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Post by colelarson on Nov 12, 2023 10:07:47 GMT
Saw this yesterday afternoon and was blown away at the show, the songs were slotted in well with a mixture of laughter, tears and some favorite songs were sung over the production.
Having seen Bernadette Peters a few years ago at the Southbank I was excited to see her West End debut! Lovely to see her sing some of the numbers she is well known for from Sondheim's work.
Wonderful to also see Lea Salonga on stage and her version of "Somewhere" was spine-tingling from West Side Story, think she deserved applause but it went straight into "Tonight", I was glad she walked past us after the number as we were near the stairs so gave her a clap as she walked past!
Lea also was also sublime singing "Loving You" and phenomenal in the Sweeney Tood numbers. Jeremy Secomb made a great Todd in this section, great to hear him sing after seeing him in Sister Act last I didn't realise what a lovely voice he has.
Bonnie Langford had a few fans in and they gave her a standing ovation for "I'm Stil Here". I did enjoy her rendition but Tracie Bennett's version in Follies I saw at The National is still sensational in my opinion. Bonnie was great in "You Could Drive A Person Crazy" and "Broadway Baby" - wish I could do the splits like that!
Janie Dee brought the house down with "The Boy From..." lots of laughter! Joanna Riding was fantastic singing "Getting Married Today" such a hard number and she nailed it.
We didn't have Jason Pennycooke yesterday afternoon, "Buddy's Blues" was sung by Damian Humbley and he put his all into the number it was better than I expected!
Gavin Lee was a hoot in "Everybody Ought To Have A Maid" joined by Marley Fenton and Damian. Gavin's version of "Could I Leave you" was fantastic, lovely to see a bit of tap dancing from him in a few numbers too.
I haven't seen Beatrice Penny-Touré in anything before but her voice was beautiful, will definitely look out for her in things.
A random fact I took my mum and she said she recognised one of the guys in the ensemble, after reading the programme (which is worth the money, lots in it) we realised it was Richard Dempsey who she had as Jack in the 1990 production of "Into The Woods" at the Phoenix Theatre!
There is so many fabulous people in this show and everyone shines. It was a really wonderful tribute to Sondheim and definitely will try and book a return visit as we loved it.
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Nov 12, 2023 15:25:16 GMT
Gavin Lee was a hoot in "Everybody Ought To Have A Maid" joined by Marley Fenton and Damian. Gavin's version of "Could I Leave you" was fantastic, lovely to see a bit of tap dancing from him in a few numbers too. Isn’t Gavin brilliant? He is really good at character work and also dialing up the cheesiness for some bits. His How Could I Leave You is more divisive than I expected, but I think it’s more down to it being the male version - but I think the consensus is that Gavin’s version is better than Michael Ball’s, but people mainly prefer the female version |
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Post by jr on Nov 12, 2023 16:31:18 GMT
Isn’t Gavin brilliant?
No, he isn't. To me, he is, by far,the weakest of the main performers. He tries too hard and I don't particularly like his voice. I didn't know him before this and won't be looking forward to see him after it.
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Nov 12, 2023 16:39:50 GMT
Isn’t Gavin brilliant? No, he isn't. To me, he is, by far,the weakest of the main performers. He tries too hard and I don't particularly like his voice. I didn't know him before this and won't be looking forward to see him after it. Okay, unnecessarily negative and mean spirited |
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Post by Being Alive on Nov 13, 2023 8:38:01 GMT
Also completely untrue (in my opinion anyway) - Jason Pennycook is by far the weakest link.
Gavin makes the male Could I Leave You work in a way Ball couldn't even begin to grasp in the Gala...
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Post by ladidah on Nov 13, 2023 8:44:15 GMT
Gavin is wonderful!
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Post by theatreloverlondon on Nov 13, 2023 12:59:57 GMT
Something about Gavin annoys me… I think it’s the excess campiness. However I have not once seen this show and thought he was the weak link. He gives 110% and actually stands out. None of the main cast are weak at all. Pennycooke is incredible but the numbers he’s been given to do are not my cup of tea at all. As an absolute worshiper of Bernadette… if we’re honest SHE is probably the weakest link vocally 🙄
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Post by theatreloverlondon on Nov 13, 2023 19:46:15 GMT
In the NY Post: ”Producer Cameron Mackintosh, sources said, plans to bring the concert to Broadway with Peters, Salonga and many of its British stars.
