Going, Going, Going ... Gone (Part II)
Going, Going, Going ... Gone (Part II)One week ago today, I took note of Charles Isherwood's bittersweet story that almost served as a plea to get out and see your favorite shows before they close. That same day, nine Broadway shows closed.
Today, we'll bid adieu to yet another three Main Stem productions, including one that earned the Tony for Best Musical just four years ago and another that earned its three principal cast members Tonys for their exceptional acting.
Today is your last chance to see the following three shows:
All My Sons. Going. No word yet (as of this writing) on whether a tour will ensue.
Gypsy. Going. While rumors had run rampant that a West End transfer might take place -- at least for its star Patti LuPone -- there's been no official word as of late. For that reason alone, I revisited the St. James Theatre last night to catch the second to last performance on the Great White Way. WOW!
I will discuss just a little later how Ms. LuPone stopped the show twice -- once when the audience gave her a standing O upon the conclusion of her rendition of "Rose's Turn," but also during the same tune when she stopped the orchestra because some idiot in the audience had the bad manners to be taking at least three photos (by her count) of her performance.
After rebuking the offender by saying, "How dare you?" among other fourth wall-breaking chastisements, Ms. LuPone had the jerk kicked out and then started the tune all over, to great applause. This marked the first time I had ever seen an artist stop a show because of an audience member's complete lack of manners.
If you're attending Sunday's final performance and think you can get away with taking a photo, be forewarned!
Monty Python's Spamalot. Going. And if you were toying with traveling to London to see the West End mounting, you'll have to rethink that strategy as the show closed there on January 3 (the abbreviated Las Vegas staging already closed last summer). But the North American tour continues. You can catch its last South Bend (IN) performance today; from there, the tour moves on to Peoria (insert your obvious joke here) and then to Chicago.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: All My Sons, Broadway, Closings, Gypsy, Monty Python's Spamalot, Patti LuPone, Rumor, Touring Production
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Sunday, January 11, 2009
2 Comments:
Thinking back on your visit to the ATL when we saw "Dream Girls" the last time and how atrociously the audience behaved at the Fox Theater, I am cheering for Ms. Lupone! Am I'm Telling You!!
The fun part about today was that the performance went off without a hitch. The Turn was ferocious and up to Lansbury's tempo, which I found interesting. She received a 5 minute standing ovation, and that is when the photos commenced. From across the house. But she didn't say anything. Just kept character at that point. Though she came close to agitation when someone shouted "Patti for President"
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