On A Clear Day First Preview- Page 3

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/13/11 at 8:35pm

I really appreciate these reports and look forward to reading more.

But the mentions here of the problems with the Mark character remind me that some of the same problems existed in the original. Yes, there was a little sexual tension between Mark and Daisy (though not much, since he was so contemptuous toward her until the very end), but even in the original, Mark had nothing to do but ask questions and plead with Daisy to continue her therapy. He did get to sing 3 gorgeous songs and one reasonably funny one, however; if they've cut most of those (or given them to other characters), one really has to wonder why HCJ took the part.

And Warren is now likable? He provided the only real present-day conflict in the original.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/13/11 at 8:43pm

If anyone has a curtain picture I would love to see it! I want to see what the proscenium and opt art curtain look like.

[Copperfield2]

Posted: 11/13/11 at 11:34pm

Warren is not only likable he's very cute which is why I wish the actor playing him were playing David Gamble.
Updated On: 11/13/11 at 11:34 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 9:10am

Who are the understudies?

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 11:21am

What strikes me most from this thread, having not seen the show, of course, is with an undeniably interesting genderbender premise for revitalizing the show (and the notion of switching genders and orientation from one life to another certainly lends itself to musicalization, but perhaps a new show might have been more appropriate for this), they may have not seen a way to keep it a star vehicle, which this score/show has always required.
It seems they lost any sense of a central role or roles, even opening up the possibility of that all being shifted from the original.

Also, if Mark's wanting David is a complete lost cause from the get go, or, put differently, if David's wanting Mark is a complete lost cause from the get go, and Melinda is still obviously not available to Mark, what can the point be? On paper, there is just no way this score can be a Sondheim type show/score on the theme of unavailable romantic longing, nor does it seem they've tried to go all out in that direction, as unwise as that may have been, anyway.

Also, at its core, part of the charm of the central romance of On A Clear Day, was that deep inside Daisy was a Melinda, and finding her made her more herself, sexier, CLEARER, with a brighter future, maybe with Mark, maybe not.

I can see this revamped idea taking hold if David were a man finding his true self by embracing his complete sexuality for the first time when he meets Mark and undergoes hypnosis and integrates, at least subconsciously, with Melinda. But it doesn't seem to be going in that direction either.

Updated On: 11/14/11 at 11:21 AM

[Q]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 11:30am

"if Mark's wanting David is a complete lost cause from the get go, and Melinda is still obviously not available to Mark, what can the point be?"

I'm mighty confused by this, as well. When I heard the concept, I assumed that was going to be the whole point - but, it seems not to have been. Sooooo, what is it then?

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 11:30am

How does WHAT DID I HAVE... work in this new version? In the original when the same actress plays both roles it makes some sense, but if there are two different actors/actresses who are different genders, isn't the answer obvious?
Two breasts and a vagina.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 12:22pm

It's now more "What does SHE have" and sung only by David. If memory serves there's a joke or two about his genitals or something like that.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 12:25pm

henrik- Yes, you completely get why this doesn't work. There is no point and dramatic tension. Sure David is lusting after Mark, but we know Mark is definitely straight and would never be with him romantically or sexually. David's only two options are be alone or be with Warren.

Mark can't be with Melinda so he must end up alone from the start (unless he goes for the Kerry O'Malley character SPOILER? which he doesn't do).

I guess the "point" is to expose this "interesting" psychological study that Mark conducted on his patient, but this not interesting, and certainly doesn't make for a good romantic comedy with this score.

CurtainPullDowner- LOL! Yes when Turner sings "What Did I Have" it takes on a completely different meaning, and quite frankly makes no sense. It's not personality traits he's lacking- he's just clearly not a female!

The same can be said for "Hurry! It's Lovely Up Here." The trick of having all the flowers bloom from the pots is gone. David is singing it to himself, not Mark, and he is in his flower shop- often to cut/arranged flowers. He wouldn't be singing, "Climb up geranium, it can't be fun subterran-ium" to cut flowers! Without the gimmick of watching them grow on stage the lyrics don't make sense. Maybe why the song is chopped up so much so we don't notice.

Updated On: 11/14/11 at 12:25 PM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 12:27pm

Great question CurtainPullDowner, but I think this could be charmingly resolved if David could somehow learn about Mark's infatuation with his earlier self, with his frustration therefrom turning into song, before (probably just before) he learns the whole truth, that his earlier self was female.

That way, the audience could know all too well what Melinda has that David doesn't have now while David is in the dark and yearning for the answer. The irony could be endearingly comic without lending itself to the vulgar obviousness you allude to and be in keeping with Daisy's earnest curiosity as in the original.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 12:34pm

Henrik- Interesting idea, but in this version he does know his previous self is a female before he sings the song. He has just listened to his previous taped sessions and sings the song in confused anger. (I also don't think the song is an diatribe. He's charmingly befuddled, not blood-boiled anger.)

Remember the original dialogue during the underscored middle section has a bunch of jokes like, "I thought he really liked me, but the whole time he was thinking about somebody else...me! Why did I ever have to come along!"

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 12:54pm

thanks, Whizzer. I do remember the lyrics and set up, but was thinking it might be done a bit differently with the set up being David only getting tipped off that he's the past lives subject everyone is talking about before he actually hears the tape and realizes whom his past life is. Maybe he's about to listen but hesitates because he's anxious about what it is he'll find out. Whatever.... Just an idea, anyway.

