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| Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Last Edit: ianx73 08:57 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| Posted by: ianx73 08:53 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| I had the privilege of seeing Donna Murphy this afternoon in Hello Dolly! (on TDF no less). I’ve seen Bette also. Comparing the two is apples and oranges. With Bette, it’s undeniably a star vehicle of the first magnitude with all the attending hoopla. With Donna, this show is now more of an ensemble piece with a consummate pro at the helm. I wouldn’t have missed either of them. The minute Donna lowers the newspaper on the trolley to reveal her face; you know immediately that you are in the hands of a real pro. Unlike Bette, Donna is not relying on star charisma or the audiences’ love. She has created a 3 dimensional character and all of her scenes and songs are informed by very specific choices that she has made about this character. Donna’s Dolly is a hardworking blue-collar gal who has come up the hard way with traces of her New York/Irish roots and accent. This is a woman who is obviously a con artist and a grifter, albeit a most charming one. She knows every racket and multiple ways to keep her scam afloat. In this way her Dolly reminded me of Harold Hill in The Music Man. She’s a fast talking hustler and there is no way she won’t get what she wants/needs. One senses that her marriage to Ephraim Levi wasn’t a bed of roses and since his death, she’s struggled to pay the bills. Her Before the Parade Passes By feels like a woman, who desperately wants to give up the con and be a legitimate part of respectable society. Her entrance at the Harmonica Gardens is this version, is not a high powered musical star descending a glittery stair case basking in the adoration of her fans but is instead a flesh and blood woman who has seen better days but is determined to show the boys she still has it. And does she ever. The tumultuous applause that greets this number is not the usual homage to a star but recognition of this character’s triumph. Murphy’s choices are not more valid than Bette’s just different Not having to be in a great star’s orbit, the rest of the cast seems able to breathe more easily, Everyone’s performance is richer, funnier and more full-bodied. David Hyde Pierce is able to go more head to head with Murphy than he was with Midler We’re looking at him too, not just the lady in question and their chemistry is palpable, You’re actually happy that they got together at the end. Same is true for Gavin Creel and Kate Baldwin. The ensemble still continues to amaze and the Sunday Clothes number is one for the history books A second viewing also allowed me to enjoy the nigh on perfect production of this golden age musical. Every costume, every set, every song raises the bar to amazing heights. . This is the perfect recreation of a golden age musical and should be a permanent fixture on Broadway. It would be a way to remind people, that for one brief shining moment—there was magic on the Great White Way |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Posted by: ianx73 12:20 pm EDT 07/06/17 | |
| In reply to: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - ianx73 08:53 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| It's so wonderful hearing about the tearful reaction that greets Sunday Clothes. The tears of joy and it's why we love musical theater | |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Posted by: 5MinuteCall 04:51 am EDT 07/06/17 | |
| In reply to: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - ianx73 08:53 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| I was there, too. First row, side mezz, courtesy of TDF. I had a grand time. At times I thought Murphy was channeling Andrea Martin, unexpected but great fun. The choreography & costumes are terrific. Baldwin is sublime. It’s the best thing I’ve seen Creel do. DHP is, as always, DHP. | |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Posted by: jon_sense 06:52 pm EDT 07/07/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - 5MinuteCall 04:51 am EDT 07/06/17 | |
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| I was with you until your final sentence. How was Pierce the same as always? I thought Baldwin was wonderful and found Creel fine but none too surprising from their earlier work. Pierce made Vandergelder a delightful co-lead, with a comic gruffness that was quite different from the diffidence he's more usually displayed. Between his work here and in A Life, I thought it was a career best season for him. | |
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| Donna Love | |
| Last Edit: StaunchKarakter 10:03 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| Posted by: StaunchKarakter 10:00 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - ianx73 08:53 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| I was there this afternoon, too. And have seen both ladies. I love what you say about Donna's Dolly really feeling like a flesh and blood woman coming back to her favorite restaurant. Donna Murphy is really such a strong actor, and you can see that she truly makes sense of any of her characters' journeys. It's clear she's a smart woman who does her homework. Her performances are always considerate and serve the whole piece beyond her own star power. It's so refreshing! Her portrayal of the Witch in Into the Woods really opened my eyes to qualities I'd never seen in the Witch before. For the first time I understood her own issues with her mother, and her deep despair about her ugly curse. Her "Could I Leave You" was revelatory to me. I'm obsessed with how she reads "The Letter" on The King and I recording. Donna's Dolly, checking in with all the different waiters is bliss. You can see that she's a woman who loves human connection - who loves to really make people feel alive. Her con artist meddling is driven by curiosity and the joy of living. It's so exciting to see her individualize Manny, Danny, etc. And her squeals when they jump over the passerelle, ugh, so good! Also, her eating bit at the top of the courtroom scene landed much better for me. Perhaps bc it felt like it came from a more realistic, grounded enjoyment of the food. What a treat! Although I must say I feel so "eh" about "I Put My Hand In." I'd much prefer an interpolation of "Just Leave Everything to Me." |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 09:52 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - ianx73 08:53 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| You act like Donna Murphy isn't a star at all but then explain why she absolutely is a two time Tony winning star of the stage. One of the biggest and