I have a handful of stage door photos that I will post shortly.
....and Marvin Laird was so kind at afterward. He started to leave and I asked to have a picture with him and he seemed genuinely shocked and said no one ever asks him for a picture. I spoke with him for a little bit and Jean a little more. A true gentleman!
By the way, it was great to meet a few more people today, including Jenn! Glad you could make it.
"Let's admit one thing right upfront: With the possible exception of Bernadette Peters, not everyone stays young and cute forever." (NYPost 2/2/05)
As Bernadette said today, what a wonderful day to spend an afternoon....
Warning: long rambling post ahead!
I bought my ticket yesterday after learning that there was a concert scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Once I realized that the center was adjacent to a Metro station, I knew I had no excuse to miss it!
I left Warrenton at 10:30 this morning-it takes me about 40-45 minutes to get to Fairfax, which is the nearest Metro station (orange line). 40-45 minutes, that is, on a good day. On occasion, it's taken me an hour to get to Manassas, which is one county over and should be 25-30 minutes away. Today was a good day, of course!
I boarded the train around 11:15, and was at Strathmore a little before 1:00. What a lovely center. They have a nice little cafe (didn't eat, though) and a little gift shop, where I bought the complete libretto (original lyrics and the English lyrics), a history/synopsis/appreciation, and the complete score of Madama Butterfly in a beautifully packaged gift book. La Boheme and Carmen are also available, and the two nice ladies at the checkout were enamoured of it.
Finally, they let us in! I was in LL, which was the last row in the orchestra tier. Actually, the row was four individual seats behind the last "linked row." I was leafing through my program when I heard a voice saying, "Are you Jenn?" It was Jean! I was so happy to meet her I gave her a hug. She told me that Mandy and other posters/lurkers were there as well, and that they were going down to the stage door after the concert. I originally had no intention of doing that, but when I heard that some of the group would be there, I immediately changed my mind.
While Jean and I were talking, we met a lurker! I'm not going to tell his name because I didn't get permission, but if you're reading, it was great fun meeting you!
Then, the concert! The brief overture is lovely and builds the atmosphere. Then, Bernadette showed up.
It's been over a year since the Houston concert, which was obviously before the last terrible year. I actually haven't listened to very much of Bernadette's recordings. It just stirs up too much for me, personally. When I thought that she was only giving one concert in MD, I wasn't too terribly upset because I didn't think I wanted to go there.
I am so glad I went. Vocally, she was incredible. I think she sounded much, much better than she did at the Houston concert, where she sounded just fine.
I don't know if I'm reading too much into things. I did notice a marked difference in interpretation, etc. Some parts were not easy to watch. Now, I've seen her get very emotional during/after a song-at the Houston concert, at the Sondheim concert at Carnegie Hall (taping), etc. I don't want to psychoanalyze. But I did see a difference. Inevitable, of course. But I don't know if I want to say anything more about it. Not that I'm concerned about anybody's reaction...it's just that I don't know if I could put it into words.
Her R&H recording is not one of my absolute favorites-for some reason or another, it's not one that I've given a lot of play. And "Some Enchanted Evening" has never really affected me one way or another by any artist. Perhaps overfamiliarity, I'm guessing. But her rendition of it today was so beautiful, so moving, that brought tears to my eyes. One time of several.
I've never given much thought to "The Gentleman is a Dope," but hers was such a fun rendition that I appreciated it tons more.
"Unexpected Song" has always been one of my favorites. She's toned down the big swaying at the end-she used to fling her arms out and sway toward the end-but I noticed there wasn't as much today as I've seen in previous renditions. And...lovely. Just lovely.
"Shenandoah" was wonderful, and I keep wondering where this is going...if it's going to be included on a future recording. I was surprised that it was so short (the original song is several verses long, and tells a story).
She still has the "my first time" joke about Fever, her hair frizzing, and she did make her joke about "this is the way I always dress (at 2 in the afternoon." She then followed it with "you should see what I wear for breakfast" (or something like that). Despite the fact that she says these lines regularly, they're still cute and not stale at all. At least, to me they're not.
"Being Alive," "With So Little to be Sure Of," and "Move On" were glorious.
(Jenn puts on her flame retardant suit.)
I'm not crazy about the inclusion of "Rose's Turn." And it's not that I don't like her interpretation-far from it. If I had to choose between "Some People" and "Rose's Turn," I would chose "Some People." "Rose's Turn"-for me-is odd out of context, despite Bernadette giving it a pretty good context before she starts with the dialogue before the number.
It's a fantastic piece, and she gives a fantastic rendition, but if anyone would care what I would change about the concert, that would be it.
I feel a bit weird saying this, because I have no problem listening to the number on the Gypsy CD, and I didn't feel the same way when I saw her perform the abbreviated version on the Tony awards. I don't know. And I realize that the inclusion is there because she wants it there, simply enough. And who I am I to argue with what Bernadette wants. And I didn't sit there during the number wishing for another number. Nope, I was taken in once the number actually started. Perhaps if the intro wasn't so abrupt. But then, I sound like an idiot because it's not as if I knew what was coming. I dunno.
Enough on that!
"Count Your Blessings" was divine. So, so tender and poignant.
Then, the stage door! How great it was to talk with Jean, Karen2, and others, and to meet Mandy and her mother. What a great, friendly, and super smart group of people. We waited over an hour before she came. I did not have on my sensible shoes, so I was cold. But by the time I was minding the cold, I had already been there long enough to feel committed to waiting it out!
I didn't get an autograph or pictures. It was fun enough watching others talk to her and get pictures with her. Everybody who says she's even more beautiful in person was absolutely correct. And what a kind and generous person she was to briefly talk with and pose with pictures with whoever wanted one, after giving a night concert and giving an afternoon concert today.
Mandy and Jean are correct in saying that Marvin is a very nice man.
Before the concert, I sat down on a bench near the coat check to get myself settled (mainly to make sure I knew where my ticket stub and Metro stub were after leaving the Metro). The attendees were talking about the previous night's concert. They called her a "real showstopper" and just were giving the concert a glowing review. Then they talked about Cubby O'Brien (one of the women was telling the others that she had a big crush on him back in the day).
The Strathmore audience was spectacular. Warm applause throughout the show, and sustained applause after "Some Enchanted Evening." Two standing ovations!
As Bernadette said, what a way to spend an afternoon!
Sister Rose
Jean
Mandy