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Post by jr on Sept 28, 2023 8:05:35 GMT
I saw this last night and thought it was great. I saw the tribute show last year and it is very pretty much the same. In a way it works better here with an ensemble. The on-off was too star studded and you kept looking for next big name to come on stage; here you can relax and enjoy the numbers for what they are.
I don´t see the point in having to choose between Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga. It is obvious that Salonga´s vocals are stronger; I had never seen her on stage and thought she was very good. Peters is a great actor and both her dramatic songs (Send in the clowns, Losing my mind) or the comedic numbers (Broadway baby, You Gotta Get a Gimmick) are close to perfect. Just a reminder to the fans of belting: Sondheim always went for performance over vocals (Stritch, Lansbury). Just love both or pick your favourite, but no need for confrontation.
Minor buts, that I don't think they will be changed during previews:
- The speech at the beginning is a bit clunky and Comedy tonight lacks punch.
- I still don't like Could I leave you sang by a man. Give it to Janie Dee, please. Also, despite Michael Ball's claim that he was the first man singing it, this was done ages ago by David Kernan on Side by Side by Sondheim.
- I don't like the West side story section. Nothing to fault, just I did not get into it.
- No comment about the video from Hey, Mr Producer. At least they shortened it this time.
The performers are all fantastic. I love Janie Dee and Joanna Riding. I didn't know Jason Pennycooke or Claire Burt and they were impressive. Bradley Jaden and his chest have a lot of fans here: he is good but he needs to control his volume, he shouts far too much on Pretty women. Attention-seeker Bonnie Langford was fine and I'm still here was good, though to me she looks more like your fun aunt who sings at family parties than a proper Broadway/West End star.
I went with a friend who didn't know anything about Sondheim or any of the performers (except aunt Bonnie) and he did have a great time so I suppose this will cater to a wide audience once reviews are out.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2023 9:39:31 GMT
I'm not sure I would use both Lansbury and Stritch together to make Sondheim's point about vocals. Lansbury was an excellent singer (including having a strong belt) as evident in the many leading roles she had in major Broadway productions. Stritch did what she could with her instrument, talk-singing through many of her roles, particularly later in her career.
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Post by vdcni on Sept 28, 2023 11:56:54 GMT
I wonder if Dee doesn't want to sing it every night after two runs of Follies as yes it does seem perverse not to have her sing it. She sang it at the Alex Parker Sondheim tribute last year and it was better than ever.
I like Langford though I was a bit surprised she was doing I'm Still Here. Looking forward to seeing it though.
For the casual British theatregoer she's also the biggest name in the cast. It was notable that she was sent out to do most of the publicity for this.
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Post by jr on Sept 28, 2023 12:49:47 GMT
I'm not sure I would use both Lansbury and Stritch together to make Sondheim's point about vocals. Lansbury was an excellent singer (including having a strong belt) as evident in the many leading roles she had in major Broadway productions. Stritch did what she could with her instrument, talk-singing through many of her roles, particularly later in her career. Point taken about Lansbury, though I don't think she has a singer's voice, meaning she would not have had a career only as a singer, I think. Now, as an actress and a singer, that was something. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2023 14:47:29 GMT
Point taken about Lansbury, though I don't think she has a singer's voice, meaning she would not have had a career only as a singer, I think. Now, as an actress and a singer, that was something. I agree Lansbury would have been less likely to succeed in a career only as a singer. She could have done a lot of cabaret though I imagine or solo concerts in the spirit of Barbara Cook, an arguably better singer. And she periodically did concert performances with major orchestras or choirs. But she was a far better singer than many "actors who could sing" that have been cast in Sondheim productions. When I see old YouTube videos of Lansbury as Mame and Rose, I'm always reminded of just how much she could belt. Rose: |
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Post by Dawnstar on Sept 28, 2023 23:01:38 GMT
Honestly, whilst it is semi-staged, it is not graphic at all. Depending on quite how easily triggered your reaction is, if otherwise you do really want to see this, why not get an aisle seat near an exit, you can always make a quick quiet getaway if you need to. Content description to help you decide if you can manage it: The Les Mis side set pieces are used to give the impression of Victorian London. Characters are dressed in costume Mrs Lovett chops a small piece of fake meat on a table (which doesn’t move or squish at all, and this is before she meets Sweeney so it’s not depicting human meat) and hits dough/the table a few times as well with some loud thumps. Sweeney flicks a blade around a bit in his hand, he also mimes shaving a customer with it, and mimes cutting the customer’s throat, but there is no blood at all, the customer just goes limp in the chair/closes his eyes. The Sweeney Todd section is towards the end of the first act, it starts after “Send In The Clowns” and there are only two songs after it - “Ladies Who Lunch” which provides a nice rapid change of mood, and then “Sunday” which is done very well, and then you have the interval. Thank you very much for the information. May I ask which songs from Sweeney Todd they perform? I remember watching the TV broadcast of a Sondheim Prom about a decade ago and they did A Little Priest, the lyrics of which I found quite unpleasant. (I have tried looking back through this thread for a number of pages for a list of songs but all I've found is a comment that it's the same as the concert last year, which isn't very helpful when I didn't see that.) |
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Post by marob on Sept 28, 2023 23:08:01 GMT
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Post by Someone in a tree on Sept 29, 2023 9:59:54 GMT
Wow. Such an amazing night.
