| re: Here is what Bobby has to say about the Roundabout production... | |
| Last Edit: Chazwaza 05:00 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 04:56 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Here is what Bobby has to say about the Roundabout production... - Maguire75 03:59 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
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| Totally fair, and very likely the notion that got Sondheim on board with the purposefully stripped down concept of the staging. However there's a big difference to me, because The Color Purple was just a show that told a story, and in the original production it was staged and designed very literally with sets and costumes to match - there was no reason for it to need to be expensive enough to then need to be stripped down. Follies was conceived in opulence as part of the metaphor, setting and premise. I personally think a mixture of the two can work beautifully - there's no reason the show must have moving platforms, etc, it is set in a rundown theater, but the Follies ghosts and musical numbers must reflect that old school opulence or it really doesn't work to me (and I've seen several attempts including both bway revivals and the west end revival). And for what it's worth, the original Color Purple ran 2 yrs 4 months without any stars and middling reviews (couldn't have been solely on Oprah's name above it), the acclaimed raved about joyful revival ran just 1 yr 2 months with a splashy new-star lead performance, a name star and notable replacements. So financially, I don't know which profited more and how running costs played in, but the original ran literally twice as long and both were open commercial runs. Point being, a stripped down and non-literal staging worked magic for the show, which got a new life and new eyes because it (from me including, who dismissed the original based on what I read and listening to the cast album which I didn't respond to though I know love the score), but it didn't need that to have interest from an audience, apparently. |
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