Profile for rj433

Not sure if people see this yet - nice preview of the show on Sunday Morning released just now: https://youtu.be/yfzzWewhoGM?si=rUR9dsIl1xBohVB-

Sorry – was typing on my phone as I wanted to get my thoughts out right away. Hope the paragraph breaks help.

rj

I also saw last night’s show with Katie Webber in the Ivy/Marilyn role, as myself a former longtime fan of the music of the tv series and agree that she got the job done but lacked that extra “something” vocal-wise (though was a “trouper&rdquo. Also interesting that the actual creative team came out, upfront to announce that she’d be assuming the role over not only the expected lead but the understudy that was scheduled to be her substitute, and that later this “third choice” idea was mirrored in the show’s actual plot with Chloe  (as if the show wasn’t already “meta” in concept enough!) - complete with the “director” also addressing the “audience”.  I agree that the audience was to me almost disproportionately enthusiastic based on the material. However - notwithstanding all of the criticisms - my family and I thought that the first half was surprisingly effective and funny and made good use of the material from the show.


I wish I could say the same for the second half where the story to me really fell off the rails. Anyone who is a fan of the show I’m sure came to see the rivalry between Ivy and Karen. So why introduce a 3rd Marilyn? And why so completely sideline the prospect of Karen ultimately assuming the role (after opening night when she was “sick”?) “Random” (as my teen daughter might say).

Not enough was made upfront about Ivy and Karen being friends, such that their reconciliation at the end (to me inexplicably and forcedly to the  “Second Hand White Baby Grand” song) felt abrupt. Why only after this have Ivy fire her dramaturge? Why have them “explain” how Ivy apologized to the cast without showing it? Why were Ivy’s feeling of guilt done so inelegantly overall in the first place? It all felt so rushed and tacked on.

Also: as others have pointed out - how does one close out the show with the assistant character doing a song? Where’s the big Bombshell finish (with Karen assuming the role) that many might naturally have instead expected? And others have pointed out that - as good as the songs are from the tv show - that I can think of only 2 instance where they functioned theatrically - to advance the actual plot and the character’s inner thoughts and feelings so I’m surprised they didn’t find a better way to insert at least SOME sort of double meaning like they did routinely on the tv show (notwithstanding their attempt to do this with “White Baby Grand” during the Karen/Ivy reconciliation scene that felt so “tacked on&rdquo.

I truly hope they re-address some of these mostly second half issues as it could be a solidly entertaining show with appropriate “fan service” - if it had some significantly better payoffs and second half plotting. But as a fan of the tv show I wish them well.