Printer Friendly - Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by EricMontreal22 2012-12-31 19:51:30
Just a reminder...
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by bjh2114 2012-12-31 20:54:24
Beautiful so far. Everyone has been exceptional (save for one). Lilla in particular did a lovely job, and obviously Audra and Kelli are super pros as usual.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Patti LuPone FANatic 2012-12-31 21:00:33
What the F? Maria Friedman singing as the character "Morales" from "A Chorus Line"?? What...they couldn't have gotten Priscilla Lopez? I never knew Morales had a British accent.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Phyllis Rogers Stone 2012-12-31 21:01:58
Happy New Year!
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by bjh2114 2012-12-31 21:03:36
Agreed, Fanatic, but it WAS hilarious haha.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Patti LuPone FANatic 2012-12-31 21:13:47
This is turning out to be an Audra concert. Josh Groban is an intriguing choice. Hey Mr. Producer...what the hey? from RC in AUstin, Texas Oh hey....Raul Esparza...now...Megan Hilty...oh, there's Maria....the T& A girl....Kelli...group song...
wait..Brian D'Arcy too. Did anyone of them work with Marvin Hamlisch?
I liked the last part. They did it right. Is this group from the most recent touring company of ACL? I kind of noticed that their costumes weren't really all that shiny...just saying..
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by broadwayjim42 2012-12-31 21:20:09
Came into the show late and am DVRing a later showing.
That said, am I alone in thinking that Audra's voice is ill-suited to Hamlisch's compositions?
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by iflip4musicals 2012-12-31 21:27:11
I think "At the Ballet" is officially my favorite song, in case anyone was keeping tabs. I adored Audra/Megan/Kelli's version, tears.
Also confused by a Diana with a British accent, but not as confused as I was by her outfit. Did I miss something or did it look like she was wearing sweatpants under her dress?
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by matineeidol2013 2012-12-31 21:31:11
Thought it was lovely! Short, sweet, and very touching. A wonderful way to begin this New Years Eve.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by bjh2114 2012-12-31 21:53:29
Did anyone of them work with Marvin Hamlisch?
Kelli and Brian were in Sweet Smell of Success... so yes. And Audra worked with him for several concerts.
Am I alone in thinking that Audra's voice is ill-suited to Hamlisch's compositions?
Yes, you are. That woman can sing anything.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by iflip4musicals 2012-12-31 21:54:42
Amen bjh, amen
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by wonkit 2012-12-31 22:00:17
Esparza worked with Hamlisch on a concert in Toronto a couple of summers ago.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by EricMontreal22 2012-12-31 22:08:08
It hasn't aired West Coast yet, but people on my Facebook are complaining about the performance of One by Paper Mill's Chorus Line...
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2012-12-31 22:10:34
Hilty came off as very "lounge singer". I expected her to go and refill people's glasses while she was singing.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Patti LuPone FANatic 2012-12-31 22:13:41
They were o.k. I mean, they had to be really careful on the limited stage space they had. I do have a beef with the producers. Since A Chorus Line was a musical so closely associated with Marvin Hamlisch, it would have been nice to have had one of the songs sung by someone from the recent ACL revival on Broadway. Even better, Priscilla Lopez or someone from the original cast should have made some sort of appearance. Just saying...from RC in Austin, Texas P.S. Would PBS really have been in trouble if the word "tits" had actually been used? I think that comedy bit was not really necessary.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by matineeidol2013 2012-12-31 22:26:28
you're not alone, broadwayjim. no denying Audras voice is angelic, but I agree that her very head dominant/lyrical tone and the Hamlish song book don't quite gel. (I believe she would have been more successful singing a song from "Sweet Smell..")
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by bjh2114 2012-12-31 22:29:02
Yah, the dancers in One were definitely the worst part of the number. The first part with the singers doing the walk-ons and bows was adorable though. Especially Lilla Crawford.
Hilty has definitely sounded better, but I still think her voice is such a natural, easy talent.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Phyllis Rogers Stone 2012-12-31 22:30:05
I was surprised when they said Lilla's name because I had been pronouncing it wrong in my head.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2012-12-31 22:52:05
You pronounce it "Lie-La" don't you? It's ok. Her mom pronounces it "Kash-Kow"
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by madbrian 2012-12-31 23:09:33
I believe the One dancers were the A Chorus Line cast from the recent Papermill production.
