| Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? | |
| Posted by: | Guillaume 02:16 pm EST 11/19/14 |
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| I'd love to hear how the revised version of the show came across. It would be great to get those songs back in a theatre!!! | |
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| re: Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 03:35 pm EST 11/19/14 |
| In reply to: | Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? - Guillaume 02:16 pm EST 11/19/14 |
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| I was there. I will try to post about it in detail later today or tomorrow. I had a very good time, but people who love the original show may be very unhappy with all the cuts. Basically, they've turned an epic story written in an epic (or at least semi-epic) style into an intimate story, albeit one that takes place over a long period of time and in which world events figure. The story is now told in flashback. The running time was 95 minutes. Anyway, I don't have time now to write all that I might want to say about it. A song list can be found at the link. There wasn't one in the one-page handout, but I put one together, guessing at the title of the new song. I'm fairly confident that title is correct. The other two titles that may not be familiar were cut from the original. | |
| Link | Rothschilds and Sons |
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| re: Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? | |
| Posted by: | JayBee 05:10 pm EST 11/19/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? - AlanScott 03:35 pm EST 11/19/14 |
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| Did they cut the entire second act?? That how it seems from the new song list. | |
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| re: Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 07:01 pm EST 11/19/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? - JayBee 05:10 pm EST 11/19/14 |
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| No. The second act was there, although missing several songs. No Hannah, which cuts about 15 minutes (maybe a tad less). But three of the songs and much of the book (with some revisions). | |
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| re: Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? | |
| Posted by: | larry13 05:42 pm EST 11/19/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? - JayBee 05:10 pm EST 11/19/14 |
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| Basically, yes; there certainly was no love interest for Nathan which it is my understanding--never having seen the musical before--makes up most of the second act and led at least some people to believe damaged the show's success.(When Mayer dies, the pivotal character is gone and the rest isn't as compelling.) I think this version works and may even, with very reduced forces needed, have some life in small theaters. I would hope that the original version would still be available for any company willing to put it on. I didn't mind the "book heavy" scenes except at the very beginning when, without any overture, it seemed an awfully long time until we got to the first familiar and wonderful Bock/Harnick song. It's also especially grim at the start, which may very well be the aim of the creators of this new version. At the reading I attended, it was thrilling to be able to see both Sherman Yellen(book)and Sheldon Harnick(lyrics)in the audience. The book(much of the dialogue taken from Frederic Morton?)is excellent. Its brilliance in detailing arguments and thinking recalled for me 1776, on Broadway at the exact same time. And every song is a gem. The entire cast was superb; I have never heard Marc Kudisch in better voice.(That there were no microphones was, of course, another pleasure.) | |
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| re: Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? | |
| Posted by: | NewtonUK 03:09 pm EST 11/19/14 |
| In reply to: | Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? - Guillaume 02:16 pm EST 11/19/14 |
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| It was about 100 minutes, no chorus. Allons, I'm in Love I'm in Love, Have you Ever seen a prettier little congress, Give England Stregnth were all cut. Maybe another song. It was very book heavy. The opening chorus number was done by a few characters later in Act 1 - it just opened with the 'Jews of Frankfurt, the Ghetto is closed' calls. It was fine - a bit clunky. I don't see that this will lead to a revival. | |
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| "The Rothschilds" is a strong show as it stands | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 03:13 pm EST 11/19/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Rothschilds & Sons - did anyone go? - NewtonUK 03:09 pm EST 11/19/14 |
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| There are quite a few more shows out there that need revising more than "The Rothschilds", which is a very good show with a strong score. It would be great to see it done more often. | |
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| re: "The Rothschilds" is a strong show as it stands | |
| Posted by: | summertheater 05:23 pm EST 11/19/14 |
| In reply to: | "The Rothschilds" is a strong show as it stands - PlayWiz 03:13 pm EST 11/19/14 |
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| It was quite good - It actually ran 1 hour 50 minutes. Great seeing Marc Kudisch up close & personal in a sold-out intimate venue (penthouse studios). A bit of the beginning/middle could be trimmed, but the ending of course is powerful/poignant/shows how you should stand up for what you believe in. And it even discusses factors that influence the price of bonds, so if you have a finance background like I do, you'll enjoy it even more! | |
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| re: "The Rothschilds" is a strong show as it stands | |
| Posted by: | chrisampm 05:32 pm EST 11/19/14 |
| In reply to: | re: "The Rothschilds" is a strong show as it stands - summertheater 05:23 pm EST 11/19/14 |
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| I agree with your positive take on the presentation, but not the running time, which by my watch was 95 minutes. No trims needed. In fact, I think an enterprising director with a theatrical imagination would find a way to use the actor playing all the rulers so that more/all his numbers could be retained. It would give the show some breadth which it could use, especially at the start and finish. | |
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| re: "The Rothschilds" is a strong show as it stands | |
| Posted by: | Shakespeare_in_the_Dark 12:29 pm EST 11/20/14 |
| In reply to: | re: "The Rothschilds" is a strong show as it stands - chrisampm 05:32 pm EST 11/19/14 |
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| I kept wondering, there at the reading, where THE EXPANSE was, that I so fondly remembered, from the original musicl... Now it seems too much like THE BIG STORE, or some such. Sadly,Kudidch just doesnt have the gravitas for the role... But Mark Pinter was a joy as all the royalty! And Peter Cormican was also a delight, as were many of the others... Also, lovely, to look over and see Sheldon Harnick seeming to have such a nice time, watching his play! | |
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