| Author | Message: Re: Broadway casts and other Sondheim videos. | Posted by: Shekeda
On: 7/27/1999 at 6:26:10 AM GMT
Message #: 78
See headers | (I'm way behind with my mail, but....)
Broadwaywiz wrote:
>>>I'm new to this list! I thought I'd join because ever since I got the
Video on Thursday the show started to Fascinate even though I had the cast
album for two years already!
---How on *Earth* did you ever manage to have the album for so long without
HAVING to see the video straight away???? I began a world-wide search
(literally) for the video within weeks of buying the CD. It sounded so
fantastic I just had to know exactly what was happening, and see it for
myself - not to mention the fact that "my" Mandy was in it, too, of course! :)
I looked in every video library I saw, phoned those stores that sold
ex-rental videos (one in each state capitol [good job there aren't many
states here]) and even phoned a couple of those kind of places in America.
I finally found it in a video library on the other side of Melbourne - and
rented it continuously, week after week, until they agreed to let me buy it!
Anyway, just today I watched an NTSC copy of the newly released video that
a friend sent me from America and wished, once again, that they would
release the video and DVD (especially) here! If anyone has the DVD (or
Laserdisk) version of it, could you please contact me.
>>>But this show is great!
---Couldn't you tell that from the album? :)
>>>But what really confuses me Is the second act! How does dot get there
and why does she think
the New george is the old one?
My 'take' on it is this:
There's some kind of 'magical' thing that happens when George is alone on
the island. Probably some 'hereditary force' that calls forth the spirits
of first Dot, then the rest of the characters. Maybe it was because Dot's
red book was back on the island. Remember, Seurat did his sketching on the
island on Sundays - and it was also a Sunday when the younger George was
there. (Dennis said, "....but they don't deliver on Sundays"). Dot saw
'her' George in his great-grandson - looked 'through' the outward
appearance and saw (and probably 'felt') the old, familiar things. (To her,
it had all happened very recently - and she was still in love with her
George).
I always marvel at the 6th sense powers of SS(?) with Dennis' line, "I'm
going back to NASA....". That would have been written before Gene
Roddenberry had even thought of ST:TNG. Amazing that the line was spoken
by Brent Spiner who went on to become Data!
>>>How would Amateaurs be able to do this show? I mean Community Theatre
and stuff It would be hard wouldn't?
---I know what you mean! I suppose they could do it but without any of the
mechanical devices used on Broadway. A kind of cut down version.
One of my daydreams is to put on a performance of it, with fans in the
roles, in either Central or Riverside Park (NY) and invite Mandy to play
George (or at least just to come and see it). (He lives just two blocks
from each of those parks). I want to play George's mother/Blair Daniels!
:) I know all that will remain a daydream but it *would* be nice .... it
would also mean that *I* was in NY and NOT stuck in this place!
>>>After Bernadette and Mandy left did anyone else take over?
---As Alison put it so well, Robert Westenberg took over as George when
Mandy left, then Harry Groener after him. The video was taped (for TV)
October 21-25, 1985 at the Booth Theater, shortly after the Broadway
production closed. Only 2 people from the original Broadway cast weren't in
the video - Kurt Knudson (Mr/Publicist) and Danielle Ferland (Louise).
I get my info from the 'Applause' book, which has the cast lists for the
workshop production (the one with Kelsey Grammer in the parts eventually
played by Robert Westenberg and Christine Baranski playing Jules' wife
"Clarisse"! and Blair Daniels), the OBC *and* the London cast! If anyone's
interested in any of those I'd be happy to send them.
Alison wrote:
>>>You also asked what other Sondheim videos are out there. My personal
favourite is Into the Woods
---I've got that on video, too - and I agree, it's fantastic.
>>>There is also a Sweeney Todd video with George Hearn and Angela Lansbury
---I would LOVE to have a copy of that! I 'discovered' George Hearn through
the CD and TV special of 'Follies In Concert'. I wish they had released a
CD version of it with George in.
>>>Oh, and Passion has been recorded on video too (again, haven't seen it,
but I love the score).
---This is another one that I have. When I first watched it I didn't know
the story at all. It took me three sessions to finally finish watching all
of it, but it was good.
Sorry to be so long-winded with my first post to the list. I agree that
there should be more posts. Sunday is such a wonderful musical with so many
things to talk about. There should be more discussion about it than there
has been!
Best wishes,
Sue
| | Author | Message: Re: Re: Broadway casts and other Sondheim videos. | Posted by: "Amy Courtney"
On: 7/27/1999 at 11:41:12 PM GMT
Message #: 79
See headers | ALRIGHT... lol... I just HAVE to say something... about SITPWG productions
in Community Theatre...
I live in Maine, have since I was 11 (now I'm 13... that's a LONG time...
j/k..) and one thing I've discovered is that the little amount of theatre
Maine DOES have is GOOD theatre... lol... as if anyone needed to know that?
Well, somewhere that started w/ a D, maybe Damariscotta, they were putting
on SITPWG... I believe it was community theatre, but it might've been a pay
show... who knows? It might've been w/ the college too... and god I hope
SUNY Fredonia decides to put it on! LOL... I didn't get to see the
production in Maine :( So I wouldn't be able to tell you guys a THING about
it... just that it IS possible (if Maine can do it, ANYWHERE can do it..
hehe.)
