| re: SHENANDOAH: Thoughts and Memories? | |
| Posted by: BruceinIthaca 09:27 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: SHENANDOAH: Thoughts and Memories? - BroadwayLover 03:17 pm EDT 08/20/20 | |
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| When I was an undergraduate at Northwestern, the national tour of Shenandoah starring Cullum came to Chicago and played the Arie Crown. Those of you who knew the Loop theatres of that era (mid to late 70s), may recall that the Arie Crown was a humongous barn of a theatre, part of McCormick Place, a huge convention center (it's where the tour of Sweeney Todd with Lansbury and Hearn also played, among many others). One Saturday or Sunday (I don't remember which), I screwed up my courage and took the El from Evanston to the stop closest to McCormick Place (about a mile or so walk nonetheless) and bought a ticket in the farthest reaches of the balcony (all I could afford). I'd owned the LP for some time and had seen the film with my parents when it came out. I could barely see the faces of the actors, but Cullum's voice and presence were definitive--I remember some of his soliloquies to this day with a clarity I don't necessarily have about some productions I've seen in more recent years! I don't recall all that much about the rest of the cast or the production as a whole (not their fault--it is truly a vehicle for Charlie Anderson), but I became a fan of Cullum's for a lifetime. And the last scene with the singing of the "hymn" ("Pass the Cross to Me") with the, yes, shamelessly manipulative ending (the same as in the film), did indeed move me to tears--but I didn't feel "used," simply happy and touched. I don't think it could easily be revived today--though I agree with those posters who describe it as being equally critical of the South and the North in the making of war--I think it was a show of its time. But in its time, if you were really just starting your career as an audience member of big, professional Broadway-based shows, it was deeply satisfying. | |
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| Previous: | re: SHENANDOAH: Thoughts and Memories? - BroadwayLover 03:17 pm EDT 08/20/20 |
| Next: | re: SHENANDOAH: Thoughts and Memories? - Snowgrace 06:52 pm EDT 08/20/20 |
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