Coco

[Hep]

OMG.
why wasnt i around for Coco?
like honestly . why couldnt we see more videos of Kath on stage. it just burns my goat!

Judy, Sherry.. as i recall you two have seen Coco (lucky dogs)
anyone else have the absolute pleasure of seeing it?

[martha]

dig this fellow fans .... a new york city theatre is doing a new staged concert of COCO this fall!

here's a link to the theatre: www.yorktheatre.org/New%20Pages/BoxOffice.html

and here's a link to a blogger's entry ... she gets all fan girl about our kate: www.sarahbsadventures.com/2010/07/fall-2010-musicals-in-mufti-at-york.html

[HollywoodHepcat]

HAHAHA BUT WHY THOUGH.

That's as close as COCO will ever get to being revived. Let's go see it!!

[martha]

yes. yes! as of tomorrow ... i'm there. nyc i mean. let's do it!

[carol]

I'd love to have seen Coco. If I could go back in time (which I will someday lool) and watch one of her stage productions, I'd pick Coco. It just seems so... powerful. My favourite song from it is 'The money rings out like freedom'! I'm crazy about that song!

[martha]

oh carol .. thanks for posting and bumping this thread. the limited number of performances of this reading occur this next weekend .. i'm about to purchase a ticket ... could be dire but could be kinda fun ... i'll report back ...

[martha]

um. i just purchased a ticket for the final performance, sunday evening, september 12th.

let's just say there are more than a few quite well known performers in this little "barnyard entertainment" (just quoting from SUMMER STOCK because, well, i felt like it ) ... wow. andrea marcovicci? this will be FUN.

The glamour and excitement of Coco Chanel’s life and style take the stage in Coco. Offering an intriguing look at one of the fashion world's most celebrated icons,Coco explores a period in Chanel’s life that led to her legendary 1950s comeback (long before the Devil ever wore Prada.) Katherine Hepburn famously originated the title role on Broadway in 1969.
With Susan Blommaert, Lewis Cleale, Tom Galantich, Jessica Grové, Brian Hissong,
Charles Kimbrough, Julie Kotarides, Robert Lenzi, Peter Lockyer, Michelle Lookadoo,
Andrea Marcovicci, Adriana McPhee, Heather Parcells, David Turner.
Music Direction by Michael Horsely, Directed by Mark Kaufman.

[Judy]

Sept 7, 2010 22:36:50 GMT -5 martha said:

um. i just purchased a ticket for the final performance, sunday evening, september 12th.

let's just say there are more than a few quite well known performers in this little "barnyard entertainment" (just quoting from SUMMER STOCK because, well, i felt like it ) ... wow. andrea marcovicci? this will be FUN.

The glamour and excitement of Coco Chanel’s life and style take the stage in Coco. Offering an intriguing look at one of the fashion world's most celebrated icons,Coco explores a period in Chanel’s life that led to her legendary 1950s comeback (long before the Devil ever wore Prada.) Katherine Hepburn famously originated the title role on Broadway in 1969.
With Susan Blommaert, Lewis Cleale, Tom Galantich, Jessica Grové, Brian Hissong,
Charles Kimbrough, Julie Kotarides, Robert Lenzi, Peter Lockyer, Michelle Lookadoo,
Andrea Marcovicci, Adriana McPhee, Heather Parcells, David Turner.
Music Direction by Michael Horsely, Directed by Mark Kaufman.

You gotta give us a full review, Martha. I couldn't make it. But anxious to hear your opinion....Marcovicci should be interesting. As for the rest of the cast, those I'm familiar with are wonderful. It will be so much more intimate on the York stage. I'm curious to hear how it plays.

[martha]

I'm drafting up a more complete review ... but for now let me say: some lovely tunes, Marcovicci was *fine* as Coco (but I found myself yearning to hear Kate deliver the many many many fabulous one liners crafted for this stage character of Coco to utter -- was the real woman as witty as the book of this musical presents her?) ... and several star turns including David Turner as a very fey assistant/designer Sebastian (who puts you in mind of Robert Preston doing the Lady from Seville in "Victor/Victoria" during the tune "Fiasco") .... In short, SO glad I attended this. Grand stripped down production, and the musical direction by the sole accompaniment -- at the piano Michael Horsley -- was grand.

I like these kinds of readings. With professionals with 30 hours of rehearsal -- its a darn fine presentation. And the York theatre in the sub sub levels of the venue where it is located, is a lovely intimate locale for such events.

Looking forward to seeing more on this stage.

[Judy]

Sept 13, 2010 7:27:51 GMT -5 martha said:

I'm drafting up a more complete review ... but for now let me say: some lovely tunes, Marcovicci was *fine* as Coco (but I found myself yearning to hear Kate deliver the many many many fabulous one liners crafted for this stage character of Coco to utter -- was the real woman as witty as the book of this musical presents her?) ... and several star turns including David Turner as a very fey assistant/designer Sebastian (who puts you in mind of Robert Preston doing the Lady from Seville in "Victor/Victoria" during the tune "Fiasco") .... In short, SO glad I attended this. Grand stripped down production, and the musical direction by the sole accompaniment -- at the piano Michael Horsley -- was grand.

I like these kinds of readings. With professionals with 30 hours of rehearsal -- its a darn fine presentation. And the York theatre in the sub sub levels of the venue where it is located, is a lovely intimate locale for such events.

Looking forward to seeing more on this stage.

Hmmm....A friend of mine - a singer and cabaret fan - was very disappointed in Marcovicci's voice. Said she has taken to singing in the low register and has developed a weird soprano. She was always an idiosyncratic singer anyway, but he didn't enjoy the show. Glad you did, though.

[martha]

i understand your pal's points, judy. and yet .. i went in not expecting much from marcovicci's voice ... i've seen her in performance an number of times in the past 6 years and i enjoy her for her acting more than vocal qualities. it was how the whole piece fell together that i enjoyed, you know? feeling the show as it progressed. interested in my fuller musings i'll share blog link ...

this whole show is an idiosyncratic bit of theatrical history though, ain't it?

[martha]

My friends. My colleagues. [And I apologize in advance for folks outside the United States if there are national limits on access to the resources of the site I'm about to reference ..]

Along with many many many other recorded versions of live productions, COCO is available at a site called BlueGobo.com

bluegobo.com/content/production.php?var=2880146

Oh my goodness. I was just reminded about the site in general and this resource in particular in a chat with a new NYC acquaintance and soon-to-be colleague on a project ... [who worked on the KH papers at NYPL] reminded me of this way to access what might be the same Tony Awards excerpt we've already talked about in this thread.

Enjoy!

[Serena]

Thank you so much for this, Martha, it was amazing!!!!!!! ;D
How I wish I was there to see it (it would have been somewhat difficult as I wasn't even born yet, but you know what I mean hehe).

P.S. I'm in Europe and was able to see the video so there are probably no limits on access to those outside of the US

[evelien]

Thank you so much, Martha! ;D
This is amazing, had never seen it before.