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Post by JeriJet on Apr 21, 2013 22:25:30 GMT -5
Like you, I got involved in plays while in high school.... and was lucky enough to apprentice in summer stock between years. Somehow, 'tho, the acting bug never really bit me (but I did take some classes at Uta Hagen's studio) -- I preferred the production side of things, or maybe found it easier to get into!!
Just a few quick notes -- of the shows you mentioned seeing, I also attended War Horse and A Little Night Music -- great to be thinking about Elaine Stritch again!! What a great old trouper.
Oh, and my niece attended classes at the Eastman School -- for flute....
Recently, I've been listening to more and more radio -- for an hour or two before going to sleep, because my bedroom tv isn't working -- need to get the cable company in.... but I'm loving "reconnecting" to radio. Which reminds me -- gotta go -- there's a great show on Sunday nights at 11pm called "A Way with Words" on NPR (National Public Radio) -- about various lexicology points, a favorite "hobby" of mine!
Jet
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Post by nedandres on May 4, 2013 21:44:35 GMT -5
Hi Jet, you sound like an amazing person. I really enjoy talking to people about the theatre. What did you think of Bernadette Peters in "A Little Night Music"? I thought her performance was overdone, almost one-dimensional, caricaturish. The highlight from Bernie for me was her rendition of "Send in the Clowns," which was tons better than the actress she replaced, Catherine Zeta Jones, at least judging from her Tony Awards performance. But Catherine won the Tony Award, so she must have had something going for her. Elaine was a riot, which her role allowed for. She would be funny just standing there on stage. I read that she recently moved to Michigan from NYC to be near family. Good for her!
My favorite show is "Annie," although some of the recent productions that I have seen have been less-than-stellar. I guess the reaction to the current Broadway revival is mixed at best. I would probably go to see it if I were in the USA, though. Another show that intrigues me at present is "Ann" playing at the Lincoln Center. Of course, the star Holland Taylor has a Waltons connection. She played Aunt Flo in "A Walton Wedding" when John Boy and Janet got married. "Ann" is a one-woman show based on the life of the late governor of Texas (and George W. Bush nemesis) Ann Richards.
I would also like to act again someday, but that is on the back burner at present. Hope you (and everyone else, for that matter) are well. Keep listening to radio. It's my lifeline! Blessings from Ecuador!
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Post by JeriJet on May 7, 2013 4:38:03 GMT -5
Nah... I'm not amazing. Just lucky enough to grow up close to Manhattan and able to take advantage of all the opportunities there... It's easy for folks to feel intimidated by NYC, but when you get to know it early on (from school field trips and family excursions), you've got a leg up into a very special world. There is boundless opportunity for enlightenment and fun, and many folks to meet... and it's also a constant reminder that you're just a very small drop in a very huge bucket...
Re Bernadette Peters -- I first saw her in a couple of shows in the mid 1980's... "Song and Dance" and "Sundays in the Park with George"... she had already been around for at least ten years (time flies!)... Compared to many of today's b'way performers, she's of the old school -- reminds me of an Ethel Merman or Mary Martin. I suppose many younger folks may not favor her over-the-top performance... but that's the b'way I grew up with!! I adore Bernadette not only for her talent/exhuberance, but for her tremendous philanthropy... she's quite a woman.
"Annie"--first run... oh, man, I must have seen it a dozen times -- not on my own nickel... For the years I spent in the crazy world of cosmetics, first at Lancome and then Charles of the Ritz, part of my job was handling training programs for new account reps. During their week or two in the city, I usually took them to dinner and a show... and some shows were more appropriate -- Woman of the Year, Chorus Line, Annie, etc., so I hope to heaven I never have to see any of those shows again!! I don't think I could sit through it!!
So, you see, even after I'd pretty much gotten out of show biz and was working at a regular job, I still had lots of chances to enjoy b'way. I just wish one of those new account reps had asked to go to a museum or the opera!!!
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Post by nedandres on May 8, 2013 20:11:37 GMT -5
Hi again, Jet!