I’ll drink to that. ”
Hmmm baseless rumor or truth to it?? I would love American audiences to get to enjoy this.
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Post by Being Alive on Nov 13, 2023 22:38:08 GMT
It's certainly going to Broadway but I'd be surprised if a LOT of the Brits went with it...
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Post by theatreloverlondon on Nov 13, 2023 22:57:47 GMT
It's certainly going to Broadway but I'd be surprised if a LOT of the Brits went with it... Wow I wonder who would be offered to transfer to Broadway with LS & BP… and you would get the boot + reject. I also wonder if they will change anything. That’s so exciting. |
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Post by Dr Tom on Nov 14, 2023 11:08:44 GMT
After my previous attempts at single Rush tickets gave limited results, today I was offered Stalls Row D, so I will be making a return visit tonight. Looking forward to it.
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Post by JJShaw on Nov 14, 2023 11:17:21 GMT
Don't know if Equity would let CamMac bring over very many of the British company. Gavin Lee works over there more than here so he could be almost a given but everyone else? I'm not so sure. I also don't know how much the New York audience (which the production doesn't have much appeal beyond that and theatre fans) would be accepting of a British company over their well known and beloved American Broadway starts celebrating an American composer.
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Nov 14, 2023 11:55:04 GMT
I would love if Joanna Riding and Janie Dee got to go over (and very unlikely, but Jeremy Secomb).
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Post by theatreloverlondon on Nov 14, 2023 12:18:52 GMT
I would love if Joanna Riding and Janie Dee got to go over (and very unlikely, but Jeremy Secomb). Me too! I think they deserve it. I could also potentially see Bradley Jaden going if he’s not busy? At the same time there are many young/good looking/well know. men over there who could bring in a younger audience. |
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Post by Fleance on Nov 14, 2023 12:29:26 GMT
I would be surprised, assuming Old Friends went to Broadway, if they brought over the UK artists, since there are so many American old friends who have worked with Sondheim and appeared in productions, such as Len Cariou, Victor Garber, George Hearn, Blythe Dinner, Donna Murphy, and countless others. There is even a 100-year old British actress, now living in California, who introduced "Send in the Clowns" in the original production of A Little Night Music on Broadway in 1973: Glynis Johns.
And there have been countless productions of Gypsy and West Side Story. (Arthur Laurents told me that Tyne Daly was his favorite Mama Rose, though he loved Bernadette and said that her casting was his idea.)
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Post by apubleed on Nov 14, 2023 12:35:14 GMT
When did you talk to Laurents? Cause he would often say Patti was his favourite and I think it’s in his book. But I imagine depending on when asked and by whom the response could change. Also I agree it’s hard to imagine much of the UK cast going out. That said, Glynis Johns is in a nursing home and will not be on stage performing send in the clowns, that I am sure of. I suspect Bernadette will continue to perform it if it goes to NYC.
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Post by Fleance on Nov 14, 2023 13:05:45 GMT
When did you talk to Laurents? Cause he would often say Patti was his favourite and I think it’s in his book. But I imagine depending on when asked and by whom the response could change. Also I agree it’s hard to imagine much of the UK cast going out. That said, Glynis Johns is in a nursing home and will not be on stage performing send in the clowns, that I am sure of. I suspect Bernadette will continue to perform it if it goes to NYC. Arthur would have told me that before the LuPone production, since (as far as I can recall) we would have had that conversation when Bernadette Peters was cast. I worked with Arthur a few times. He was famous for being prickly, though I liked him very much. He was friends with Tyne Daly and in fact introduced me to her. I was sitting in the Green Room with him once and told him that I had just heard that Bernadette Peters had been cast as Mama Rose. That didn't seem such a good idea to me. I said to Arthur, "What do you think of that casting?" He snapped: "It was my idea!" Arthur was particularly angry about the film version of his play The Time of the Cuckoo, which was adapted to the film Summertime. He felt that the transition from Shirley Booth (on stage) to Katharine Hepburn (on film) made no sense and was a disservice to his play. |
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Post by amyja89 on Nov 14, 2023 16:25:37 GMT
