comment #1

Rosebudsthesled says ...

They do it with British accents, apparently. It gives an interesting perspective on the show. I'm quite interested in seeing it. SUNDAY always holds a place in my heart--"Finishing the Hat" has to be one of the most brilliant, inspiring lyrics ever written by anybody.

comment #2

diadaro1 says ...

That show is actually on broadway, not London....

comment #3

BurmaShave says ...

What show are the blurbs on the right for? "You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy the rye?" Hilarious.

INTO THE WOODS is my favorite Sondheim, but it's basically for kids. SUNDAY is great.

comment #4

historywatcher says ...

Rosebud: The production is a transfer to B'way from London. FYI.

comment #5

historywatcher says ...

Sorry...meant to send that last one to Diadaro, not Rosebud.

comment #6

tophertilson says ...

I saw this show twice in two days in London. Loved it so much the first time, I just went right back to the box office. It's pretty glorious, though I wish they had used the full orchestrations.

Daniel Evans deserves a lot of the credit. He plays George in such a different and inspiring way. Both times in London, the whole audience was reduced to tears by the ending. I'm so used to being the only person moved by these things. It was nice to feel part of a community.

Mandy Patinkin was a revelation in the original Broadway production, but that was shortly before he began to buy his own press. By the time he left the show, his performance was so enormous and mannered, it destroyed everything around it. Watch the hideous PBS videotape if you want proof. It was nice to see a good George again.

I haven't seen it on B'way yet, but I worry that Studio 54 is too large a space for this production. Good to know it's getting good word of mouth.

comment #7

tophertilson says ...

Oh and the English accent thing is interesting. Basically it becomes about class. No big surprise there, as EVERYTHING in England is about class. George is posh. Dot is northern working class, I think. I'm no Henry Higgins. But it does underline their differences and suggest why they don't just marry.

comment #8

Rod32303 says ...

I, too, saw it in London in the summer of 2006, and was blown the fuck away. I think it's a tighter ensemble than the one with Patinkin and Peters, but I only saw the "hideous" PBS videotape. There's one HUGE improvement on that show, something technology allows today that wasn't available to us in the mid 80's.

The other huge improvement? Evans and Russell, who aren't the names of Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters, so you just BELIEVE they are George and Dot. They are astonishing, and will probably be Tony winners.

Star-fucker true story. I jumped up and gave up the standing-o at the end of the performance I saw. Brits NOTORIOUS for polite applause, and I was losing my mind, hollering "BRAVO!" and the like. Russell and Evans pointed up at me and clapped back (cause, seriously, I was the only one standing), and then, when I went backstage to have the actors sign my program, the stage manager pointed at me and said "you were the ovation guy!" I was then grabbed by the hand and allowed into a question and answer with about 100 press and patrons, and got to meet them. Fuckin' awesome memory, and I'll be there to see this show.

comment #9

Fred Mounts says ...

Rod, I'm completely ignorant of the theatre scene, but that's a great story. Good on you!

Fred

comment #10

tophertilson says ...

Rod, I'm practically teary-eyed reading your account. I truly wanted to jump up, too. Both times, though, I was in the first row and was too intimidated to do so. I'm ashamed for being such a pussy now. If I wanted to stand, I should have stood.

comment #11

btwnproductions says ...

Conceptually it's brilliant, bringing a 20th century show with one foot in the 19th right up to the present day. The projections are breathtaking to watch. This was my first time with SUNDAY, and while I was knocked out by the presentation I can't say I was overwhelmed by the show; Evans and especially Russell are fine, but the material didn't fully engage me. (I have the same problem with all the other Sondheim/Lapine shows, my favorite being INTO THE WOODS, which appeals to children but is definitely not a kids' show.) I'm more a SWEENEY TODD/LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC/FOLLIES kind of Sondheim guy. Still, it's an absolutely up-to-the-minute revival, and well worth seeing.

comment #12

btwnproductions says ...

One other note: That Sondheim is open to having young (SUNDAY's director, Sam Buntrock, is 32) or non-traditional talent (like Tim Burton) really adapt and not embalm his work is crucial. And both these bets paid off handsomely.

comment #13

Mark B says ...

Glad to see that Jeffrey and I see eye to eye about SUNDAY IN THE PARK, "the" great Sondheim musical, IMHO. I have only seen what was referenced as the "hideous PBS" presentation, which I love. (If that's hideous, I"m curious to see what qualifies as "glorious.")