Ford Amphitheatre (Hollywood, CA)
Oscar, Emmy and Grammy award winner Stephen Schwartz presents a sneak peak of his new opera Seance on a Wet Afternoon, and the Upright Cabaret All-Stars interpret some of his hits from productions such as Pippin and Wicked. Featuring acclaimed soprano Lauren Flanigan, three-time Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann, Tony nominee Valarie Pettiford, Grammy Award winner Nathan Lee Graham, Elizabeth Brackenbury, Matt Cusson and more.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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The last date listed for Stephen Schwartz - Making Good was Sunday August 23, 2009 / 7:30pm. (view all dates)
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I absolutely adored every second. Loved it. The best part, actually, was Stephen Schwartz himself, sitting down at the piano and singing "For Good" from Wicked (my favorite song from that show). It was a musical theatre lover's perfect night. The opera excerpts in the beginning were just gorgeous. Stephen Schwartz has been writing in the Musical world for almost 40 years and just keeps getting better.
Wow! What a magical night at the Pilgrimage, especially that second act with the Upright Cabaret interpreting the songs of SS. One of the best events of the summer!
I don't think many in the audience enjoyed the Act 1 excerpts from Mr. Schwartz's new opera. I do enjoy opera and a couple of the songs were nice, but taking excerpts out of the opera context (not all were arias) did little to help me appreciate his new work.
The second act was very enjoyable, and most singers quite talented. Of course, there was the crazy man who sang - excuse me, SHOUTED - "No Good Deed" after making his entrance by running down the hillside. My guess was that he was the comedy relief.
The evening left me pondering what ever happened to the art of diction.
Great evening and wonderful show. Act 1 was arias from his opera SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON which was terrific. Act 2 was all Schwartz songs sung by different performers. Jusr wish all the theatre in town was this good.
It was really a great show1 I loved every minute of it!
top notch talent and show.. Amazing place..
One of the most enjoyable evenings ever!
This was a very magical night - I'm so glad I went! I enjoyed hearing the new material in the first act, but especially enjoyed the second act that was so full of great songs and wonderful performances. I felt like I saw a "once in a lifetime" event and would go again if I could!
What a perfect event for the Ford Amphitheater. With the beautiful weather and intimate venue, we loved getting a sneak peak of Stephen Schwartz's first opera, topped off with the super professional Upright Cabaret's interpretation of Schwartz's songs. The encore from the piano from Stephen Schwartz, himself was amazing frosting on the cake.
INcredible show - DO NOT MISS ANYTHING WITH UPRIGHT CABARET
Very entertaining show.
Did not care for the new opera in the 1st act. LOVED the second act.....what talent!
A most entertaining evening of Schwartz. I'll have to see his new opera in Santa Barbara
I am not a big opera fan so the first act was not really up my alley but the second act more than made up for it. Amazing list of performers. Really spectacular!
Great performance by many Tony-award-winning/nominated singers and Stephen Schwartz! Regarding the venue, there were very long lines in will call; waited at least 30min in line. It would have been faster buying tickets at the door. Those who were 'comped' had a line that was twice at quick. Also, stacked parking for $10 at the Ford involves another 45min wait before you can leave. If I ever return to the Ford, I'm taking the shuttle (which I had no idea about before.)
The Ford Theatre is a lovely venue...when there isn't an event going on at the Hollywood Bowl! Traffic and parking were a zoo (and there was a $10 charge). They held the show for about 10 minutes, but the will-call line was so long that many people missed the beginning of the show.
The first act of this show was excerpts from Schwartz's new opera. With just opera singers and a pianist, the sound from the Bowl was VERY distracting. The performers were excellent, but I wasn't expecting opera and didn't care much for the material, particularly in an outdoor setting with ambient noise.
However...we enjoyed the second act very much - a 4-piece rhythm section played great and obscured any Bowl "seepage". The various performers singing Schwartz's better known songs were terrific...very entertaining.
I sincerely wish there had been a program listing the performers and the songs they sang for future reference!! They ran out of programs, but I borrowed one and saw bios - no listing of songs, etc. I would have liked to follow up.
Ford Ampitheatre is a perfect setting on a summer evening. Will-call lines were long and slow, but the manager talked to us in line and delayed the show start, a classy touch. Printed programs ran out - there were not enough programs for the audience - inexcusable! The Act I opera excerpts were earnest but not very interesting. Act II performances were loud and dull, mostly given over to Star Search-type yowling and shrieking - not a word anyone could understand. Some people screamed their enthusiasm, but there were continuous walkouts. We had to stay because our car was blocked in the parking. Very disappointing.
I am not an opera fan so could have done without the first half. But the second half was fantastic! I will definitely attend more Upright Cabaret in the future.
