Francofolies New York

Amazing, so many talented artists, so many beautiful songs. Edith Piaf lived again for that night.

It was a good evening but I originally bought the tickets because Charles Aznavour was scheduled to be there. Not only did he not show up, but there was no explanation made. As he is my favorite songwriter and performer, I was extremely disappointed.

This concert grabbed me emotionally and brought memories of my past and my wishes for the future. It was all very well done. All of the performers were excellent, the set and lighting were brilliant and the MC made an amusing blend of New York and France. I was able to take great photos and videos without a flash, but it is not technically possible to upload them here. I am looking forward to the airing of this concert on TV5Monde this week. There are many stairs in the Beacon and my companion needs a walker to walk. The staff set up seats behind the orchestra for us and all the people with wheelchairs and walkers. We could see and hear very well. There's not room to explain this in the seat review.

The orchestra was very good, and there were a bunch of really outstanding artists. Show could have been a little longer. We were at the top mezzanine and unfortunately could not see the pictures/movies they were showing.

Performers were fantastic. Host was fun and entertaining. Television equipment was distracting.

The tribute to Edith Piaf was even more than I could have imagined or hoped for. All of Piaf's memorable songs were sung flawlessly by the best of today's most talented international artists. For all Francophiles and lovers of Piaf it was a dream come true. So happy to have been able to experience this rare celebration of her life and her music.

My wife and I enjoyed the show - lots of talented people and an excellent selection of Edith Piaf's best songs. However, the emcee was rude and insufferable! He refused to speak English, despite the fact that many people in the audience do not speak French. This is just plain rude, arrogant, and disrespectful. I am sure that if an American emcee in Paris refused to speak French and addressed the audience only in English, they would be ready to throw him on the guillotine, yet this emcee thought he was right to behave the way he did. Just a few days earlier we saw a performance of Il Volo at Westbury. These three young men were charming and gracious. They took the time to learn English, which they spoke beautifully and they charmed the entire audience with their songs which were both in Italian and English. And what's more, Edith Piaf herself spoke English whenever she performed in America - whether on the stage or on the Ed Sullivan show, and even sang English translations of some of her songs. The emcee should take a lesson from Madame Piaf and from the three young Italian men - barely out of their teens - who showed grace and manners which he would do well to emulate. One other thing: there was no program and so although there were singers we enjoyed very much, we have no names and cannot find their CDs. That is just plain stupid and it's an injustice to the artists as well.

The show had potential but the host did not speak more than 20 words in english and only to introduce the next performer. I went to get insight into Edith Piaf's life and if I spoke French would have walked away with some knowledge but two-thirds of the show was in French. An audience member yelled out "Please speak English" but was ignored. I think they overlooked the fact not everyone spoke French or the host did not care. Also, was not aware the show was to be taped. The camera going back and forth in front of our seats was disruptive plus the fact the tickets indicated show at 7:30 but it was not to begin until 8:00 pm. Realized this was to have everyone in the theatre before taping session. I arrived at 7:15 and the show did not commence until 8:15 pm.

Edith Piaf was celebrated in style and all the singers young or old paid a moving tribute to her songs and her life. The footage shown in the background was very well chosen and presented. We had an exceptionally good evening.

Had no idea that MC was going to speak French at all times. Did not enjoy the event because I do not understand French and all the backround by the MC was not understood. The MC was not great for this event, he would be more suited for a comedy concert or the circus.The production was sloppy and what should have been a great evening turned out to be a dud.

The line up of performers was fabulous, the use of the screens as the backdrop to the stage with photo, video, newspaper clippings was stunning & powerful. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole concert.

One of the best experiences ever. Must see for French music enthusiasts.

Sound was subpar. From cracks and reverb to singers that could be barely heard. Maybe the sound was optimized for TV recording, or maybe upper balcony sound is simply not good at the Beacon. Enjoyed the show anyway. Thanks to Francois-Xavier for his good humor and performance.

