| My moment in the "woulds" at the St. James | |
| Last Edit: DistantDrumming 06:02 am EDT 07/31/22 | |
| Posted by: DistantDrumming 05:57 am EDT 07/31/22 | |
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| MINOR SPOILERS BELOW... I get that this is a limited run of, essentially, a concert production. I do wish they'd thrown a few bucks at the production for the Witch's transformation. Patina simply walking off stage and walking back on stage out of "witch drag" was a bit meh. But, minor quibbles like that aside, what a joy to see AND hear this production. On that second note... unlike so much of what gets produced these days, I'm thankful that one area the producers did not cut back or neglect was the sound. This production has been so smartly cast. Not only are virtually all of the performers interpreting Sondheim's lyrics with wit and emotional intelligence, they are also singing his music with such beautiful tone. And, the accompaniment of the Encores orchestra is exquisite. The combination of those vocals and that orchestral accompaniment are worth the price of admission alone. I heard nuances and shades and layers in the score like never before. Patina Miller was my one... hesitation with this production. Having only seen her in Pippin (in which I thought she was incredible), I had to wonder if the Witch was a fit. She sang it beautifully -- her Stay with Me and Children Will Listen got me teary eyed and she brought the drama for Last Midnight. But, she seemed more comfortable in the "pre-potion" performance in full Witch's drag. When she had to play a less traditional, powerless witch her performance got strangely erratic. Over-gesturing, over-acting almost flailing around the stage. I found it a bit odd. I guess it was a choice. She just has stage presence in spades, I didn't feel like she needed to overcook her second act performance so much. She was far from terrible, it just felt like every other performance was fully drawn and hers was still being sketched in. Oh, and, yes, there was lots of "woooing", but, to my ears, it was all from a genuinely appreciative audience -- and never detracting from the performance. I think the loudest and longest ovation might have been for Sara Bareilles' 'Moment in the Woods'. Yes, the audience clearly went in with that energy, but it's not like the performances didn't live up to those expectations. It was nice to spend the evening with 1,700 Sondheim nerds. |
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