Passion at Classic Stage (NYC)

[edjames]

“Passion,” explores obsession and manipulation in a love story set in 19th-century Italy. It originally ran on Broadway for nearly 10 months and won four Tonys for best musical, score, book (by Mr. Sondheim’s frequent collaborator, James Lapine) and lead actress for Donna Murphy as the desperate Fosca. Music and lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim and the book by James Lapine. The story was adapted from Ettore Scola's film Passione d'Amore. Central themes include love, sex, obsession, illness, passion, beauty, power and manipulation. Passion is notable for being one of the few projects that Stephen Sondheim himself conceived, along with Sweeney Todd and Road Show.

 

Classic Stage Co here in NYC has mounted it's first musical in its history by mounting a production of this classic, and yet, often underrated Sonheim classic. No hit songs here, but truly amazing music and singing.

 

Judy Kuhn stars as Fosca, the ugly, sickly woman who is dying in a remote Italian mountain village. Fosca lives with her cousin who has rescued her after she was left penniless, mentally and physically devastated by her dashing Austrain lover. Her cousin, a colonel in the army uses the home to house his fellow army officers. Into this mix arrives young, handsome officer, Giorgio (Ryan Silverman), who has arrived from Milan and is having an intense affair with Clara (Melissa Errico) a beautiful, yet married young woman. An intense battle of love evolves as Fosca uses her wiles to entrap Giorgio into loving her.

 

I saw the 2010 production at the Donmar Warehouse in London. This production does not stray far from that one. Intense and gripping, this Classic Stage production is intimate and full of terrific performances. 1 hr 45 min, no intermission. Hopefully it will garner terrific reviews.

 

ED

[skynyc]

Last chance to get tickets. They extended one week, and they'll go quick, especially after the reviews.

Passion is my least favorite Sondheim. The score is lovely but complex...and the story is frustrating in that at no point does anyone say to Fosca: "Girl, you are bat-shit crazy." But the intimacy of Doyle's direction sheds some light on Giorgio's mindset, and the fact that we're all stuck away at a remote Italian garrison together adds to the almost claustrophobic nature of the piece.

The leads are wonderful. Errico's voice soars, while Kuhn's rends your heart. Silverman is terrific and never leaves the stage. Wish I'd seen him do Tony in London.

It's still my least favorite Sondheim...but at least now I really feel I have seen a production that makes it accessible.

The added week is through April 14, and tickets are available from $75 to $90. Be advised that there is almost NO leg room in the last two rows of the side sections, (I have short legs, and was very uncomfortable the last time I sat there.)

[uwsman2]

I saw the original B'way production of Passion in previews. (My skill at predicting whether a Sondheim show would be a hit based on attending previews has been uneven. I went with a friend to a preview of Sunday in the Park with George and we said to each other at intermission that we both liked it but thought it was too cerebral to appeal to a mass audience. What did we know?) I loved Passion in previews. I thought it was close to being an actual opera, not "just" a Broadway musical. I quickly acquired the cast album when it came out. There are no "hits" because, as I said, it is close to being a through-composed opera, and it explores deep themes of human personality. On the other hand, I've never felt a strong pull to see it again, being quite satisfied with the cast recording, since the music is the most important thing in opera. When this new production was announced, I asked the person who usually goes with me to shows whether he wanted to see it. He was at the preview with me of the original B'way production mentioned above. And he said, "let's take a pass. We've done that, and it's expensive." But anybody who hasn't seen it and likes Sondheim's music should probably make the effort at some point. Your knowledge of this important creative artist is not complete if you haven't experienced Passion.