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Post by anthony40 on Sept 7, 2023 9:43:18 GMT
I've got 'The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie', but can't find the film of 'The Exterminating Angel' anywhere. I've seen the Thomas Ades opera though, and loved it. I bought mine second hand on ebay. Im old and have a dvd player! I too have a DVD player that I use regularly.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Sept 7, 2023 11:12:30 GMT
Snap! A few local charity shops sell 'art house' type dvds for a quid. Once my sources run dry then i might take out a film subscription to BFI or similar
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Post by Marwood on Sept 8, 2023 20:18:39 GMT
If you’ve got a multi region bluray player, you can get the Criterion version of Exterminating Angel on Bluray from Amazon for £26 at the moment: I’m going to the US next month but don’t know if I will be going out of my way to find copies of these films If you’re coming to the states and are looking for Criterion BluRay’s, your best bet is to try a Barnes & Noble bookstore. They all have Criterion sections in their (dwindling) movie departments. I’m going to Vegas, staying at the Mirage and from what I can see, there aren’t any Barnes & Nobles anywhere near the strip and I’m in a mixed mood about getting an Uber to one only to find out they either don’t do Blu-rays, or if they do it’s only a few best sellers : not sure if there will be much demand for Luis Bunuel films in Nevada 🤣
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Post by mattnyc on Sept 8, 2023 20:21:14 GMT
I *think* every B&N has a Criterion section. But give them a call when you get into Vegas and they’ll tell you if they’re in stock.
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Post by harrietcraig on Sept 9, 2023 0:30:45 GMT
You can also search the Barnes & Noble website for in-store availability at a store near your location, once you have found the item you’re looking for on the website.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Sept 12, 2023 17:20:49 GMT
Logo alert. Interesting the last shows (Frogs, Road show and Here) all feature travel as a central component
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Post by mattnyc on Sept 28, 2023 12:53:12 GMT
Well Here We Are, the morning of the show. I can’t believe it’s actually happening tonight. I actually kept waking up all night long, like a kid at Christmas.
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Post by Marwood on Oct 2, 2023 19:01:46 GMT
I don’t know if it’s a good arbiter of taste but it seems to be generally getting good reviews on Broadway World, I’ve gone for one of the cheap(er) seats at the side but apparently there’s a bit where you need to be sitting central to properly see it and appreciate it but with the money I saved not getting one of those seats, I’ll have a nice dinner somewhere in downtown Manhattan and not get too tearful about what I missed (I’m sure there will be spoilers galore online about what I missed, if anything)
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Post by Someone in a tree on Oct 3, 2023 13:57:24 GMT
Im also loving reading about the previews on broadway world (the email subscribe button is a great function).
Wikipedia - also interesting to watch the page grow. Something ive never done before
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Post by fluxcapacitor on Oct 4, 2023 12:59:43 GMT
Saw this last night and enjoyed it but had very mixed feelings about it.
It’s certainly a show of two halves as had widely been reported, and the first half is wonderfully typically Sondheim. In fact, it’s so typically Sondheim that at times it can sound a bit like a parody or homage to his style. There are some brilliant standout numbers, though there’s nothing that truly builds to an emotional crescendo or an 11 o’clock moment: it’s all in clever wordplay and amusing phrasing “Little Things We Do Together” territory rather than evoking the emotional build of numbers like “Ladies Who Lunch” or “Being Alive”. The emotion of the piece is left to the (largely song-free) second half.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first act. The staging is clever, the design is quirky, the performances are top tier. I found the second half dragged a little and lost its focus through its absurdity at times. That’s not to say the absurd elements don’t work - when they work they work well - they just sometimes feel unexplained and unconnected to anything else either thematically or plot-wise.
Obviously it’s still early in previews so a lot could change, though given the unique circumstances I can’t see much tinkering happening with the first act as that is, in large part, the “Sondheim” half of the show. I understand the second act has already been tinkered with - including adding music to the very end where there previously was none - so I expect they’ll keep playing with it and will end up with a strong show.
Edited to add that, above all, it really feels like a privilege to be in that auditorium witnessing the very last “original” Sondheim creation. That in itself adds a layer of magic to the production.
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Post by anthony40 on Oct 5, 2023 12:53:56 GMT
Simple question for those who have seen this.
Everyone has said the same thing- that there are songs in the first half only and the second half is more like a play due to the lack of songs.
Whilst this may very well be the case, although there are no songs in the second half, is there any music underscoring?
