I feel like I deserve a t-shirt saying "I sat through the entire damn Ring Cycle." All 18.5 hours over 4 evenings.
The reviews by myself, the Times and Post speak for themselves. This was a pretty disappointing production, but at least it gave me the opportunity to see the four works all at once, something none of us will get to see again for at least four years or so when the Met does its new production by Robert Lepage.
So, why did I bother? I mean, I'm trying to get into opera, but Wagner isn't exactly the most fun guy around, not exactly Bel Canto frivolity and arias. I did take an Opera History class last year at NYU where we spent about three weeks discussing The Ring. Perhaps I went out of a sense of obligation. Hell, at first they didn't even want to give me press tix due to the high demand for them. If not much else, it can stand out as somewhat of an accomplishment or highlight of sorts amongst my summer theatergoing.
So, Friday, I rewarded myself by reattending my two favorite things from last week: the Hairspray movie and Gypsy at City Center, trip no. 2 for each of which there will probably be several more.
Let's consider what makes the HAIRSPRAY film so good, and so much better than the films of RENT and PRODUCERS. Maybe it really helped that they did not use the original Broadway cast, or more or less anyone associated with that production besides its composers. Arguably, the film is better than the stage show. The placements of songs have changed, but the score is almost entirely intact. "Cooties" and "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now," more or less the only cut numbers, appear during the credits. "The Big Jail House," which is entirely cut, deserves to be.
And the most brilliant small plot change they made? Having Little Inez win Miss Teenage Hairspray Baltimore instead of Tracy. In the show, when Tracy wins, she shouts "The Corny Collins Show is now and forever integrated!" Okay, but how?? In the film, when Inez wins, what they means is that she's won a permanent spot on Corny's show, which forces them to integrate it. THAT makes more sense.
In terms of GYPSY, I bought a $25 rear mezz ticket but was able to move up to the second row of the mezz before the overture even began. As those who've attended can see, though its selling pretty well, GYPSY has not exactly sold out. Why? Maybe its cause they're doing eight times as many performances as a typical 5/6 performance Encores show.
Last week I raved about Patti's performance, which almost all the critics did, except for Brantley. Upon my second viewing, do I still believe it's an absolutely thrilling performance? Yes, I do. But does it need to move to Broadway? Probably not, but mainly because GYPSY was revived merely four years ago. Were it not for the Bernadette revival, I'd bet you that not only would this surely move to Broadway, but that Brantley would have been far less harsh in his review of Patti.