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ZORBA on my mind-1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt

Posted by: NJGUY 11:50 am EDT 05/07/15

When I was fourteen, my parents took me to see ZORBA at The Shady Grove Music Fair in Gaithersburg Maryland. For those who may not know, the theater was in the round and they got weekly touring productions (just like Westbury in Long Island). I remember very little of the show, except the one or two grand jetes that Chita executed as she flew herself across the stage. Being one of the first shows I ever saw I thought it was wonderful. But for those educated theater goers who may have seen it and remembered it; question-WAS it really any good??


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re: ZORBA on my mind-1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt

Posted by: clararicka 01:50 pm EDT 05/07/15
In reply to: ZORBA on my mind-1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt - NJGUY 11:50 am EDT 05/07/15

I saw it on a proscenium stage in Milwaukee as a young adult. I still think it was one of the best touring productions I've ever seen. John Raitt was a bit stiff in his acting, but he sang it great and had fantastic stage presence and charisma. Chita was nothing short of magnificent. I don't know of any other person who did such demanding dancing in the role, and her singing was excellent. Barbara Baxley was very moving as Madame Hortense. The staging, ensemble work, and everything else was terrific!


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Barbara Baxley

Posted by: PlayWiz 05:39 pm EDT 05/07/15
In reply to: re: ZORBA on my mind-1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt - clararicka 01:50 pm EDT 05/07/15

pops up in a lot of those old "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" in different kinds of roles, and she was terrific!


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re: ZORBA - 1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt ...

Posted by: flaguy 12:52 pm EDT 05/07/15
In reply to: ZORBA on my mind-1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt - NJGUY 11:50 am EDT 05/07/15

I saw it at the proscenium arched Fisher Theatre in Detroit.

How does a touring musical, with sets, a lighting design, etc., suddenly perform their show in-the-round, I wonder?!

And it was there for just a week? I'd guess it was probably booked into the Fisher for a month.

Anyway, what I saw was terrific (though I, too, was very young at the time.)

Not sure about what you saw, however, "in-the-round."


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re: ZORBA - 1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt ...

Posted by: AlanScott 01:06 pm EDT 05/07/15
In reply to: re: ZORBA - 1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt ... - flaguy 12:52 pm EDT 05/07/15

The Music Fair tour was after the national tour closed, restaged by a different director, with a lot but not all of the same cast. For more info, see link (and from there, you can click to fuller cast and staff lists).

Having said that, one thing I've found in the last couple of years is that there were stock tours that played both in the round and proscenium, sometimes going back and forth from one week to the next more than once during a tour. I can't imagine how that would work, it must have been very scary sometimes, but I guess they found ways. That much-discussed 1973 stock tour of Follies was one of the tours that did that. I've come across others that did that, such as a 1964 tour of My Fair Lady with the somewhat surprising husband-and-wife pairing of Allyn McLerie and George Gaynes as Eliza and Higgins.

Link Zorba Music Fair

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re: ZORBA - 1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt ...

Posted by: NJGUY 12:55 pm EDT 05/07/15
In reply to: re: ZORBA - 1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt ... - flaguy 12:52 pm EDT 05/07/15

It was 100% in the round. After that I saw other stock productions at Shady Grove. Their schedules were mostly one week long for the shows they booked.


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re: ZORBA - 1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt ...

Posted by: Alcindoro 04:16 pm EDT 05/07/15
In reply to: re: ZORBA - 1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt ... - NJGUY 12:55 pm EDT 05/07/15

I've heard tell of A CHORUS LINE in the round. The line split in half and standing back to back on a revolving stage. It sounds horrific.


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ACL in the Round

Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 11:14 am EDT 05/08/15
In reply to: re: ZORBA - 1970 with Chita Rivera and John Raitt ... - Alcindoro 04:16 pm EDT 05/07/15

My parents saw that tour at the Valley Forge Music Fair in suburban Philadelphia.

I can't remember what they thought of it, but I specifically asked how the line was accomplished and they described it as you did.

You are correct that it sounds pretty horrific and just begs the question "Why?"


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re: ACL in the Round

Posted by: Alcindoro 02:18 pm EDT 05/08/15
In reply to: ACL in the Round - JereNYC 11:14 am EDT 05/08/15

>just begs the question "Why?"<

As The Hooker sings in INNER CITY:
"For the money, honey!"


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