If the show was called for 7:30, why did it start past 8 PM? I think it should have been 50/50 in English and French. Not everyone in in the audience was French

We hadn't been told that this was going to be filmed for TV. It actually was a (not even live) TV show recording, and we were the (paying) audience. The master of ceremony was reading a prompter, and so were the artists while singing!!! They were coming on and off stage rapidly, one after the other, barely acknowledging our presence. Some of them like Olivia Ruiz even looked really annoyed like they didn't want to be there. A total lack of fluidity, cohesion and warmth. Some English-speaking artists were singing in French and it was pretty obvious that they had no clue what the lyrics were about. Total lack of spontaneity and sincerity. In a word, this was just the recording of a TV show and a commercial operation. I felt tricked and used. I wish I had known and asked for a refund before the show like apparently many others did. What saved the evening was that the lineup was great, and most artists delivered top notch vocal performances. We got to give them credit for that. Plus, the Edith Piaf songs are truly amazing, and just hearing them sang by great artists made my night.

I was excited to bring my mother (who loves Edith Piaf, and actually saw her years ago) to this performance. It was an early birthday present. And it was disappointing. When we arrived, the first thing we see is that Charles Aznavour will not be performing. No reason, just a poster informing us that he would not be there and that we could get refunds if we wanted. Well, we were there and decided it would be nice anyway. The show had many "technical" and other difficulties, and it had the overall feel of a show that had been put together at the last minute and/or not well rehearsed. Not all of the singers lived up to expectations either. The worst was hearing my mother, whom I was so excited to bring, state that it had been "okay" and rated it "mediocre."

Whlle we thought that the presentation of the various artists was first class, and the orchestra was exceptional, we thought it was the height of arrogance for the MC to ignore the fact that this performance was in New York and the majority of the audience did not speak French and could not understand his comments in introducing the various artists. It made the overall experience less enjoyable and would have been quite easy for him to translate his remarks (or to have a translation on a screen).

We were very much disappointed by this show. First of, Charles Aznavour could not make it, and we had a total stranger as an MC, who was trying too hard to make jokes to introduce every artist. On top of it, this representation was filmed for television, hence a lot of cameras on crane were constantly obstructing the view to take shots. All in all, the quality of the performers was very inconsistent, and it was obvious that they never got a chance to rehearse the show from beginning to end together. There was also no spark between the singers and the musicians. I wish we were told prior to buying the tickets that the show would be recorded, it felt more like we were on a TV set rather than at the Beacon theatre. Worse part is it cost us 90$ a pop.

Wonderful performances ! I hope they return next year, and the years after that !'

Some of the singers were really good, but overall the event was poorly put together, Performers that were advertised did not appear and no explanation. Only found out after I had made final purchase and printed the tickets that it was obstructed view, when I looked at the seat chart beforehand there was no notice about obstructed view, if it had I would not have purchased, maybe that was intention!!!!

After starting forty minutes late, it quickly became clear that the audience was simply a prop for the taping of a French TV show. There was a rotating camera on an extended boom swinging back and forth constantly, over the audience and in front of the stage, blocking the view. Several people left early after it became clear that the camera interference was not going to stop. We finally left as well, greatly disappointed. When we bought the tickets, there was no mention that the audience would have to fight to see the stage. Really, this was false advertising and did a disservice to a great icon.

Though the reason I bought tickets was to see Marianne Faithfull and she did not appear, the remaining talent was stellar and well worth seeing.

Unique event with no lack of talent among the 20 performers.

The singers were wonderful. The negative aspect was that the many of the performers seemed so stiff and animated. The show began very late, and was so disorganized. The host Charles Aznavour's name was used to entice us to come as he never showed up! Julien Clerc didn't show up either. So surprising regarding Aznavour as he was close to Edith Piaf. Not sure if this was the problem of the Beacon Theater or the organization who put this show together. I would definitely not attend if another show such as this was run by the same people.

The event started a half hour late. I sat in the balcony and my view was obscured by camera cranes. The images at the back of the stage were mostly not visible because of the angle and overhangs at the front of the stage. I didn't know that the intros would be mostly in French, which I don't understand. And two of the main attractions--Charles Aznavour and Marianne Faithful--didn't show. Harry Connick Jr. was barely there. That said, some of the musical performers were good, though others unwittingly demonstrated with their harsh or character-less voices why Edith Piaf was so great. Some other members of the audience seemed to be more familiar with the performers than I was, and some understood French and laughed in places where I would have liked to be in on the joke.

Great performances, but...would have appreciated if the lead spoke English and not led the entire show in French. I was not aware that it was filmed for the French television and advanced notice would have been appreciated to manage expectations.

There appeared to have been no rehersal. One singer said: Do I go this way out? Another singer had to wait until the sound from the guitar was not echoing. Madelyn Peyroux was shoved to the background at the finale. All in all, surprisingly poor theatre.