I agree that you really want an operatic high baritone for Tony. With a bass, as with Spiro Malas, transpositions are necessary and it just doesn't have the same effect.
On the other hand, it's certainly true that opera baritones who can provide the mix of heart, acting skill and voice that Robert Weede seems to have provided (visible in several television clips of him in the role, as well as audible on the cast recording) are rare indeed. I have wondered for some time what Placido Domingo might be like in the role, and of course now he has moved into baritone roles. But I guess that's not to be.
Re the scuffle at the end: The staging for the most part worked well, but that scuffle made no sense. And it made Herman seem like he was suddenly a sort of irrational aggressor.
I think they did not want to do what the script calls for, which I don't altogether blame them for, but what they substituted was not a good solution. There was not much of a scuffle between Marie — who is not only unusually sympathetic and vulnerable in Jessica Molaskey's lovely performance, but also very slight and seemingly no physical threat to anyone here (because that's Molaskey) — and the heftier (and excellent) Heidi Blickenstaff as Cleo. So very quickly, after virtually nothing of a scuffle, they're both on the floor. Herman goes over to Cleo, seemingly to help her get up. Pasquale goes over to Marie, seemingly for no other purpose than to help her get up. And suddenly Herman punches him hard on the chin. Why? Because he was helping Marie up?
Did I miss something? That's what it looked like to me. I suppose the audience may think this is just fine because of how hateful Pasquale has been to Herman earlier in the show, but still Herman needs a specific reason to punch Pasquale. It needs to be in defense of Cleo. That's why she sings "Herman, my hero!" I hope they do something about this.
The script calls for a very physical fight between Cleo and Marie. Pasquale tries to separate them, and unintentionally pushes Cleo too hard, knocking her to the floor. Herman sees this and that's why he hits Pasquale.
Pasquale entered after Herman here, didn't he?
Re the two-piano reduction: Something that I don't think was ever mentioned at the time of the Goodspeed-LCT production is that it was first used in a bus-and-truck tour in 1959.
|