Company

Started by Leighton, Sep 21, 2017, 03:20 PM

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Leighton

So I've heard rumours that Marianne Elliot's Company-with-a-female- Bobby will star Rosalie Craig and Patti LuPone, and will be going into the Gielgud ...
Self indulgence is better than no indulgence!

Gordonb

Quote from: Leighton on Sep 21, 2017, 03:20 PMSo I've heard rumours that Marianne Elliot's Company-with-a-female- Bobby will star Rosalie Craig and Patti LuPone, and will be going into the Gielgud ...
Have you seen the bloody pricing? Minimum £79.50 in the Stalls and Dress and even £49.50 up in the Grand where if memory serves the seating and view is pretty awful, so I rather think that this particular production will not make it onto my calendar in 2018!

We paid top price £60 something for Follies which is about my upper limit and then you know that you'll be comfortable and have good sight lines; regular West End theatres are so hit and miss comfort-wise so I will have to take a pass on Patti's Joanne.

I would also whisper ..."Patti Lupone, really?". It's probably a bums-on-seats thing but to my mind it is hardly inspired casting - that is not to criticise Miss L as I'm sure she'll be great, but it is kind of safe and obvious casting isn't it?

My memory of Sheila Gish at the Donmar will therefore remain intact!

DiveMilw

Quote from: Gordonb on Sep 22, 2017, 04:50 AMI would also whisper ..."Patti Lupone, really?". It's probably a bums-on-seats thing but to my mind it is hardly inspired casting - that is not to criticise Miss L as I'm sure she'll be great, but it is kind of safe and obvious casting isn't it?
It probably is.  With a female Bobby/Bobbie maybe they felt the need to make a more "traditional" or "comfortable" casting choice so as to not scare away potential audience members.
I no longer long for the old view!

Leighton

I LOVED Sheila Gish. That pricing is insane 
Self indulgence is better than no indulgence!

fjlumia

Ms LuPone does a good job with "ladies who lunch".  See the Sondheim 80th birthday bash in NYC.  Stritch sang "I'm Still Here" and wore a hat.  Then LuPone sang "Ladies who Lunch".  Does anyone still wear a hat? got a laugh.  Its a great show overall with B Peters and Mandy Patinkin singing from Sunday in the Park and LuPone, George Hearn and Michael Cervais (Spelling?) :-* doing Sweeny Todd.

scenicdesign71

Interesting interview with Elliott posted on the Facebook FTC group, from the Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/sep/16/marianne-elliott--interview-company-sondheim

scenicdesign71

#6
The more I hear about this, the more fascinated I am:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/theater/company-west-end-stephen-sondheim-marianne-elliott.html

I'm hoping the gender-swapping proves to be as fertile a notion as they keep making it sound, Elliott in particular: after months of armchair speculation on FB wherein even supporters of the idea (including myself) usually end up -- presumably unintentionally -- making it sound more than a bit labored and stunt-ish, she herself manages to argue her case in a way that seems both intuitively obvious and inevitable.

...And hoping also, of course, that the results will be good enough to prompt a NYC transfer.



scenicdesign71

#7
Posted on the FB group:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG_Flbb3ZDU

Includes a teaser of the all-male "You Could Drive A Person Crazy," and a few of the lyric changes in "Someone Is Waiting" (for which Rosalie Craig is in lovely voice).
And, of course, Ms. LuPone cutting glass with her stare.





Chris L

The reviews for the production have been stunning and I wish we could see it (though I comfort myself by remembering that we got to see Follies at the National last fall).
But us, old friend,
What's to discuss, old friend?

Leighton

Just booked myself a ticket for Friday 15th Feb 2019!
Self indulgence is better than no indulgence!

scenicdesign71

I almost started a separate thread for Documentary Now!'s Original Cast Recording: Co-Op;
Then considered instead starting one for the original Pennebaker documentary (and posting this on it);
Then finally decided to just put it here, even though the focus thus far has been on Marianne Elliott's current West End Company.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/theater/original-cast-album-co-op-mulaney-meyers-sondheim.html

I don't know whether SJS was doing his finest deadpan on purpose, or whether he's just edited to sound that way, but it's a hoot.

And Mulaney has my heartfelt admiration for revering a rhyme I had somehow either missed (??) or forgotten about for three decades until he pointed it out in this interview:  "going/Boeing".  How in f**k I managed to do ...whichever of those things... is anybody's guess.

:-[


Gordonb

Quote from: Leighton on Oct 26, 2018, 09:58 AMJust booked myself a ticket for Friday 15th Feb 2019!
Are you going to tell us what you thought? I have to confess that I've listened to the cast recording (just a couple of times so far) and I'm not loving it - particularly Rosalie Craig's vocals. Also, I suppose because I know the score so well, I'm finding the changes quite jarring. I'm sure that if I had seen the production I would feel differently!

Leighton

Loved it!  So much so I can't really remember anything I disliked (and Craig sounded great to me :) )
Self indulgence is better than no indulgence!