Saint Bernadette doesnt have the vocal chops but who cares as her delivery is incredible. Clowns and Not a day goes are hauntingly beautiful.
Other highlights,
Janie Dee's Countess and the Boy from.
Claire Burt brought new meaning to Little things you do together
Gavin lee. Never seen him onstage before and gutted its taken so long as Leave you was like a 3 act play.
So glad I've got tickets for the final night.
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Post by karloscar on Sept 29, 2023 11:44:36 GMT
Point taken about Lansbury, though I don't think she has a singer's voice, meaning she would not have had a career only as a singer, I think. Now, as an actress and a singer, that was something. I agree Lansbury would have been less likely to succeed in a career only as a singer. She could have done a lot of cabaret though I imagine or solo concerts in the spirit of Barbara Cook, an arguably better singer. And she periodically did concert performances with major orchestras or choirs. But she was a far better singer than many "actors who could sing" that have been cast in Sondheim productions. When I see old YouTube videos of Lansbury as Mame and Rose, I'm always reminded of just how much she could belt. Rose: You've got to remember that a lot of Lansbury's singing was also done in character which is quite deliberately unflattering to her voice. If you listen to her singing Kiss Her Now from Dream World which shows her range at the height of her abilities it's quite remarkable the amount of power and emotion that comes across. If she'd ever gone into the studio with the right producer/arranger and material she could've surprised everyone. |
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Post by theoracle on Sept 29, 2023 14:36:13 GMT
Ahh I think both Janie Dee and Joanna Riding are both people who feel once they’ve done something, it’s done and no need to go back. I do think Could I Leave You is better suited for a woman and felt Michael Ball’s version a bit unsettling last year. Yet to see it this year so will feedback on Mr Lee’s version then. Is Loving You also performed by a man this year too? Janie Dee similarly did a heartbreaking version a few years ago in Belgium and also the Kings of Broadway concert… I do wish Joanna Riding got given Losing My Mind again though - the definitive version in my view, and especially if BP got Send in the Clowns… I reckon she could’ve done Roses after Gypsy last year just as well as Lea too but as I say yet to see it this year. We need to champion leading ladies this side of the Atlantic just as much as Broadway’s
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Post by mattnyc on Sept 29, 2023 14:39:45 GMT
Lea sings “Loving You”.
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Post by Fleance on Sept 29, 2023 15:25:53 GMT
I've seen Angela Lansbury on stage several times. An extremely kind and generous artist, she once assisted me with a project I was working on.There was no side to her at all.
Here is a very early example of her lovely voice:
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Post by Dawnstar on Sept 29, 2023 15:52:59 GMT
Thank you. I find tweets in posts take a while to show up for me so I probably scrolled past without realising there was a tweet in that post. So A Little Priest does feature. |
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Post by interval99 on Sept 29, 2023 16:55:05 GMT
Today Tix just sent email for 48% off most seats for first three weeks of October all shows bar the Saturday evening. Looked like a lot of the stalls now 75/65.
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Post by Rory on Oct 2, 2023 8:00:25 GMT
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Post by alece10 on Oct 3, 2023 16:51:44 GMT
Anyone who has been in the last few days know if Jac Yarrow is back?
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Post by LaLuPone on Oct 3, 2023 17:37:45 GMT
Anyone who has been in the last few days know if Jac Yarrow is back? One of his Instagram fan pages said he was back yesterday! |
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Post by ruthieh on Oct 4, 2023 6:44:16 GMT
Anyone who has been in the last few days know if Jac Yarrow is back? One of his Instagram fan pages said he was back yesterday! He was. Press night. |
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Post by danb on Oct 4, 2023 7:21:39 GMT
What does Jac get to sing?
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Oct 4, 2023 8:33:00 GMT
What does Jac get to sing? I believe he does Rapunzel's Prince in Agony, Tony in the WSS section, Waiting For the Girls Upstairs (although weirdly they split that song between 3 guys instead of 2) and then some ensemble lines in the bigger group numbers |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2023 9:05:10 GMT
The Guardian review was a bit of a headscratcher for me. Pretty positive throughout but then ended up giving only three stars.
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Post by Being Alive on Oct 4, 2023 9:05:59 GMT
The Guardian review was a bit of a headscratcher for me. Pretty positive throughout but then ended up giving only three stars. The Guardian frequently makes 0 sense in terms of its reviews these days - some of the things it gives 3 stars to is wild |
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Post by westendcub on Oct 4, 2023 9:15:11 GMT
Really, very odd 3 stars from ‘The Guardian’
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Post by mrbarnaby on Oct 4, 2023 9:45:58 GMT
To give this 3 stars is madness.
But there lies the problem with the editors giving the star rating and not the actual reviewers.
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Post by nash16 on Oct 4, 2023 11:04:01 GMT
Another 3*, this time from Time Out.
I do like their lack of kowtowing to the expected 5*, “it’s Bernadette, it’s Lea, it’s Sondheim” enthralment that the likes of whatsonstage have, naturally, gone for with this. Not having as much of an investment in “the industry”, I tend to believe their views more.
Hoping this will be the case with Sunset Boulevard too, as the newspaper critics will have seen live camera work onstage many, many times before, and will see that it’s actually a lot of recent, if old, ideas rehashed, unfortunately at the loss of the story and any sense of being moved.
It’s always interesting the difference between reviewers for the industry website reviewers versus the newspaper ones. But can be a cold wake up call for those caught up in the event, rather than the originality of the content.
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