have done it.
Well, as Lupone wimped out of doing Larry Fuller's choo choo train in 'Evita', I can't see her getting on board with Fabian Aloise's 'roly polys with spread eagle legs'.*
*This is an actual description of NS moves! - hilarious. But even funnier thinking of ex-Normas doing them. I'd like to see it made an Olympic sport. Lupone, Paige, Close, Clarke, each firing their own starting gun, and then roly polying round the track, lured like greyhounds but with a chimp as the bait.
|
|
1,060 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by David J on Sept 22, 2023 18:49:12 GMT
Reading everyone’s about the second act opening and all I can think of is at least it isnt cringe like the stunt done in Ivo Van Hove’s Roman Tragedies
😅😅😅
Could you imagine doing that stunt for the ending instead as Nicole says I’m ready for my closeup
|
|
607 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by Matt on Sept 22, 2023 19:24:23 GMT
Has the score/orchestrations been updated to be more contemporary?
|
|
8,147 posts
|
Post by alece10 on Sept 22, 2023 19:29:43 GMT
Has the score/orchestrations been updated to be more contemporary? I'd say no. Sounded glorious. |
|
641 posts
|
Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 22, 2023 19:58:51 GMT
I had decided against booking this, but the reviews I have read here make me intrigued. Add me to the chorus of people who don’t mind the cuts.
How many players are in the orchestra?
|
|
42ndBlvd
Swing
I'll be back where I was born to be
|
Post by 42ndBlvd on Sept 22, 2023 20:14:18 GMT
I had decided against booking this, but the reviews I have read here make me intrigued. Add me to the chorus of people who don’t mind the cuts. How many players are in the orchestra? 17 but you could very easily mistake it for 40! The sound design is absolutely fabulous. Something that a certain show at the Charing cross can't seem to do... |
|
1,931 posts
|
Post by LaLuPone on Sept 22, 2023 23:56:42 GMT
Slightly off-topic but was just rewatching old Sunset clips in preparation for Tuesday’s visit and ended up with Mazz singing AIWNSG at AllyPally, had forgotten how special it was having just come out of lockdown to hear her sing “I don’t want to be alone / that’s all in the past / This world’s waited long enough / I’ve come home at last”. Honestly one of the most cathartic moments of my life.
|
|
|
|
Post by FairyGodmother on Sept 23, 2023 0:09:29 GMT
I can imagine how it's a fantastic performance moment but the logistics must be horrendous! Isn't it getting dark outside by the beginning of the second act at this time of year?
|
|
|
|
Post by 141920grm on Sept 23, 2023 0:20:32 GMT
production has LED panels galore, large and small, and at least 2 attached to each video camera rig
|
|
622 posts
|
Post by chernjam on Sept 23, 2023 0:33:46 GMT
I'm just so excited hearing all this buzz over one of my all-time favorite scores. The Glenn-ENO was special for sure. I was shocked when they announced it was coming to NY since we had Glenn originate the role on Broadway and I couldn't imagine it surpassing that. For sure, the revival here was special. Seeing Close again perform the same role in her 70's, with that glorious orchestra, and definitely bringing some depth from lived experience was wonderful. But my one concern was it was becoming "Glenn Close's Sunset Blvd". And apart from those who saw and loved the original, wanted to see a theatrical historic performance, etc. the show didn't really break any new ground (which explains why it was completely snubbed for any Tony nominations that year)
This sounds edgy and exciting- and kind of what I was hoping they were going to try to do, make the story accessible to a world that could probably relate to the destructive nature of narcissism far better now than in earlier incarnations.