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Post by Someone in a tree on Oct 5, 2023 16:01:05 GMT
anthony40 im not sure if the below post nicked from broadway world answers your question? I think a reprise of Road Sequence is now added to the end but im really not sure. Im guessing Proof and Take your places are underscore but again im really not sure!!! *** StylishCynic has replied (with title Sondheim/Ives HERE WE ARE @ The Shed) The songs aren’t outlined in the program. It’s always a fun exercise to consider what the titles might be. Here’s my best guess: Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content Act One A Perfect Day - Ensemble Toast I - Ensemble I Am So Sorry - Man Road Sequence I - Ensemble It Is What It Is - Woman Road Sequence II - Ensemble Toast II - Ensemble The Dream, or The End of The World - Soldier and Fritz Road Sequence III - Ensemble All I Want is a Job, or I’m a Terrible Priest - Bishop A Perfect Day (Reprise) - Ensemble Act Two Eden, or Here We Are, or In This Room - Ensemble The End of the World (Reprise) - Soldier and Fritz Poof, or Remember This - Marianne “Take Your Places” (Finale) - Ensemble
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Post by fluxcapacitor on Oct 5, 2023 19:59:26 GMT
Simple question for those who have seen this. Everyone has said the same thing- that there are songs in the first half only and the second half is more like a play due to the lack of songs. Whilst this may very well be the case, although there are no songs in the second half, is there any music underscoring? Yes, there’s some underscoring as well as gently choreographed moments with no dialogue which are primarily driven by instrumental music, though there are also long periods of unaccompanied dialogue - I noticed the conductor had stepped away from his station for an extended sit down (via one of the screens) on at least three different occasions! Apart from the 3 first songs from Someone in a tree’s reposted song list, there are no other “actual” songs with lyrics in Act 2. Even the finale is instrumental music under spoken dialogue, which I personally feel is the biggest shame - it’s crying out for a final “Move On”-style number to punctuate the ending and I expect Sondheim himself might have realised that as soon as it was in rehearsals.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Oct 6, 2023 8:04:17 GMT
Thanks fluxcapacitor are the interludes, basic underscore such as 'On the river styx' where the orchestra plays quietly in the background? Or is it more structured and focused such as Nurse apples speech or Vanda's very commanding one at the end or Venus in fur ? Sorry for the very random examples, they're the best I can think of from Sondheim and Ive's work
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Post by fluxcapacitor on Oct 8, 2023 11:38:30 GMT
Thanks fluxcapacitor are the interludes, basic underscore such as 'On the river styx' where the orchestra plays quietly in the background? Or is it more structured and focused such as Nurse apples speech or Vanda's very commanding one at the end or Venus in fur ? Sorry for the very random examples, they're the best I can think of from Sondheim and Ive's work On the whole, I remember them being more structured - created specifically to punctuate moments or to build in parallel with spoken speeches/dialogue. They've been careful to ensure the music still plays an important part in the structure of Act 2, it just isn't sung. It also is justified by the narrative to an extent, though personally I feel the lack of songs doesn't work as effectively as they hope it does - especially in the finale, as I mentioned. {Spoiler - click to view} For those wondering, the narrative of the second act sees the characters trapped in a room, unable to leave. As soon as they realise this, all singing stops. David Ives and Joe Mantello have claimed that this was Sondheim's plan, since he was unable to find a satisfactory way to adapt the score in the second act - apparently he kept asking “Why are these people singing when they’re in this room?” but I don't think the explanation quite stacks up in practice. It may well have been a discussion point, and that Sondheim liked the idea of not having to solve the problem if he was struggling and wanted to allow the project to continue without his ongoing input, but had he been in full health I don't think he'd have given up on finding a fulfilling tone and score. Even accepting the explanation fully, surely there should therefore be a return to singing after they manage to break free of the room - but that doesn't happen either.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Oct 9, 2023 11:32:19 GMT
Thanks for the detailed sumary. A few folk on broadway world are commenting that a short reprise of the road song would work well at the end.
Does the fact the characters dont sing at the end represent something ? (Perhaps they have changed?) Or is just the fact that Sondheim never wrote anything !
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2023 12:12:08 GMT
Does the fact the characters dont sing at the end represent something ? ... (added) Or is just the fact that Sondheim never wrote anything ! To your two questions: Could be and could be depending on how one chooses to view the second act.
