Road Show at Encores! Off-Center (post your thoughts here)- Page 2
Road Show at Encores! Off-Center (post your thoughts here)
#25Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 6/25/19 at 6:14am
I got my ticket to see ROADSHOW and i am making a short trip to NYC in July...i love the score and have always wanted to see any production of this over-looked Sondheim musical...plus the casting sounds great to me...and i totally agree about "The Best Thing To Ever has Happen"...great love song and i believe Sondheim's one and only gay love song...
ELP
Understudy Joined: 10/16/13
#26Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 6/25/19 at 9:19am
GeorgeandDot said: "Uranowitz is playing the younger brother? That's... interesting. He's not really the right type for the part."
I thought the EXACT same thing when I first saw his name cast as the psychiatrist and eventual husband to SJB in Falsettos. Didn’t think he was the right person for that role, too young, etc. until I saw the show. He absolutely blew me away with his performance!
Can’t wait to see what he does with the Addison Mizner role!!! Have a feeling he will pull this off in spades...
#27Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 6/25/19 at 7:15pm
I've never actually heard this score before, but Raul and Brandon in the lead roles? Had to buy my tickets first chance I could.
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
GeorgeandDot
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/16
#28Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 6/25/19 at 7:46pmELP, Uranowitz actually is really the right type to step into Chip Zien's shoes in Falsettos. He's a brilliant talent, but Addison is supposed to be a bit chubby. It's even referenced in the show. He doesn't really fit the type. I have no doubt that he'll be brilliant, but he's not right for the part at all.
ELP
Understudy Joined: 10/16/13
#29Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 6/25/19 at 11:24pm
GeorgeandDot said: "ELP, Uranowitz actually is really the right type to step into Chip Zien's shoes in Falsettos. He's a brilliant talent, but Addison is supposed to be a bit chubby. It's even referenced in the show. He doesn't really fit the type. I have no doubt that he'll be brilliant, but he's not right for the part at all."
He’s not the right part, as originally written yes, but He will make it his own - chubby, skinny, doofy, handsome or otherwise. THATS what makes him so brilliant. He turns it into HIS interpretation, the Brandon Uranowitz version. My opinion is he wants YOU to think he’ll do his best to do the “chubby Addison” and then blows your mind taking it in a completely different direction.
Looking forward to seeing this show...
#30Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 6/26/19 at 2:24am
qolbinau said: “Well this sounds like a step up to me. Sorry but Michael C and Alex G sound awful and boring to me. Were they really the best they could do?”
i always thought this about that cast, they’re boring.
is this Raul’s first NYC musical since Leap of Faith?! cool to see him back!
"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."
#31Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 6/26/19 at 4:49am
I think the score to 'Bounce/Road Show' is hands down Sondheim's worst. The story it's based on was never particularly strong or interesting and it's always seemed to me that the authors were trying to build a compelling show out of a trifle. They just couldn't do it, now matter how many revisions were made.
That said, Encores! Off-Center seems a good match for this. It's a quirky show that's never found mass acceptance by one of the masters of musical theater. It deserves another look.
#32Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 6/26/19 at 9:11am
is this Raul’s first NYC musical since Leap of Faith?! cool to see him back!
He's not back yet. He could still bail on the show like he did with Hamlet.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#33Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 6/26/19 at 11:58am
For those who may be on the fence about seeing this, the entire rear mezz is $25, and there are plenty of seats left.
I really hope this production brings some more attention to the lovely score. It's not Sondheim's best, but there are several gems throughout.
#34Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 6/27/19 at 3:11pm
Listen to the ROAD SHOW cast recording and imagine Raul's vocals in place of Michael C. And then imagine anyone else's vocals instead of Alex G (though I admit the acting seems decent). Suddenly, it's a whole new world. Wish we got Raul in the first place because I assume the chance of re-recording this is basically 0.
"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
CT2NYC
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/7/17
#35Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/18/19 at 9:03am
Here's a preview:
https://youtu.be/g77h4QHrTjk
#36Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/18/19 at 6:18pm
More here
https://www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay/BWW-TV-Raul-Esparza-Jin-Ha-More-Give-Sneak-Peek-of-Encores-ROAD-SHOW-20190718
I'm excited! This seems like a such a wonderful cast.