Also - as I eat up every review, am I reading correctly that they finally reverted Too Much In Love to care back to the Sydmonton version where it ends on a softer/harmonized note rather than the loud finale that it's had in almost every production (except the 2nd US National Tour) That song has always been the one low point in the score for me, but when I saw the Sydmonton/2nd US Tour versions I liked it far better. In any event, that people are noting actually feeling for Artie rather than him being completely forgotten is more evidence this is bringing a lot more dimensions to this.
|
|
|
|
Post by toomasj on Sept 23, 2023 1:11:48 GMT
Please forgive my ignorance. Earlier in this thread, someone referred to Jamie Lloyd's "tropes." I've seen -- and enjoyed -- many Lloyd productions: The Hothouse, Richard III, The Ruling Class, The Homecoming, Betrayal. Could someone enlighten me (or remind me) as to what Lloyd's tropes are? (I can recognize tropes in other directors, and filmmakers.) Thanks! Okay, so; cards on the table. I can’t stand Jamie Lloyd’s work. That said, I know loads of people adore his productions. He is the Quentin Tarantino of theatre; all his productions have a feel to them, where after five minutes you’d know it was his work. Naturally, for me this is a very bad thing, for others the exact opposite. I went to a talkback Q&A after Lloyd’s Piaf - the one and only production of his I enjoyed - and I asked a few questions about his recurring tropes. The answers he gave me were polite and concise, he outright says he thinks visually and works things like plot and dialogue around the aesthetic he wants to create. Specific tropes seen in Jamie Lloyd productions: 1. Barefoot actors. Lloyd thinks it feels more organic and “real”. See also Tarantino, but the latter does have an admitted foot fetish, hence multiple close-ups per movie of women’s feet. (You won’t be able to unsee it!). 2. Black box/minimal set. Lloyd doesn’t want sets to distract from imagination and for audiences to - quote - “get lazy”. He says he tries to avoid scene changes altogether for pacing reasons. 3. Simple costumes, for the above reasons. 4. Related to points 2 and 3, stark lighting with flashes of colour (usually bright red) for effect. In this production, it would appear to be Norma’s blood set against her dark hair/stark lighting and black costumes. This is known as “Colour Isolation” or “Spot Colour”. A famous example of this are Oskar Schindler’s visions of the little girl in “Schindler’s List”. 5. Cast staying on stage to “watch” or oversee proceedings, when they are usually offstage in other productions and the script. Tied to this, actors being onstage from audience entry/during the interval. 6. Performers lining up with chairs. Oddly specific this one, but happens at least once per production. So many chairs, so many people standing in lines. Whilst these are the main ones seen in most productions, there are others and once a director reaches “auteur” status, they seem hell bent on imposing each of their trademarks onto a piece. Basically, it’s stuff they think is cool, which is fair enough really. But I just simply couldn’t bear to sit through another Jamie Lloyd production. They are all the same, with different words and songs (if a musical). |
|
|
|
Post by Fleance on Sept 23, 2023 7:01:15 GMT
Please forgive my ignorance. Earlier in this thread, someone referred to Jamie Lloyd's "tropes." I've seen -- and enjoyed -- many Lloyd productions: The Hothouse, Richard III, The Ruling Class, The Homecoming, Betrayal. Could someone enlighten me (or remind me) as to what Lloyd's tropes are? (I can recognize tropes in other directors, and filmmakers.) Thanks! Okay, so; cards on the table. I can’t stand Jamie Lloyd’s work. That said, I know loads of people adore his productions. He is the Quentin Tarantino of theatre; all his productions have a feel to them, where after five minutes you’d know it was his work. Naturally, for me this is a very bad thing, for others the exact opposite. I went to a talkback Q&A after Lloyd’s Piaf - the one and only production of his I enjoyed - and I asked a few questions about his recurring tropes. The answers he gave me were polite and concise, he outright says he thinks visually and works things like plot and dialogue around the aesthetic he wants to create. Specific tropes seen in Jamie Lloyd productions: 1. Barefoot actors. Lloyd thinks it feels more organic and “real”. See also Tarantino, but the latter does have an admitted foot fetish, hence multiple close-ups per movie of women’s feet. (You won’t be able to unsee it!). 2. Black box/minimal set. Lloyd doesn’t want sets to distract from imagination and for audiences to - quote - “get lazy”. He says he tries to avoid scene changes altogether for pacing reasons. 3. Simple costumes, for the above reasons. 4. Related to points 2 and 3, stark lighting with flashes of colour (usually bright red) for effect. In this production, it would appear to be Norma’s blood set against her dark hair/stark lighting and black costumes. This is known as “Colour Isolation” or “Spot Colour”. A famous example of this are Oskar Schindler’s visions of the little girl in “Schindler’s List”. 5. Cast staying on stage to “watch” or oversee proceedings, when they are usually offstage in other productions and the script. Tied to this, actors being onstage from audience entry/during the interval. 6. Performers lining up with chairs. Oddly specific this one, but happens at least once per production. So many chairs, so many people standing in lines. Whilst these are the main ones seen in most productions, there are others and once a director reaches “auteur” status, they seem hell bent on imposing each of their trademarks onto a piece. Basically, it’s stuff they think is cool, which is fair enough really. But I just simply couldn’t bear to sit through another Jamie Lloyd production. They are all the same, with different words and songs (if a musical). Very interesting, thank you! I wish I could remember which of those tropes (if any) were present in the Lloyd productions that I've seen, but it's been a while. |
|
3,476 posts
|
Post by ceebee on Sept 23, 2023 7:20:01 GMT
All those chairs... Jamie Lloyd would have a field day with "Come From Away".