And about OTHER Sondheim movies besides ITW, SITPWG, and Passion... Well, my
dad recorded NYC Opera's production of A Little Night Music (I find it to be
pretty good... Maureen Moore in my opinion is a sensational Charlotte... and
Sally Anne Howes is a good Desiree too.) And I might be able to make copies
of it when I get back to Maine (I'm in Western NY right now... leaving on
Saturday to go back home.) as long as the video and S&H is paid for by
whoever wants a copy (at 13 you NEVER have money! LOL)... and I know that
there's a movie version of ALNM w/ Liz Taylor and Diana Rigg in it (Notice
how I always mention Charlotte and Desiree? Hrm.... lol.) Now I'm just
rambling, so... I'll SHUT UP... Yes Shut up Amy, dear... :)
Luv-
Amy
ALittleNightMusicRPG: Countess Charlotte Malcolm, list Owner
BoysFromSyracuseRPG: Adriana and Luce (until someone asks for one of them),
List Owner
PuttingItTogether: Cora Hoover Hooper, Desiree Armfeldt, Co-Moderator
OneDayMore: Dot, Mabel
>From: Shekeda@g...
>Reply-To: sundayinthepark@o...
>To: sundayinthepark@o...
>Subject: [sundayinthepark] Re: Broadway casts and other Sondheim videos.
>Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 20:26:10 +1000
>
>From: Shekeda@g...
>
>(I'm way behind with my mail, but....)
>
>Broadwaywiz wrote:
>
> >>>I'm new to this list! I thought I'd join because ever since I got the
>Video on Thursday the show started to Fascinate even though I had the cast
>album for two years already!
>---How on *Earth* did you ever manage to have the album for so long without
>HAVING to see the video straight away???? I began a world-wide search
>(literally) for the video within weeks of buying the CD. It sounded so
>fantastic I just had to know exactly what was happening, and see it for
>myself - not to mention the fact that "my" Mandy was in it, too, of course!
>:)
>
>I looked in every video library I saw, phoned those stores that sold
>ex-rental videos (one in each state capitol [good job there aren't many
>states here]) and even phoned a couple of those kind of places in America.
>I finally found it in a video library on the other side of Melbourne - and
>rented it continuously, week after week, until they agreed to let me buy
>it!
>
>Anyway, just today I watched an NTSC copy of the newly released video that
>a friend sent me from America and wished, once again, that they would
>release the video and DVD (especially) here! If anyone has the DVD (or
>Laserdisk) version of it, could you please contact me.
>
> >>>But this show is great!
>---Couldn't you tell that from the album? :)
>
> >>>But what really confuses me Is the second act! How does dot get there
>and why does she think
>the New george is the old one?
>
>My 'take' on it is this:
>There's some kind of 'magical' thing that happens when George is alone on
>the island. Probably some 'hereditary force' that calls forth the spirits
>of first Dot, then the rest of the characters. Maybe it was because Dot's
>red book was back on the island. Remember, Seurat did his sketching on the
>island on Sundays - and it was also a Sunday when the younger George was
>there. (Dennis said, "....but they don't deliver on Sundays"). Dot saw
>'her' George in his great-grandson - looked 'through' the outward
>appearance and saw (and probably 'felt') the old, familiar things. (To her,
>it had all happened very recently - and she was still in love with her
>George).
>
>I always marvel at the 6th sense powers of SS(?) with Dennis' line, "I'm
>going back to NASA....". That would have been written before Gene
>Roddenberry had even thought of ST:TNG. Amazing that the line was spoken
>by Brent Spiner who went on to become Data!
>
> >>>How would Amateaurs be able to do this show? I mean Community Theatre
>and stuff It would be hard wouldn't?
>---I know what you mean! I suppose they could do it but without any of the
>mechanical devices used on Broadway. A kind of cut down version.
>
>One of my daydreams is to put on a performance of it, with fans in the
>roles, in either Central or Riverside Park (NY) and invite Mandy to play
>George (or at least just to come and see it). (He lives just two blocks
>from each of those parks). I want to play George's mother/Blair Daniels!
>:) I know all that will remain a daydream but it *would* be nice .... it
>would also mean that *I* was in NY and NOT stuck in this place!
>
> >>>After Bernadette and Mandy left did anyone else take over?
>---As Alison put it so well, Robert Westenberg took over as George when
>Mandy left, then Harry Groener after him. The video was taped (for TV)
>October 21-25, 1985 at the Booth Theater, shortly after the Broadway
>production closed. Only 2 people from the original Broadway cast weren't in
>the video - Kurt Knudson (Mr/Publicist) and Danielle Ferland (Louise).
>
>I get my info from the 'Applause' book, which has the cast lists for the
>workshop production (the one with Kelsey Grammer in the parts eventually
>played by Robert Westenberg and Christine Baranski playing Jules' wife
>"Clarisse"! and Blair Daniels), the OBC *and* the London cast! If anyone's
>interested in any of those I'd be happy to send them.
>
>Alison wrote:
> >>>You also asked what other Sondheim videos are out there. My personal
>favourite is Into the Woods
>---I've got that on video, too - and I agree, it's fantastic.
>
> >>>There is also a Sweeney Todd video with George Hearn and Angela
>Lansbury
>---I would LOVE to have a copy of that! I 'discovered' George Hearn through
>the CD and TV special of 'Follies In Concert'. I wish they had released a
>CD version of it with George in.
>
> >>>Oh, and Passion has been recorded on video too (again, haven't seen it,
>but I love the score).
>---This is another one that I have. When I first watched it I didn't know
>the story at all. It took me three sessions to finally finish watching all
>of it, but it was good.
>
>Sorry to be so long-winded with my first post to the list. I agree that
>there should be more posts. Sunday is such a wonderful musical with so many
>things to talk about. There should be more discussion about it than there
>has been!
>
>Best wishes,
>Sue
>
>
>
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>
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>sondheim!!!!!!
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