First, let me mention how absolutely PERFECT this venue is! Small but comfortable, the Ford Amphitheater does not have a bad seat in the house.Beautifully set in the Hollywood Hills, with lovely acoustics, I enjoyed the Ford far more than its huge neighbor, the Bowl. Extremely nice staff as well! The show was a wonderful experience. The preview of Seance on A Wet Afternoon was fascinating, and the Upright Cabaret selections from Schwartz's body of work were presented with flair and verve. Immensely talented performers, both well known and new, made it an evening to remember. Schwartz' appearance as the final number, playing and singing "For Good" from Wicked, was a sentimental crowd pleaser. Marvelous evening!
It was truly an evening not to be forgotten! We got to see a preview of his new Opera in Santa Barbara and the performances by so many talented singers were breathtaking. But my favorite was Stephen Schwartz singing on the piano one of my favorite songs from "Wicked" ... "I Knew You"
First act was somewhat interesting, featuring arias from his new opera, "Sequence on a Wet Afternoon." I'm not a big fan of Schwartz's songs, which are fairly derivative. His lyrics are pedestrian, although I heard and understood them because the singers--who were relatively good--didn't have that miked sound.
The second act, which featured his older songs sung by some good singers were accompanied by electronic instruments amped for listening on the moon and I didn't understand a word. Most of the audience screamed throughout, so I doubt they were listening. Audiences now don't want to listen, they want to be heard inbetween checking their cell phones and texting to make sure they don't miss some terribly important bit of news. I suggest instead of the announcement, "Please turn off all cell phones, change it to "Turn off your cell phone and keep it closed until you leave the premises. I love the venue and ticket service was fine. I left with a splitting headache.
i really wanted to like the opera in the first act, but i felt that it was missing something. it was also a bit distracting at times with the loud music coming from the hollywood bowl.
the second act was fun. i wish terrence mann had had a chance to shine. it was a very poignant ending with stephen himself, singing 'for good' at the piano. a nice evening overall.
If the evening had not included Act 1: The Opera, I would have given it 4 stars. Unfortunately, the new opera really missed the marked -- I found it hard to not break out in laughter. It was so trite that it almost was a farce. And the vocals were equally poor and annoying. I have season tickets to the opera at the Ahmanson, so I do love opera -- just not this one!
Act 2 was fabulous! Amazing talent singing Schwartz' amazing material. I wish that I could have heard Terrence Mann more -- unfortunately he was singing with that horrid soprano who should retire. Otherwise, an exceptional evening. Meadowlark and Lion Tamer were two of my favorites, not only because of the outstanding performances but also because of the unique arrangements. The icing on the cake was Stephen Schwartz' encore when he played the piano and sang "For Good". What a special, once-in-a-lifetime treat!
I wish that Terrence Mann had sung more and that he hadn't been singing with the person he did, but other than that it was a very enjoyable evening.
I was so excited to hear all of Stephen Schwartz best hits! I think TWO were played. Half the show was his new opera! I hate opera, and the other half were all songs I did not know. I know EVERY Wicked and Pippin song! I was so disappointed next to none were played.
Tips are provided by Goldstar members and Chris Isaacson & Shane Scheel Present. Goldstar is not responsible for their content or accuracy.
The 1241-seat outdoor Ford Amphitheatre is set against a backdrop of cypresses and chaparral in the Hollywood Hills. It is relatively intimate: no patron is more than 96 feet away from the stage. Music, dance, film, theatre and family events are presented during the summer months. The Ford Amphitheatre Season is a program of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.
Stephen Schwartz, the Oscar, Emmy and Grammy award-winning lyricist and composer of Wicked, Pippin, Godspell and Disney’s Enchanted, presents a sneak peak of his new opera, “Séance on a Wet Afternoon,” that will have its world premiere at Opera Santa Barbara this fall. Followed by a second act extravaganza featuring Upright Cabaret All-Star performers interpreting Schwartz’s most popular songs, including “Defying Gravity,” “The Wizard & I,” “Popular,” “Day by Day” “Corner of the Sky,” “Magic to Do”and “Morning Glow,” among others! Directed by Broadway/Recording star Billy Porter Presented by Chris Isaacson and Shane Scheel as part of Upright Cabaret's Wicked Summer Nights series at the Ford Amphitheatre.
With performances by Opera star Lauren Flanigan, Michael Arden (Broadway: Times They Are a Changin'), Elizabeth Brackenbury, David Burnham (Broadway: Light in the Piazza, Wicked), Matt Cusson, Grammy winner Nathan Lee Graham, Audra Mae, 3x Tony Nominee Terrence Mann (Broadway: Beauty and the Beast, Cats, Les Miserables), Katy Mixon, Nicole Parker, Tony Nominee Valarie Pettiford (Broadway: Fosse), Tami Tappen, Ty Taylor (CBS's RockStar INXS), Tracie Thoms (Broadway: Rent, TV: CSI), Jennifer Leigh Warren (Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors, Big River, Marie Christine), Brenna Whitaker, and many more!
Chris Isaacson & Shane Scheel Present
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