|
|
|
|
Post by max on Sept 23, 2023 7:46:05 GMT
All those chairs... Jamie Lloyd would have a field day with "Come From Away". He'd be delirious at IKEA. |
|
1,432 posts
|
Post by BVM on Sept 23, 2023 11:43:07 GMT
Has the score/orchestrations been updated to be more contemporary? More or less the same. It's the Cullen/ALW ones. I think adapted slightly and there are also some extra keys (playing I presume with heavy pre-programming). It sounds (thanks to modern synth technology I guess) like a much bigger orchestra than it is. A few sections have been changed slightly but only people who know the OLC/OBC(?OLAC) inside out would really notice. Similar to Lloyd's Evita where the score was played as per ALW/Cullen orchestrations for the Grandage version but what's on stage was visually so different. |
|
1,432 posts
|
Post by BVM on Sept 23, 2023 11:46:57 GMT
I'm just so excited hearing all this buzz over one of my all-time favorite scores. The Glenn-ENO was special for sure. I was shocked when they announced it was coming to NY since we had Glenn originate the role on Broadway and I couldn't imagine it surpassing that. For sure, the revival here was special. Seeing Close again perform the same role in her 70's, with that glorious orchestra, and definitely bringing some depth from lived experience was wonderful. But my one concern was it was becoming "Glenn Close's Sunset Blvd". And apart from those who saw and loved the original, wanted to see a theatrical historic performance, etc. the show didn't really break any new ground (which explains why it was completely snubbed for any Tony nominations that year) This sounds edgy and exciting- and kind of what I was hoping they were going to try to do, make the story accessible to a world that could probably relate to the destructive nature of narcissism far better now than in earlier incarnations. Also - as I eat up every review, am I reading correctly that they finally reverted Too Much In Love to care back to the Sydmonton version where it ends on a softer/harmonized note rather than the loud finale that it's had in almost every production (except the 2nd US National Tour) That song has always been the one low point in the score for me, but when I saw the Sydmonton/2nd US Tour versions I liked it far better. In any event, that people are noting actually feeling for Artie rather than him being completely forgotten is more evidence this is bringing a lot more dimensions to this. Yup, this is right! I have always loved this song funnily enough, but never seen it have the impact it had in this version. Both the passion between Joe and Betty and the genius idea of putting Artie's face on the screen. Followed by as you say the gentle ending. Very emotional! I think you're right re the recent Glenn Close version. I know that also divided people but it did feel a bit like a nod/tribute to her previous association with the show and very much a nostalgia trip for those who had loved Glenn in the show in the 90's! And also for those that had been desperate to see her in the 90's, but (particularly this side of the Atlantic) hadn't been able to! |
|
1,432 posts
|
Post by BVM on Sept 23, 2023 11:51:23 GMT
Re Lloyd's use of colour, I did find it interesting/bizarre that the only use of colour (other than the rolling of the credits on the screen) was at such a dramatically inconsequential moment. {Spoiler - click to view}
In the car scene towards end of Act 2 when Betty is driving to the house, everyone stops and the stage is briefly flooded in red. I took it to mean that they'd stopped due to a red traffic light! That was the only colour in the whole show! Have I missed some dramatic significance? |
|