At the risk of offending Kelli's fans, as wonderful as At The Ballet was, it would have been even better if Audra had sung Maggie's part.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by bjh2114 2012-12-31 23:32:10
I actually disagree. I think Audra should have done the Bebe part and Megan should have done the Sheila part.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by EricMontreal22 2012-12-31 23:46:22
"I believe the One dancers were the A Chorus Line cast from the recent Papermill production. "
I believe I said that. 
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by luvtheEmcee 2013-01-01 00:23:51
Esparza worked with Hamlisch on a concert in Toronto a couple of summers ago.
Hamlisch also conducted the Phil for Raul when he sang with them and Kristin Chenoweth in 2008. And Raul auditioned for Sweet Smell, there was a really lovely story printed somewhere about that.
At The Ballet, just like that, was the big one I'd been hoping for. They nailed it, I thought.
I had no idea this concert had been planned for tonight even before Marvin passed away. That made me even sadder.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by JayG 2 2013-01-01 00:55:11
Esparza remembered auditioning for "Sweet Smell of Success" as a young actor. He didn't get a part, but Hamlisch stopped him later at a restaurant and told him he wished they had cast him and thought Esparza was going to be huge. "You know what? For a guy who is starting out, to hear that from Marvin Hamlisch at a diner, that's huge."
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by PalJoey 2013-01-01 08:38:52
Just to have run into Marvin Hamlisch at a diner would have been a thrill for me.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by ggersten 2013-01-01 09:38:50
I did a phone interview with Mr. Hamlisch around 1981 or 1982. I was working on a college radio station, and he took a good 15 minutes out of his day to speak with me. There were some audio problems and I had to edit the interview by re-recording my questions. But for a person of his stature to do the interview for a 10 Watt college radio station was so gracious and magnanimous and apparently typical. And in a box somewhere should be a cassette with a copy of the aired interview.
I recall several things: (1) that he said "It's not really the Marvin Hamlisch story" with reference to "They're Playing Our Song" (2) He loved playing for Groucho and (3) he fought to keep What I Did For Love in A Chorus Line by telling Michael Bennett that Marvin needed to have one hit song in the show..
So, when they started singing What I Did for Love last night, I smiled broadly.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Movidude742 2013-01-01 10:09:20
I am watching it now and am only up to Lilla Crawford, but I was hooked by the overture. IT was so odd hearing strings at first since there were none in the orchestrations of the show, but by the end I already wanted a recording of the concertfor my CD collection
When I saw the line painted on the floor in front of the orchestra I literally felt a chill
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Marianne2 2013-01-01 11:55:08
Didn't see this because I forgot. But, how did Beth Behrs do? Or what did she do? Just curious because she isn't a Broadway veteran and I know her best from 2 Broke Girls.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by SueleenGay 2013-01-01 12:02:20
If you missed it check your local listing; here in Chicago it is being rebroadcast tonight at 12:30.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by ElphabaRose 2013-01-01 13:21:07
Beth Bohrs did Dance 10, Looks 3 and the finale and it was quite odd. They wouldn't let her say Tits, so the whole number became this hammy mess where she had to come up with things to replace the word... mits, bits, spits. It was horrible. And she wasn't terrible, but she wasn't very good either.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Owen22 2013-01-01 13:55:07
Oh yeah, three songs from the dismal "Sweet Smell" and only ONE from "They're Playing Our Song"???
Really?
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by dannyboy 2013-01-01 14:06:06
Marvin really deserved better. There were times I couldnt believe the song selections and the singers. Why that woman doing NOTHING....horrendous. What happened at the end? Was this concert thrown together or did it just end early?
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by wonkit 2013-01-01 14:15:59
I must say, with all due respect to Maria Friedman, that I was floored that she got two songs of significant length and Esparza got a 3-minute forgettable song from SUCCESS. I had much higher expectations for an homage than this evening presented.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2013-01-01 14:18:56
Well, Raul sang one of my favorite songs ever written by Hamlisch, so I was quite pleased.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by jv92 2013-01-01 14:29:40
Am I the only one who hated almost the whole thing? Some thoughts:
I thought a 12 year old singing "Disneyland" was inappropriate. Maybe it's because I'm familiar with the show, though.
Everything Audra does lately is overwrought and over-the-top. Bring it back to earth.
The "Tits and Ass" gimmick was...well, a gimmick.
I think it would have been better to have someone from the original CHORUS LINE do a number rather that what they did.
However, Kelli O'Hara and Brian D'Arcy James did a good job-- and so did Michael Feinstein.