When did you talk to Laurents? Cause he would often say Patti was his favourite and I think it’s in his book. But I imagine depending on when asked and by whom the response could change. Also I agree it’s hard to imagine much of the UK cast going out. That said, Glynis Johns is in a nursing home and will not be on stage performing send in the clowns, that I am sure of. I suspect Bernadette will continue to perform it if it goes to NYC. Arthur would have told me that before the LuPone production, since (as far as I can recall) we would have had that conversation when Bernadette Peters was cast. I worked with Arthur a few times. He was famous for being prickly, though I liked him very much. He was friends with Tyne Daly and in fact introduced me to her. I was sitting in the Green Room with him once and told him that I had just heard that Bernadette Peters had been cast as Mama Rose. That didn't seem such a good idea to me. I said to Arthur, "What do you think of that casting?" He snapped: "It was my idea!" Arthur was particularly angry about the film version of his play The Time of the Cuckoo, which was adapted to the film Summertime. He felt that the transition from Shirley Booth (on stage) to Katharine Hepburn (on film) made no sense and was a disservice to his play. Summertime is one of my favourite Hepburn films and performances! One of the few films that I can actually say gave me true heartache. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 14, 2023 16:54:38 GMT
It would make no sense to take the British cast with this.. not when amazing turns are ten a Penny in NYC. But would be delighted if Joanna Riding got to go, and Bradley for the NYC Gays
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Post by Fleance on Nov 14, 2023 17:39:29 GMT
Arthur would have told me that before the LuPone production, since (as far as I can recall) we would have had that conversation when Bernadette Peters was cast. I worked with Arthur a few times. He was famous for being prickly, though I liked him very much. He was friends with Tyne Daly and in fact introduced me to her. I was sitting in the Green Room with him once and told him that I had just heard that Bernadette Peters had been cast as Mama Rose. That didn't seem such a good idea to me. I said to Arthur, "What do you think of that casting?" He snapped: "It was my idea!" Arthur was particularly angry about the film version of his play The Time of the Cuckoo, which was adapted to the film Summertime. He felt that the transition from Shirley Booth (on stage) to Katharine Hepburn (on film) made no sense and was a disservice to his play. Summertime is one of my favourite Hepburn films and performances! One of the few films that I can actually say gave me true heartache. It's a lovely film. Arthur felt the two British writers (H.E. Bates, David Lean) took his (Arthur's) less polished and not very glamorous Brooklyn secretary and turned her into the too sophisticated Hepburn, a change Arthur did not approve. |
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Post by theoracle on Nov 15, 2023 14:09:45 GMT
As wonderful as this cast is, I can't help but feel that this was overstretching what was a glorious evening last year. Many empty seats around me and some of the more organic moments of last year felt too rehearsed. I'm also going to add I found Gavin Lee a little annoying. I would've liked to have seen more of Jeremy Secomb as he stood out vocally for me. Given there are so many new members to the cast, I do wish they changed up the setlist a bit more. Follies is my favourite Sondheim musical but we really didn't need Buddy's Blues or Could I Leave You. Bernadette was ok when I went although clearly not in as fine vocal form as she once was. I thought to myself maybe she should've done I'm Still Here as opposed to Bonnie and Joanna Riding could've done Losing My Mind. To replace the aforementioned two numbers, Franklin Shepherd Inc and Another Hundred People could've been nice replacements. Still, it was fabulous getting to hear Sondheim's work performed by such an esteemed company. Everyone on this board knows that Sondheim isn't the most commercial composer to hear his work performed by a good sized orchestra in a lovely West End venue is just delightful
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Post by Someone in a tree on Nov 15, 2023 15:29:13 GMT
Im guessing the cast recording isnt going to be released ?
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 15, 2023 21:26:52 GMT
Im guessing the cast recording isnt going to be released ? I wonder if they did come across rights issues? Can’t see any other reason for it to still not be released. |
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Post by damaskanddark on Nov 16, 2023 9:06:04 GMT
Im guessing the cast recording isnt going to be released ? I wonder if they did come across rights issues? Can’t see any other reason for it to still not be released. Why would a professional recording under Cameron Mackintosh come across rights issues? |
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Post by apubleed on Nov 16, 2023 9:24:44 GMT
Well, look at the talent who was involved at that concert. For all we know behind the scenes there might be challenges with the contractual arrangement of what they could do with the recordings of the concert and perhaps not everyone thought they signed up to having their performance shared on Spotify (it's hard to imagine Cameron Mackintosh would have made this kind of mistake though).
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