#37Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/18/19 at 6:30pm
Looks exciting. I guess it's being presented as a radio play? That seems perfect for Encores! but it could be an unnecessary concept thrust on the material itself. I'll keep an open mind.
CT2NYC
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/7/17
#38Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/22/19 at 5:03pm
According to Playbill, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman will appear at the talkback after Saturday's matinee. Sorry, I'm on my phone, so can't link the article.
Updated On: 7/22/19 at 05:03 PM#39Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/22/19 at 5:10pmWow! I read Weidman will be at the talkback, I didn’t see Sondheim as well. I’ll be at the Saturday matinee.
#40Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/22/19 at 5:19pm
I know it's unlikely but I hope they re-record the show.
"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
#41Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/22/19 at 5:32pmCity Center updated their website to include Sondheim’s attendance at the talkback. And I’ll be sitting in the front row. Yay!!
#42Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/23/19 at 3:14am
Does anyone know the running time of past productions?
#43Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/23/19 at 4:14pmThis might be a pointless question, does anyone know if I can buy a ticket or something in order to go to, what I presume will be, the invited dress tonight? I wasn’t originally going to go see this, but I’m getting more interested after seeing the clips and remembering the little things I love about this show. Hope everyone enjoys!
jpiedrafite
Chorus Member Joined: 12/5/12
#44Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/23/19 at 5:52pm
Per an email I received from City Center - 1:45 with no intermission
#45Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/23/19 at 10:33pm
Got out of the invited dress around 9:30 tonight (after a 7:30 curtain with a late start).
I really liked the idea of radio play staging, but I would have liked for it to have been developed conceptually a bit more. Still, it works well to frame the show aesthetically, and it’s a very smart way to seamlessly integrate the concert elements into the direction.
The cast is excellent, of course. It’s great to see Esparza back in another Sondheim show. The final duet between him and Uranowitz was beautifully acted, and actually very moving.
This definitely isn’t top-tier Sondheim, particularly in terms of the actual music. But the lyrics are strong as ever, and the musical storytelling feels well-integrated. In general I think the relationship between the two brothers really anchors the show emotionally. A lot of the surrounding logistical business stuff isn’t always thrilling, but it provides an interesting look at the American Dream and all that. For the first time I feel like I get why Sondheim was really drawn to musicalizing this story.
This is probably as good a production of this show as we’re like to get in New York for a long time, so I definitely recommend catching it if you’re a Sondheim fan.
Speaking of, he was in attendance tonight!
#46Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/23/19 at 10:36pmIs it just two hours straight through or is there an intermission?
#47Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/23/19 at 10:42pm
It’s one act, same as the 2008 production.
Updated On: 7/23/19 at 10:42 PM#48Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/23/19 at 10:42pmNo intermission. But it should run less than 2 hours if they start closer to on-time. More like 1h50m.
#49Road Show coming to Encores! Off-Center
Posted: 7/23/19 at 11:12pm
I was there tonight and I agree with JBroadway for the most part. I for one went in totally blind not knowing anything and found the radio framing device sort of confusing, but I grew to like it. The lyrics are super sharp, and there's a handful of songs I walked out with remembering but it's not very melodic ("there's not a tune you can hum/there's not a tune you go bum-bum-bum-di-dum"...). It's a very flawed show but reminds me a lot about MERRILY, and the dangers of selling out, and really broken people with big dreams and problems with addiction. It's been said of ROAD SHOW that the problem is that you're not rooting for the brothers, and I found myself really moved by Uranowitz and Esparza (who is really at his best here) in this dysfunctional relationship built on broken promises and broken dreams. I also have got to hand it to Encores! this season, that aside from WORKING, the design for both this and PROMENADE was really wonderful.
I really enjoyed it. I think if you're a Sondheim fan and you haven't gotten to see this one that it's probably not going to get much better of a production than this one.
