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re: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY

Posted by: enoch10 01:50 pm EDT 03/16/14
In reply to: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY - jmill 01:30 pm EDT 03/16/14

>> On the one hand, the new musical has a gentle, haunting beauty, an often gorgeous score, and two terrific lead performances. Yet, while it was ultimately moving, it failed to provide the emotional wallop you would expect from this story. In total, for me, the show's strengths outweighed the shortcomings, and I found much that was beautiful and admirable in BRIDGES.
BRIDGES intentionally makes no attempt to be a rousing, exciting show. It concentrates on telling an intimate, simple, and romantic story that builds slowly but eventually is engrossing, with some real dramatic tension.

i haven't seen BRIDGES yet - not sure i will - but when i read this i thought of FAR FROM HEAVEN. did you by any chance see that as well? i was struck by "makes no attempt to be a rousing, exciting show". i felt the same thing about FAR FROM HEAVEN -not in a necessarily bad way. it was an intimate little chamber piece and didn't try to be anything else.

if you'd seen both i'm wondering if you had the same kind of reaction to both shows. would you say they're similar in the kind of emotional response they elicit?


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re: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY

Posted by: jmill 02:24 pm EDT 03/16/14
In reply to: re: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY - enoch10 01:50 pm EDT 03/16/14

I did see FAR FROM HEAVEN and, yes, there are definite similarities, especially in the areas you point out. I had more reservations about the FAR FROM HEAVEN score, but the show ultimately proved to be moving, and even powerful for me. I went back to see it a second time and appreciated it more - maybe the same would happen if I see BRIDGES again. Like BRIDGES, FFH also reminded me of PIAZZA. I think FFH's concluding scenes were more heartbreaking and satisfying, and it addresses issues that BRIDGES, which is clearly a romantic story, would not get into. I prefer the BRIDGES score, and the songs soar in a way that the FAR FROM HEAVEN songs did not generally attempt to do.


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re: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY - a P.S.

Posted by: jmill 02:32 pm EDT 03/16/14
In reply to: re: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY - jmill 02:24 pm EDT 03/16/14

When I said "I think FFH's concluding scenes were more heartbreaking and satisfying," I was comparing it to BRIDGES, not to PIAZZA, which, to me, is a true gem that I loved.


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