And something was up with the sound at the end.
Looking forward to the PBS docu. on the Jewish legacy of the American Musical tonight very much, though.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by followspot 2013-01-01 14:35:07
You're not the only one, jv92. From Audra's and Megan's opening song butchering to the 15 dead minutes of audience shots at the end, I thought it was pretty much a non-stop train wreck.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by MrMidwest 2013-01-01 14:50:49
Hilty might have been better if the song had been taken up a bit to show off some vocal flourishes. Was she downplaying the sexual aspect of the song on purpose? It felt very safe and blah.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by dramamama611 2013-01-01 14:51:46
Just getting through on the dvr -- not terribly impressed yet and Im 25 minutes in.
Am I the only one that doesnt get Josh Groban's massive success?
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Mildred Plotka 2013-01-01 15:12:01
I see nobody made a New Year's resolution to be less nit-picky or bitchy about things.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by dramamama611 2013-01-01 15:16:51
Brian D'Arcy James defintely worth waiting for!
(And can does anyone else think BDJ and Mandy Patinkin should play brothers in something? While I like the quality of BDJ more than Patinkin, they have similar stature, stylings and presence.)
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by another sloe eyed vamp 2013-01-01 15:31:25
dramamama, I definitely don't get Josh Groban either.
And why didn't Michael Feinstein get a curtain call?
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by best12bars 2013-01-01 16:49:54
Just started watching this on my DVR.
I have to say, the orchestra is so sloppy! The pianist in the overture was racing to the finish line ahead of everyone else.
And the first arrangement of "The Way We Were" that Audra sang is completely horrific. It's like they're forcing the song and the melody to do something completely different. It doesn't fit at all.
And Megan Hilty is singing flat. And very lounge-y.
Does it get better than "Nobody Does It Better?"
I sure hope they do it better.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2013-01-01 16:52:23
right?! I expected either Jan Hooks or Nora Dunn to come out and finish the song with Hilty.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by best12bars 2013-01-01 17:00:12
Oh, she should have launched into "Clang, clang, clang ..." right at the end.
That would be doing it better.
At least Josh Groban sounds like he's in the same room with the orchestra and Paul Geminiani.
Audra makes a lovely host though. I'd like to see her host the Tonys one day. She can just give out all of her own at the ceremony and still have a few left over at the end!
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by best12bars 2013-01-01 17:06:43
Okay, Lilla was lovely.
A powerhouse voice and talent. Her acting was great, too!
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by blaxx 2013-01-01 18:06:43
Was there anything from They're Playing our Song or The Goodbye Girl at all? No Bernadette or Martin Short?
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2013-01-01 18:13:56
I thought the bit where Audra pulled Lilla off the stage during "Dance Ten..." was absolutely hilarious. I had to pause it I was laughing so hard.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Playbilly 2013-01-01 18:21:00
It was a wholly unimpressive night, I thought. Just didn't gel, and really made Marvin seem second rate to me. The performers all seemed off.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2013-01-01 18:22:26
I do think that in a couple years, Megan Hilty will be ideal for Shiela.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by pinoyidol2006 2013-01-01 23:55:36
Well, I hope someone would post clips from the show online.
For future Broadway-related broadcasts, does anyone know how someone could stream PBS without a television?
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by Gregor 2013-01-02 11:56:25
The kind people at PBS have now posted the full 85 minute video stream online! Thank you, PBS!
http://video.pbs.org/video/2322359038
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by broadwayjim42 2013-01-03 21:12:35
Finally watched the whole thing. My opinion still stands about Audra, I thought Megan Hilty was underwhelming and I loved Michael Feinstein. Now there was a good match of song and performer.
Completely blown away, however, by Lilla. May have to see "Annie" just for her.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by henrikegerman 2013-02-09 12:59:38
Finally watching this (dvr).
Lilla Crawford's Disneyland game me chills. What a great song and she nailed it. And how great that they gave her a song that was so serious, so not cute.
Hamlisch Tribute on Live from Lincoln Center Tonite (12/31)
Posted by darquegk 2013-02-09 13:14:08
I'm always shocked- well not shocked as much as reminded- by the knee-jerk reactions Sweet Smell of Success gives people. There seems to be little middle ground, and it's either brilliant or utter trash.
Then again, a lot of Hamlisch's shows were like that. Smile, Sweet Smell, Goodbye Girl etc. are all either underappreciated gems or forgettable side notes next to A Chorus Line and a life of film scores.