Thanks for writing back. Yes, I suppose it's a style difference with the musical comedy stars of yesterday and today. I really enjoyed seeing Bernadette for the first time, but I don't have a frame of reference for a comparison with her previous work. Some of my current favorites are Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Faith Prince. I am 48 years old, so not so young and not so old either, and have enjoyed seeing some of the greats in action, including Julie Andrews, Carol Channing, Chita Rivera, Dorothy Loudon, Angela Lansbury, among others. I love the old original cast albums with Martin, Merman et al, but not having seen them act, it is hard to visualize the shows themselves. What would you say is your favorite show of old time? I can understand being "Annied" out, especially when the productions are so similar to previous ones. "Annie" in particular has not strayed very far from the typical performance, and I say that as a fan. Don't know about the current revival without Martin Charnin's involvement. When the "Annie" revival was doing the pre-Broadway tryout in 1997, I met Charnin, Tom Meehan, and Charles Strouse at the Hershey Theatre (Mr. Strouse in the bathroom), which was fun. The show itself, with Nell Carter as Mrs. Hannigan, was rather stale, though. Another one of my favorites is "She Loves Me", which I saw in NYC during the revival in the 1990s. You might have seen the original version with Barbara Cook and Ted Cassidy. Did you? Very whimsical and poignant with a wonderful score. When I saw that, I saw scenic designer Tony Walton during intermission. Great fun. I really enjoy the theatre and miss seeing shows here in Ecuador.
You mentioned opera. I am enjoying listening to Placido Domingo. The local paper offered twelve of his first recordings with the Sunday paper each week, so I am in opera "heaven." I saw "Der Rosenkavalier" in the 1970s at the Met which was so exciting for me as a junior high student. I met Beverly Sills around the same time. In November I saw Renee Fleming in recital here in Ecuador. Dmitri Hvorostovsky is one of my favorite baritones. Saw him in Philadelphia on two separate occasions.
Love museums, too. I remember an exhibit of Diane Arbus' photography which a friend and I saw years ago. There was recently an exhibit of Dalí prints here in Quito, Ecuador which I enjoyed. Currently there is an exhibit of Civil War photography at the Met Museum in NYC which I wish I could see, but going to NYC from Ecuador for a photography exhibit probably isn't possible. HA!
Well, writing this has been my cultural outlet for the day. Now back to changing diapers and washing bottles. Jacob and Elias are 15 months old. Appointment with the pediatrician yesterday, and they are doing fine.
Take care, everyone!
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Post by JeriJet on May 11, 2013 8:55:20 GMT -5
I have spent far too long trying to decide on my favorite old-time show .... why, oh, why do I put so much pressure on myself ?! .... I have selected "My Fair Lady" (although I didn't see it first-run, I think we went in 1961/62)....
However, I am feeling guilty about not picking "The King and I" .... you may have read in an earlier post that I took a leave of absence from Lancome to work as Yul Brynner's personal assistant when he did his last revival on B'Way, just months before his death.... A neat thing about temp jobs in NYC is that, back then, there were actually a couple of agencies which specialized in finding temp work for anyone struggling to find spots in show biz..... and, although I had gotten out of all that by 1985, a friend at one of those agencies called me to see if I was interested..... WAS I ?! And, Lancome let me do it....
You always give me so much to think about, and it's hard to "keep it short" -- but.... Have to tell you about my seeing "The Sound of Music" first-run, with Mary Martin as Maria.... So, of course, I just can't see Julie Andrews in that role (nor Christopher Plummer as the captain) -- can't bear to watch the movie, which was one of my husband's favorites (!).... for many years, I couldn't stand Julie Andrews because she took that role !!! -- how silly -- but, thankfully, have slowly come to enjoy her.
Part of the problem was that her voice sounded quite "thin" to me, after Mary Martin.... and that brings up the subject of shows now being miked up.... the traditionalist in me does not approve!!! It has created an audience which does not know how to keep quiet!!.... Also, the last time I was at the Met (La Traviata in maybe 1999).... those libretto screens behind every seat annoyed me to distraction!!! Close to spoiling it entirely. These days, I prefer local productions.... we have a good opera company here in Westchester.
Yes, I'm an old fogey.
