Based on the 1977 John Cassavetes film with music/lyrics by Rufus Wainwright, directed by Ivo Van Hove and staring Sheridan Smith, the musical follows a theatre company's preparations to stage a major new play on Broadway. But drama ignites behind the scenes when their leading lady is rocked by tragedy, and her personal turmoil forces everybody to deliver the performance of their lives.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Ivo van Hove directing an adaptation of Opening Night isn’t that strange; it feels very much in the vein of his All About Eve adaptation. But a musical? By Rufus Wainwright? Starring Sheridan Smith? I’m intrigued, but it doesn’t immediately sound like the most natural fit.
Very intrigued by this. Wainwright has the ability to create really marvellous musical theatre moments, as seen with Robert Wilsons’s Shakespeare Sonnets and segments of his own Hadrian opera. He definitely needs an editor, so hopefully Van Hove’s strong voice can guide him successfully. Opening Night is a great movie but it’s a pretty loose narrative, even by Cassavetes standards, and reminds me of Wainwright’s first (and less successful) opera outing, Prima Donna, which was also about an aging actress. However it comes out, I think we’ll get some really amazing melodies.
blaxx said: "jacobsnchz14 said: "Would love to know if anyone plans on catching this soon."
Early reports claim it's a disaster."
Well, one poster on theatreboard used that word. Others were mystified, confused, incredulous. I got sort of the same feeling that I had reading the first impressions of Spider-Man that were posted here.
Because originally Rufus was credited with "Music & Lyrics", but then at some point the "& Lyrics" was (bizarrely) dropped from ads & website: https://openingnightmusical.com/
God, I wanted to love this given the artists involved but this was truly one of the worst musicals I’ve ever seen. I never leave shows at intermission, but I just couldn’t bear to sit through act two and waste my time. I think the overall directorial vision and actors work, but the music does not feel tonally right for the show and at certain points, bland. The lyrics are trite, the script is terrible and cringeworthy at points. It just doesn’t work. I would not expect this in New York any time soon.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
The idea is to work and to experiment. Some things will be creatively successful, some things will succeed at the box office, and some things will only - which is the biggest only - teach you things that see the future. And they're probably as valuable as any of your successes. -Harold Prince
It’s getting quite the spread. 1 star evening standard and inews. 4 stars Time Out, Guardian and Daily Mail. Quite a lot in between. I’m over in London in May and was going to skip this based on the early word but there’s clearly something worth seeing here!
Opening Night review: Sheridan Smith exquisitely self-destructs in weird meta-West End musical
Rufus Wainwright’s songs reach new emotional heights, Smith’s performance is radiant – but Ivo van Hove’s stage adaptation of John Cassavetes’s 1977 film is sometimes misjudged
Why people are really hating on it. It sounds like it would be right up my alley. It sounds like a choose your own adventure psycho melodrama. Perfect!!