brightest of the last 20 years. Hell, Ben Brantley called her "Super Woman." And she has done quite a bit of TV and film including a great voice turn in "Tangled." Anyway, she obviously doesn't sell tix the way Bette does but that's more because Bette hadn't been in a Broadway musical in 50 years. It was advertised as an event. I wonder if word of mouth from Donna's current little run will make her a hot ticket when she can only be seen on Tuesdays. Thanks for the detailed review. I definitely want to see her in the role. I'm one who wasn't that impressed with Bette. I had seen her recently in Vegas where she was better in my opinion. | |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Posted by: Thom915 09:18 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - ianx73 08:53 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| I saw the show this afternoon also (there seem to have been a number of us there. It is funny that the Harold Hill allusion occurred to me also. I wonder if htere was a conscious choice on Murphy's part to go with that as her con man image? I think though that part of the cast's seeming more at ease is perhaps too a natural growth into their roles and the tension of awards season being over. I say because some of the biggest growth I noticed came in scenes where Dolly is not really a character. A big exception is the mother hood number but I think that is just a matter of the actors really getting their timing down pat. They have it now in aces! Murphy is nothing short of sensational and anyone lucky enough to see her is getting their full money's worth. If you have seen either actress go back and see the other. It is a different show and yet the same show. You are quite correct in pointing out how they have made very different choices but how each is equally valid. Only one thing puzzles me. Each time I have seen this revival and they do the "Sunday Clothes" number, I come close to tears. Why is that? | |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Posted by: StaunchKarakter 09:48 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - Thom915 09:18 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| I teared up right at the top of the song, as soon as Gavin Creel sang, "Out there!" It's such a great "I want" number that turns into a huge choral spectacular. I think the bright-eyed quality of Cornelius and Barnaby opening up into those popping costumes is what does it - paired with what sounds to me like some of the biggest, most delightfully forte group singing I've ever heard live. So lovely! | |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Posted by: bmc 09:34 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - Thom915 09:18 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| I saw the show on Mother's Day, I was in the very first row(B) on the left, and when the parade on the runway began, my eyes began to water. I jokingly said perhaps I was allergic to pastels, but back home in Ann Arbor, same thing,-listening to the new Sunday recording, until one day , I just sat in the car in the Parking Lot, not with watery eyes, but with those kind of shoulder- shaking tears, a healthy cry, I guess. Is it that the scene is such a Hopeful setting off that touches us? When I first listened to the Channing Lp, Sunday was the only song I liked ; I had to see productions with Rogers and Bailey to 'get' the show; It also could be that I was 18 when I first saw the show, and now I'm 67; But when I cried, I felt joyful-With The title song/number, my cheek muscles were sore from smiling; I hope they start the tour right back at Detroit's Fisher theater! | |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 09:48 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 09:45 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - bmc 09:34 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| That's such a beautiful post. You pulled tears from me, as the number does. I sometimes watch the "Wall-E" opening to take in how this iconic Herman number has so informed our culture's response to musical comedy. Yes, it's even magnificent in an animated film about dystopia. It's mysterious, isn't it? But maybe "Sunday Clothes..." is the definitive show tune, and in a moment -- any moment -- it can stand in for all of the musical theater magic in our history. And just lift us. Your post certainly did. | |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Posted by: SidL 12:17 am EDT 07/06/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - Delvino 09:45 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| even works with RAWHIDE linked |
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| Link | pun on your Sunday clothes |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Posted by: TheHarveyBoy 07:10 am EDT 07/06/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - SidL 12:17 am EDT 07/06/17 | |
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| Bless you SidL, or whoever out this together. Thrilling! | |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Last Edit: MaxD 09:29 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| Posted by: MaxD 09:25 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - Thom915 09:18 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| I also always tear up when that amazing chorus first prances in, almost on tip toes with those exquisite costumes..it kind of takes my breath away and find it hard to explain. I think it is the pure elegance and joy that comes with being spectacularly dressed and singing about it that creates something magical.. that rare combination of perfect music, choreography and costumes acting in synergy that overwhelms the senses | |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Posted by: lordofspeech 04:30 pm EDT 07/06/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - MaxD 09:25 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| The ensemble's movement is so still; it's as if they are perfectly mechanized puppets. I wonder if Gower Champion was at all inspired by My Fair Lady's "Ascot Gavotte" in that there's inhuman perfection in the stylization of the people's very measured joy. It's not till "all aboard" that the energy begins to rush forward. | |
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| re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon | |
| Posted by: Thom915 09:28 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello Dolly! this afternoon - MaxD 09:25 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| Thanks, Max that is the exact moment when it happens to me. I have another wave combined with chuckles as the train enters almost as if to say, "now that is too much. All Aboard!" | |
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