Threaded Order Chronological Order
| re: Mary Testa, got me thinking that.... | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 09:02 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Testa, got me thinking that.... - Cainebj 07:11 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
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| That's my understanding. Not to mention that Mary Testa, talented though she certainly is, could never sell enough tickets to fill a Broadway house for what would be the 4th revival of Gypsy in 30 years. I would love to see her do it regionally though. | |
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| re: Mary Testa, got me thinking that.... | |
| Posted by: CCentero 09:41 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Testa, got me thinking that.... - Chazwaza 09:02 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
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| Imelda Staunton isn't good enough in Gypsy to sell tickets either. | |
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| Did you see Imelda live or on the recording? | |
| Posted by: Leon_W 10:17 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Testa, got me thinking that.... - CCentero 09:41 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
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| I know other peoplle have said this but live I was blown away by her and yet I find the recording almost embarrassing to watch. In the theatre it was one of those remember it forever performances that blazed from the stage but it was too big to film. | |
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| re: Did you see Imelda live or on the recording? | |
| Posted by: kieran 11:49 am EDT 07/09/17 | |
| In reply to: Did you see Imelda live or on the recording? - Leon_W 10:17 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
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| The same could be said of her performance in the "Virginia Woolf" recording but I still found that quite impressive on screen. | |
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| re: Did you see Imelda live or on the recording? | |
| Posted by: CCentero 10:42 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
| In reply to: Did you see Imelda live or on the recording? - Leon_W 10:17 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
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| Live. Glad you enjoyed it more than I did. | |
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| re: Mary Testa, got me thinking that.... | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 09:59 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Testa, got me thinking that.... - CCentero 09:41 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
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| If the word of mouth is as strong here as it was in London, I think she'll have no problem selling a healthy run. The summer she was at the Savoy, hers was the only show that everyone said we had to see. British audiences have different tastes than American ones in many ways, and particularly with musicals (I was surprised by the enthusiasm that greeted the Menier Merrily), but in this case, I was in full agreement with them: I found her revelatory in the role. For the first time, that show made made absolute sense to me, and I went on the entire journey spellbound. But, the caveat is, I'm not a big fan of "Gypspy", so I could see it striking an odd chord with people who love the play as they've always seen it done before, which could indeed be trouble. I wonder if the silence from Roundabout regarding their upcoming season is related to their rumored transfer of this show. Until it's announced, it's not official, as we were recently reminded with Nicole Kidman in the Anna Ziegler. |
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| re: Mary Testa, got me thinking that.... | |
| Posted by: CCentero 10:39 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Testa, got me thinking that.... - Singapore/Fling 09:59 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
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| I found Staunton grating, one-note and utterly charmless, the British stereotype of the ultimate ugly American. Most of the actresses who've played the part on Broadway are better in the part than she is. If it's part of Roundabout's subscription, then that solves the ticket selling problem for a limited run, but I just don't see her commanding Broadway prices that would add up to a successful commercial run. I don't think the PBS broadcast did her any favors. Curious as to why you're not a big fan. I'm growing tired of sitting through the show, much as I love it. It doesn't seem to have anything new to say to me. |
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| re: Mary Testa, got me thinking that.... | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 12:01 am EDT 07/10/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Testa, got me thinking that.... - CCentero 10:39 pm EDT 07/08/17 | |
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| It seems weird to say, considering how revolutionary "Gypsy" was at its time, but to me, the play has always felt a bit old fashioned, and I've generally liked the second act much more than the first. I've never actively disliked the show, but I was never as caught up in it as my fellow musical theater lovers. After seeing numerous productions in my youth, it wasn't something that I would make a priority of seeing again, and I went into the Staunton/Kent because everyone we knew was raving about it, rather than a strong desire to see the show. In the past, I've felt like the first act was a bit labored and padded. I haven't been caught up in the Rose and Herbie storyline enough to be invested in "You'll Never Get Away from Me", and I've always rolled my eyes at the almost sacharine sweetness of "If Momma Was Married". Those are both lovely songs, but they felt a bit too standard for me, and the scenes that surround them felt like they were just there to advance a very rote plot as it built to the interesting, but late arriving, complications that kick in once the show reaches the dramatic crisis of whether or not Louise will do burlesque. Until I saw the Kent/Staunton production, I didn't really understood why we see the scenes that we see in the first act, nor did I feel transported in the journey with the characters. I didn't see the dramatic story, aside from Raging Stage Mom Alienates Children, which was fascinating in a grand guignol kind of way, but didn't carry a human weight until near the end. For me, seeing the Kent/Staunton production was a revelation. For the first time, I was with Rose on her journey, and I was wrapped up in the tension between the desire for a family life and the desire for fame. That whole production, anchored by Staunton, told that story (which, of course, was always there in the text) in a way that I really got it. I can understand what you say about Staunton being the ugly American, but for me, she was the first Rose I've seen who was genuinely honest and unfiltered about her need to get her children on that stage. There was a discussion at some point in the past, on this board, about whether Rose was a monster (or something along those lines), and I came down firmly on the monster, child abuser side. It wasn't until I saw Staunton that I realized part of what hadn't worked for me in the past was that every Rose I'd seen had wanted, on some level, to be liked, and the need to be liked was blunting the hard edges of this woman who would sacrifice anything and hurt anyone in order to get her goal. Staunton didn't need to be liked, and I think her Rose was more honest - and thus more compelling - as a result. On the night that I saw it, the ending gave the distinct impression that Rose and Louise were never going to be able to reconcile, because of the amount of damage done between them. I saw the ending as Rose almost seeing the horror she had caused her family, and then re-assering her dominance over Louise, with Louise shrinking a bit in the presence of her mother. It doesn't play that way on the video, and I don't know if they played it differently or I remembered it the way I wanted to, but that ending seemed honest in a way that previous endings, which pointed to a hopeful resolution, somehow had not. And now, because of that production, I'm deeply in awe of the writing and craft of "Gypsy", and I have become a huge fan. That production occupies a very dear place in my heart and my theatergoing life, and I have used it in my teaching as an example of how we must approach each play as if we are reading it for the first time, in order to discover the story that needs to be told. I don't know quite why that production worked for me where others didn't, but I would love to get the chance to see it again, if it actually does make its way to these shores. |
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