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Post by fluxcapacitor on Oct 9, 2023 14:52:19 GMT
Thanks for the detailed sumary. A few folk on broadway world are commenting that a short reprise of the road song would work well at the end. Does the fact the characters dont sing at the end represent something ? (Perhaps they have changed?) Or is just the fact that Sondheim never wrote anything ! The issue with a reprise is that it would require new lyrics, which is why they've probably gone for an instrumental reprise instead. To your other point the characters have changed by the end. Exactly how depends on your interpretation of the second act, but either way you couldn't just reprise the Act 1 song unchanged, and clearly the co-creators are against allowing anyone else to write lyrics for a Sondheim musical (which I totally agree with!) so I think the current compromise is ultimately the best option.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Oct 21, 2023 5:42:34 GMT
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Post by couldileaveyou on Oct 23, 2023 7:10:39 GMT
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Post by bordeaux on Oct 24, 2023 10:13:03 GMT
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Post by Someone in a tree on Oct 24, 2023 14:42:48 GMT
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Post by Someone in a tree on Nov 6, 2023 13:36:34 GMT
I am lucky to have seen this twice and basically, i love the first 2 thirds of it, upto where Sondheim put his pen down.
HWA has the surealism and energy of Whistle. Act 1 has a white set and zips by. Act 2 with its black sets unfortunately lags towards the end.
The piece is Monty Pythonesque and it magically decontructs before our eyes. With its themes of perception, power corrupts and Pirandello has Sondheim finally come round to embracing Brecht ?
The score is great and echoes Rich and Happy, The Blob and Passion. 3 songs are at the start of the second act and then we have a few interludes and some underscore. For the none singing finale the jaunty 'rich and happy' vamp returns from act 1. I loved the beauty and stillness of the Marianne's songs infact i loved it all and i cant wait for a cast recording
The dramaturgical reason for no songs beyond a certain point makes sense but when the piano starts working again shouldn't the characters sing again? The piano is not my only issue with Ives writing in the second half, he makes his point and a good one at that but it overstays its welcome. Chopping 15 mins of text fom the second act and merging it into a 1 act piece would make it fabulous, but what do i know!
Cast, direction, design, movement and band are all perfect. So good, infact some of the best I've seen.
Seeing an orignal Uncle Steve in NY was a lifelong ambition and Im not disappointed with this beautiful piece of theatre.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Nov 7, 2023 22:08:22 GMT
Thank you for the review. I’m very jealous that you got to see this. I am hoping for a run in London at some point and a cast recording. I need to hear this score!
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Post by mistertonymac on Nov 23, 2023 9:43:44 GMT
There's rumblings that the cast recording might appear this week - as early as tomorrow in fact. I'm off to see this in 3 weeks and can't wait.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Nov 26, 2023 22:15:28 GMT
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Post by Marwood on Dec 23, 2023 21:14:01 GMT
Saw the matinee performance of this today and thought it was ok rather than anything if rush to see again but it wasn’t helped by a 🍆head sitting down 5 minutes before it started and then telling his theatre companion about all the dreadful roles he had been auditioning for really, REALLY loudly then laughing at every f’in line in an aggravating high pitch laugh fit the duration. Overall, I thought it was too long and could have done with some editing in the second act, the theme does go a lot darker in the second act which is maybe why there wasn’t a surfeit of songs but there were a couple of nice nods to The Ruling Class and Young Frankenstein (among others) which I thought was a nice touch.
I dont know if this will go to the UK (but I bet it does) but I’m glad I can say I saw it with the original cast, and I was impressed it was a full turnout from the cast on a matinee 2 days before Christmas.
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Post by Marwood on Dec 24, 2023 23:24:25 GMT
If you’re coming to the states and are looking for Criterion BluRay’s, your best bet is to try a Barnes & Noble bookstore. They all have Criterion sections in their (dwindling) movie departments. I’m going to Vegas, staying at the Mirage and from what I can see, there aren’t any Barnes & Nobles anywhere near the strip and I’m in a mixed mood about getting an Uber to one only to find out they either don’t do Blu-rays, or if they do it’s only a few best sellers : not sure if there will be much demand for Luis Bunuel films in Nevada 🤣 Looking in the Barnes & Noble in Union Square earlier today, the only Bunuel films they had was a boxset at $100 and I don’t think you would miss out not having seen them: if you’ve seen a production of Huis Clos you might a general idea of what (might) be going on
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Post by AddisonMizner on Jan 3, 2024 18:04:13 GMT
Any more news on a cast recording?
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jan 3, 2024 18:52:07 GMT
Any more news on a cast recording? I wish!
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