Best always, Jet
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Post by ForeverWaltons on May 11, 2013 18:18:02 GMT -5
You always give me so much to think about, and it's hard to "keep it short" -- but.... Have to tell you about my seeing "The Sound of Music" first-run, with Mary Martin as Maria.... So, of course, I just can't see Julie Andrews in that role (nor Christopher Plummer as the captain) -- can't bear to watch the movie, which was one of my husband's favorites (!).... for many years, I couldn't stand Julie Andrews because she took that role !!! -- how silly -- but, thankfully, have slowly come to enjoy her. Part of the problem was that her voice sounded quite "thin" to me, after Mary Martin.... and that brings up the subject of shows now being miked up.... the traditionalist in me does not approve!!! It has created an audience which does not know how to keep quiet!!.... Also, the last time I was at the Met (La Traviata in maybe 1999).... those libretto screens behind every seat annoyed me to distraction!!! Close to spoiling it entirely. These days, I prefer local productions.... we have a good opera company here in Westchester. Yes, I'm an old fogey. Best always, Jet JeriJet......I agree with you about being "miked up." Everywhere you go now people do not know how to be quiet!! High School Graduations, College Graduations, school meetings, just any kind of public meeting in today's world! All people want to do is talk, talk, talk or make some kind of noise. I was raised to be quiet when a person was before you speaking. Of course, you will have the occasional baby crying or being fussy & that is to be expected. A young baby doesn't know what's going on. But again, years ago someone would step outside with the baby. Several months ago I went to the movies by myself while my husband kept the kids. I was the only one there. Then a few minutes before the movie started four teenagers came in. They sat on the steps, formed a circle & all four got on their cellphones. For the first half of the movie all they done was talk LOUDLY, laugh, etc...They never looked at the movie screen. The phone screens were lit the whole time & they were doing something all together on the phones, not a one of them held them to their ears. I was having the hardest time hearing the movie, that's how loud they were & they knew I was in there as they walked by me coming in & I said Hi to them. I finally spoke up & asked them to please be quiet that I was having a hard time hearing the movie. I was pleasantly surprised that they did start controlling their noise, but they did the cellphone thing through the whole movie. I thought to myself...why pay good money for a movie ticket & never watch the movie? They could have stood out in the parking lot or stayed in their car doing what they were doing for FREE!!
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Post by nedandres on May 12, 2013 21:24:37 GMT -5
I am with you. I do not think that young people are taught theatre etiquette, and many times they see bad examples from adults either, so we can't really blame them. It will take people pointing out their inappropriate behavior to them if there is any hope of change.
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Post by carol on May 12, 2013 22:03:35 GMT -5
I have spent far too long trying to decide on my favorite old-time show .... why, oh, why do I put so much pressure on myself ?! .... I have selected "My Fair Lady" (although I didn't see it first-run, I think we went in 1961/62).... However, I am feeling guilty about not picking "The King and I" .... you may have read in an earlier post that I took a leave of absence from Lancome to work as Yul Brynner's personal assistant when he did his last revival on B'Way, just months before his death.... A neat thing about temp jobs in NYC is that, back then, there were actually a couple of agencies which specificalized in finding temp work for anyone struggling to find spots in show biz..... and, although I had gotten out of all that by 1985, a friend at one of those agencies called me to see if I was interested..... WAS I ?! And, Lancome let me do it.... You always give me so much to think about, and it's hard to "keep it short" -- but.... Have to tell you about my seeing "The Sound of Music" first-run, with Mary Martin as Maria.... So, of course, I just can't see Julie Andrews in that role (nor Christopher Plummer as the captain) -- can't bear to watch the movie, which was one of my husband's favorites (!).... for many years, I couldn't stand Julie Andrews because she took that role !!! -- how silly -- but, thankfully, have slowly come to enjoy her. Part of the problem was that her voice sounded quite "thin" to me, after Mary Martin.... and that brings up the subject of shows now being miked up.... the traditionalist in me does not approve!!! It has created an audience which does not know how to keep quiet!!.... Also, the last time I was at the Met (La Traviata in maybe 1999).... those libretto screens behind every seat annoyed me to distraction!!! Close to spoiling it entirely. These days, I prefer local productions.... we have a good opera company here in Westchester. Yes, I'm an old fogey. Best always, Jet Jeri I'm with your hubby The Sound Of Music is my all time favorite movie.
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