PASSION Off-Broadway Preview Thread

[muscle23ftl]

Oh, what a thrill, I'm the first person on this board to have seen this. I must say, Judy Kuhn is a force of nature and gives a performance that is a treat to any musical theatre fan, if this production is transferred to Broadway, she has a Tony guaranteed. Melissa Errico and Ryan Silverman are flawless and in great voice.
I absolutely loved this and highly recommend it, the show was sold out, but it was very interesting that my friend couldn't get a ticket, yet, I saw a bunch of seats that were available...once I was inside the theatre.

It was great to hear Judy and Melissa in this, I think they are actually much better than the Broadway cast.

[CATSNYrevival]

^Does Ryan at least have his shirt off for the opening scene???

[muscle23ftl]

I don't remember seeing him shirtless, so I guess not. But I could've forgotten?

[muscle23ftl]

The entire cast was great, and so was the orchestra. The only thing I must warn you about, it's that the show is almost 2 hours without intermission, make sure you use the restroom and get something to eat before the show starts!

[LimelightMike]

What's the Playbill look like for this one?

[muscle23ftl]

The playbill has the same picture that is advertising the show with the 2 faces on the cover, but only bios without face shots inside.

[someone.else's.story2]

Oh, how I wish I could see this!

How is there no nudity in this production? Not even shirtless? I can't imagine how it's possible...how was the first scene approached?

[muscle23ftl]

I think they are fully dressed in the first scene, but I don't want to tell much because I don't want to spoil it for those who will go to see it.

[CarlosAlberto]

Oh, what a thrill, I'm the first person on this board to have seen this.

And you know this how? Maybe I saw it as well and just choose not to post my thoughts on this board.

[dreaming]

I'm becoming more interested in seeing this the more I read. The first scene is so iconic that I am intrigued by the change-which seems rather significant. (I always thought the nudity was part of the beauty aspect of the story.)

[SondheimFan5]

How big is the orchestra and what's the instrumentation used?

[muscle23ftl]

The orchestra is on the upper level, and I wasn't able to count how many musicians were there, or the kind of instrumentation used, but it sounded good to me! I'm glad that the actors are not playing instruments for once(in a Doyle's production). It makes a huge difference.

[SondheimFan5]

No list in the playbill?

[muscle23ftl]

Flute, clarinet, piano, oboe, english horn, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, bass, percussion. 9 people.

[broadwaydevil]

9 on that score? It's a small space, but yikes.

[newintown]

The original orchestration is for
Reed I (piccolo/flute/alto flute/clarinet
Reed II (clarinet)
Reed III (oboe/cor anglais/clarinet)
Reed IV (clarinet/bass clarinet/bassoon)
2 horns, trumpet db cornet, 2 keyboards, percussion, 2 violins, viola, 2 cellos, double bass

So it's a reduction of 7 players; looks like they cut (from the list below) 1 keyboard (either the one covering piano only; or the one covering celeste, harp, harpsichord, and piano - I'd guess the former is cut), 1 violin, 1 cello, Reed II and IV, and both horns.

[dramamama611]

I'd guess that those were just folks that didn't show up -- the theater had no way of knowing they were going unused.


Hmmmmm.....I think this may have just moved up on my list of things to see next week.

[doodlenyc]

I'm so looking forward to seeing this next week. I do love the score, even if it is not my favorite from Sondheim... and am a huge Kuhn fan.

That said, even I had to laugh at some places when I saw the original cast. The story is very difficult to take seriously after too long. I'll be interested to see if this director and cast can pull if off without seeming silly.

Thanks for the info about no intermission! Will make sure to visit the sandbox!

[dramamama611]

Does anyone know of any discounts? Anybody? Bueller? The 'snowday' one is no longer active, nor the one on B'wayBox.

TIA.

[Owen22]

The space seems similar to the Donmar Warehouse where Elena Rogers was the greatest Fosca I've ever seen (and I've probably have seen all the major ones, including my beloved Kuhnster in DC). They used a similar orchestra I remember.

[luvtheEmcee]

Who's the musical director/orchestrator? Or are they using pre-existing arrangements?

[muscle23ftl]

Musical Direction by Rob Berman

[RippedMan]

This isn't some big, epic show. I think it could work with a smaller orchestra. I'm sure it will sound beautiful. I'm not sure of Errico. I saw her in concert and she wasn't my cup of tea vocally, but maybe it works in this.

[muscle23ftl]

I think Melissa is actually excellent in this, she hits pretty insane notes! Her voice sounds better than ever.

[luvtheEmcee]

I'm glad that the actors are not playing instruments for once(in a Doyle's production).

Road Show? A Catered Affair. It's cool if you prefer it, but it's not "for once." Just to be fair. (I actually think I will prefer it for Passion, too.)

[abbagirl]

dramamama - It's on TDF for tomorrow night right now, $31. I'm tempted....