In any event, it does seem that there could have been - may be still can be with some work - an interesting idea for a show here. Somehow.
Updated On: 11/14/11 at 12:54 PM

[egghumor]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 1:01pm

Oy vey, what a headache I got today!


ON A CLEAR DAY THERE'S PLENTY OF CONFUSION BUT NO DRAMATIC TENSION IN PREVIEWS AND LIKELY FOREVER
Updated On: 11/14/11 at 01:01 PM

[beeverycolor]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 1:44pm

I got a chance to see the show on Sunday for its 2nd preview. I really loved Jessie Mueller. I thought she brought the house down with her lovely, distinct voice, especially in "Ev'ry Night at Seven." She is so talented and I hope people love her as much as I did. I thought Harry was giving a subdued but interesting performance. I think this is probably the most difficult role he’s had to tackle. I really liked David Turner too. Much more in the second Act than in the first.

Overall, I was really surprised by the humor. I laughed a ton, as did the audience that seemed made up of Connick fans. I will definitely check the show out again in a couple of weeks to see if any changes have been made!

[whatever2]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 7:18pm

every time a shill posts, a demon earns his horns ...

[denali.fire]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 8:28pm

ESP is telling me not to bother with tkts to this...not even if they are from tkts....in fact common sense is telling me the same thing.

[Miranda3]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 8:48pm

Here's the link to the wonderful Bell Telephone Hour during which Barbara Harris and John Cullum performed several songs and scenes from the original production, one scene including Harris transitioning from Daisy to Melinda via hypnosis. It gives a sense of what the present production loses by not retaining this two-in-one role. Her rendition of "What Did I Have" is lovely and poignant here, IMO, and its (the song's) meaning not muddied as reports suggest it is in the current version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyw-HEAUr40

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/14/11 at 11:32pm

Those clips are fun, I saw the original twice, Harris was absolutely captivating in both roles and Cullum was upright, uptight and sang magnificently. The transgression aspect was interesting, it may have confused some but nowadays is common fare for movies and novels. The problem is the same as in any time travel, past life story. How do you get two characters from different times together? Leave one in the past, both? or one character realizes he is staring at love right in his face.
Harris and Cullum pulled it off and an interesting actress could do it (Lauren Ambrose is available).

[Copperfield2]

Posted: 11/15/11 at 12:17am

Whatever one feels about the book, I think this is a wonderful score. And they've added some lovely songs including Too Late Now.
When I saw the Vineyard workshop I thought there was one element missing--daring. The show needs some pizazz.

I really curious what the show will look like when I see it on Dec. 2.

[Broadwayhunk]

Posted: 11/15/11 at 12:26am

Oh Lord, you can almost picture in your mind the moment when somebody said: "Hey, let's turn Daisy into a gay florist, and we'll call him David!" At least, apparently, they have fought the urge to have him don drag for the flashbacks.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/15/11 at 3:36pm

"At least, apparently, they have fought the urge to have him don drag for the flashbacks."

It could be argued that they should have gone all the way. With the right casting it might have been.... well, it might have been "something"!

Say, Wilson Jermaine Heredia as David/Melinda and Adam Pascal as Mark. Or maybe Joey Arias and Hugh Jackman!
Updated On: 11/15/11 at 03:36 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/15/11 at 4:00pm

Handled correctly, the drag thing sounds more interesting than what they are doing.
Mark sees David in Melinda and realizes that love knows no gender.
(Chaz Bono etc.) The Dr. is the one who has the breakthrough, Mark and David marry upstate, adopt a Korean baby and live Happily....

[newintown]

Posted: 11/15/11 at 4:18pm

Curtain, that's why they originally asked Craig Lucas to write the new book many, many years ago - that's the same idea that's at the heart of Prelude To A Kiss. Lucas (wisely, I believe) declined. Parnell took sloppy seconds.

The flaw with the current book is its deadly dullness.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 11/15/11 at 4:29pm

But the drag idea wouldn't work in this instance, because it's very vital to the story that a distinction is made between David and Melinda as two separate people, even though they're so intimately connected at the same time.

I don't think the new book is flawless by any means, but what I think Peter Parnell has done really nicely is give Dr. Bruckner an incentive to want to help David through Melinda. Yes, he's falling in love with her, but Bruckner realizes that Melinda's confidence and vivacity are the very things David is missing in his life in order to realize his full potential, and that gives him a reason to continue his interaction with her that isn't entirely selfish. By the end, Melinda has helped David find those gifts inside himself through Mark and, simultaneously, helped Mark find the courage to move on and embrace love again. Have they fleshed out the execution of that completely yet? No. But, conceptually, it's a beautiful touch, and I think they'll get there.

If the actor playing David doubled in both roles, it removes that element of separation entirely, especially given the fact that Melinda was a real person who existed within the story and isn't just a spectral presence.

Updated On: 11/15/11 at 04:29 PM

[ncgator]

Posted: 11/15/11 at 6:11pm

It's funny, I only get to NY once every 18 months or so, and every time there is one show I get tickets for way in advance before any reviews are out thinking it will be a big hit. Those have included Dance of the Vampires, The Woman in White, and Lestat. Is On a Clear Day my "big hit" for my January trip? (To be totally honest, though, I kind of enjoyed two of the three prior mistakes.)
Updated On: 11/15/11 at 06:11 PM