Thursday, November 8, 2018

A LITTLE BIT OF THIS, A LITTLE BIT OF THAT – Part III: Still More Potpourri

A LITTLE BIT OF THIS, A LITTLE BIT OF THAT – Part III
Still More Potpourri

An unabashedly romantic, sinfully underappreciated musical about bridges in Iowa. Missed connections in Israel for an Egyptian band. Two concert presentations featuring one of Broadway's iconic leading ladies. A birthday celebration concert in honor of arguably our greatest living composer/lyricist in the musical theatre. Truly a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

Starting things off…

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY – Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire, IL






July, 2017. Just like in New York, this unrepentant curmudgeon got misty-eyed at the show's conclusion. Beautifully staged, designed, sung, and acted, this was a magical afternoon at the theatre. Marsha Norman's book is unabashedly romantic without being maudlin and tells the story with intelligence and honesty. It's Jason Robert Brown's remarkable and exceptionally beautiful score, however, that elevates this under-appreciated show and makes The Bridges of Madison County a feast for the ears. Stellar leading performances by Kathy Voytko and Nathaniel Stampley set the bar very high, and their castmates, including Bart Shatto, Wydetta Carter, Terry Hamilton, and Tanner Hake, accepted the challenge and ran with it. It was simply wonderful to see our A Christmas Story's Flick, Brooke MacDougal, as daughter Carolyn, and Emily Berman, one of Bob's former students, as Marilyn. Emily nailed one of the show's gorgeous ballads, "Another Life." Bravo to Marriott for doing this difficult, beautiful musical!! Truly a stunning production. Full stop. - at the Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire. 

THE BAND'S VISIT – Barrymore Theatre, New York








October, 2017. Music is universal. It can soothe, inspire, heal. It's a bridge between cultures. Remove politics and religion and people are pretty much the same, with the same hopes, dreams, joys, and sorrows. That's what The Band's Visit was all about. The fish-out-of-water and the town-helping-the-strangers themes reminded me a bit of Come From Away, but set in Israel instead of Newfoundland. But unlike Come From Away, which I adore, I found The Band's Visit dull. The talent on stage at the Barrymore certainly couldn't be faulted because they were all first-rate, but where it should have soared, it didn't. There were so many pauses and the pace was so sluggish at times, I thought I was watching a musical by Harold Pinter. Perhaps our seats in the rear mezzanine had something to do with my reaction. I felt like I was simply watching the action, rather than being involved in it. I was clearly in the minority. The capacity audience ate it up. I wanted to like it, and I tried. I really tried. And there were moments I really liked, eg. playing the clarinet to calm a crying baby, anything Tony Shaloub and especially Katrina Lenk did. In the end, however, I just didn't care. Perhaps I should give this Tony-winning musical another chance…from a close-up orchestra seat…and perhaps one day I will. - at the Barrymore Theatre, New York.

AN EVENING WITH PATTI LUPONE AND MANDY PATINKIN – Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago






March, 2010. They both won Tony Awards for their roles as Eva Perón and Che. Thirty years later, these old friends got together for a reunion concert of songs and chat, heavily favoring Sondheim and Rodgers and Hammerstein in the song department. What could have and should have been a lovely, relaxed evening of music and reminisces came off, unfortunately, as a bit flat, a bit over-rehearsed and lacking of any feeling or semblance of spontaneity. While their affection for each other was refreshing and evident, the chat wasn't nearly enough or, frankly, dishy enough and the music, though sung with precision, lacked any real passion. Hey, I get it. These shows are hard. But this should have been fun, and we should have been able to see the two stars having a good time, but they were both too serious. LuPone is a powerhouse of vocal prowess and stage presence. Patinkin tends to be too introspective and often interprets the crap out of a song, rendering it lifeless. The contrasting styles sometimes worked in their duets, sometimes didn't. Sad to say, it was all a bit underwhelming and a bit disappointing. – at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago

PATTI LUPONE ON BROADWAY – Walter Kerr Theatre, New York





October, 1995. A sheer force of nature. Powerful, commanding, funny, catty, and almost preternaturally talented, I had seen Patti LuPone in person only once before, as Eva Perón in Evita, but I was a fan of her recordings and television work on Life Goes On. Cast as the original Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, and then famously having her Broadway contract for Sunset voided by Andrew Lloyd Webber in favor of Glenn Close, the Los Angeles Norma, LuPone ended her chatty, tuneful, vastly enjoyable, and ecstatically received songfest by treating us to the most thrilling version of "As If We Never Said Goodbye" that I have ever heard. Was this an impromptu choice? Probably not, but LuPone managed to make it appear that way, and it literally blew the roof off of the venerable Walter Kerr. The capacity audience adored her, and she adored us right back. – at the Walter Kerr Theatre, New York

SONDHEIM: THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT – Avery Fisher Hall, New York


March, 2010. Some folks just know how to throw a killer birthday party. The New York Philharmonic and director Lonny Price are among them. To celebrate Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday, Price got the proverbial band together and invited a whole bunch of some seriously talented folks to get together and sing a few songs. The result was musical theatre nirvana. With only one hiccup ("Don't Laugh," a number Sondheim co-wrote for pal Mary Rodgers' failed Judy Holliday vehicle, Hot Spot, which didn't really land despite Victoria Clark's valiant efforts), this was almost an overabundance of riches. Please note the qualifier "almost." I mean, seriously, can there ever be too much Sondheim? The evening went from one memorable number to another until near the end of the concert, six of the musical theatre's most talented leading ladies, all dressed in red and looking fabulous, took to the stage and showed us what it's all about. Patti LuPone started it off with a kick-ass "The Ladies Who Lunch." Then Marin Mazzie dazzled us with "Losing My Mind." Audra McDonald treated us to a airy "The Glamorous Life." Donna Murphy tore her way through an increasingly angry "Could I Leave You?" Bernadette Peters touched us all with "Not a Day Goes By." But it was Elaine Stritch, the incredible Stritch, who, at 85, handily demonstrated what a bona fide Broadway legend can do and brought an already rapturous house to its feet, cheering and applauding like there was no tomorrow, with her "I'm Still Here." Absolutely thrilling. A true privilege to have been there. – at Avery Fisher Hall, New York

Thanks for joining me for this episode. More later. Ciao! 
© 2018 Jeffrey Geddes


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