Arden Directing "Merrily" In LA- Page 4
Arden Directing "Merrily" In LA
#75Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/4/16 at 9:29am
In truth though, Michael Arden ISNT a terribly experienced director. I believe I read Spring Awakening was the first major thing he directed- and no doubt he received great help on it from a wonderful collaborative team. I think the success of that unique production (coupled with his name as an actor) has put him a bit on an unfortunate pedestal. It sounds like from this production and the reviews of My Fair Lady in Sag Harbor, he is full of lots of ideas but is still finding his way as a director. It's hard to do that when the pressure of "transfer" suddenly looms on your shoulder with every project you take on, just because you scored big in your first outing in the game.
And yes, as I said earlier in the thread, I'm really surprised Maria Friedman's production did not come to the states. I still think that's likely still the production to bring in, if indeed the writers want this to be back in New York anytime soon.
“I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”
#76Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/4/16 at 4:11pm
There's a feature on Arden in the LA Times where he says he wanted to cast different actors to play each lead role in each time period but Sondheim wouldn't allow it because George Furth always intended for them to be played by one actor throughout the show. It sounds like this "shadow selves" idea was his attempt at a compromise.
The first review is out in The Wrap and it's mixed to negative.
http://www.thewrap.com/merrily-we-roll-along-theater-review-stephen-sondheim-wayne-brady/
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Updated On: 12/5/16 at 04:11 PM
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
#77Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/4/16 at 4:12pm
.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
AlfieByrne
Stand-by Joined: 8/12/09
#78Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/4/16 at 11:23pm
LA Times is mostly negative, criticizing the book and the direction while mixed on the individual performances.
Arden’s production reinforced my sense of the show as an insoluble stage conundrum — too enticing to be neglected yet too problematic ever to be a hit.
[...]
If the bond between Brady’s Charley and Lazar’s Franklin still seems theoretical despite the relaxed camaraderie between them, it has at least as much to do with the writing as with the inexact chemistry of Arden’s cast.
[...]
Part of the problem is the direction, which heightens the show’s melodramatic stiffness. Arden adventurously resets the production in a backstage dressing room area that put me in mind of 1970s TV variety shows. (Laffrey, who did the sets as well as the costumes, is better at creating a general theatrical impression than situating us in a specific time or place.) But the opening scene, which culminates in a violent eruption, is totally unconvincing in both its abstract theatricality and florid turn into soap opera.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-merrily-we-roll-along-review-20161201-story.html
#79Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/5/16 at 1:51am
LA Times: "Arden’s production reinforced my sense of the show as an insoluble stage conundrum — too enticing to be neglected yet too problematic ever to be a hit."
This is BS. The show has been successful in other stagings. I've seen it done several times. This one is just particularly BAD and is not indicative of the strength of the material.
"If the bond between Brady’s Charley and Lazar’s Franklin still seems theoretical despite the relaxed camaraderie between them, it has at least as much to do with the writing as with the inexact chemistry of Arden’s cast."
More BS. Blaming the writing for the "inexact chemistry" of Arden's cast is ridiculous.
Part of the problem is the direction, which heightens the show’s melodramatic stiffness. Arden adventurously resets the production in a backstage dressing room area that put me in mind of 1970s TV variety shows.
Part of the problem is the direction? How about ALL of the problem is the direction (which includes decisions about casting, set design, etc.) And Arden "adventurously resets the production in a backstage dressing room area"...? What is so "adventurous" about an ugly set that has no meaning or relevance to the show? (I saw it as being a cheap & dirty way to avoid spending any more $$$ than absolutely necessary.)
"But the opening scene, which culminates in a violent eruption, is totally unconvincing in both its abstract theatricality and florid turn into soap opera."
I agree that the opening scene is totally unconvincing -- just like every scene that follows.
dtlajim
Swing Joined: 4/1/15
#80Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/5/16 at 2:05am
Despite some of the problems alluded to in the LA Times review, I really enjoyed Arden's conception and cast. I love this music and it was very well sung. Many of the problems with the show are really about the book. The music is the star in this show and it survived quite well.
I saw the Lapine revival in the 80's at the La Jolla Playhouse with John Rubenstien and Chip Zien and Heather MacRae, this is not as seamlessly cast or as well directed.
All in all I would defiantly recommend this production if you live in LA. I will probably see again before it closes.
singingbackup
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/3/06
#81Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/5/16 at 11:55am
Peppered Shepherd, how I love you so.
Saw this infuriating production last night and you have expressed everything I am feeling brilliantly. Merrily is one of my favorite Sondheim shows and this production nearly killed that affection. Thankfully, the vocals and the orchestra were up to the task, since Arden was clearly not. The whole backstage 'concept' is such a community theater go-to I want to scream. Never mind that the director did the same thing in his "brilliant" staging of Spring Awakening (sarcasm intended). For those of you who missed Spring Awakening (out here at least) the curtain was already up when you entered the theater and actors and musicians slowly wondered around the stage, prior to curtain, dressing and undressing, setting their props, stretching and reviewing dance moves, warmed up their instruments, voices and fingers. FINGER? Uggh.
Why in God's name did I need to see ensemble members stripping down to their bra and panties for no reason. And the ghost light? Boo. Out of all the great talent in Los Angeles, how did we get saddled with MA as artist-in-residence?
Once again, the vocals and orchestra were wonderful. That's about it.
#82Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/5/16 at 12:30pm
singingbackup said: "Out of all the great talent in Los Angeles, how did we get saddled with MA as artist-in-residence? "
Don't be ridiculous. He might have bitten off more than he can chew with "Merrily" - he certainly wouldn't be the first and won't be the last.
And sorry but you're kidding yourself if you think the book is perfect as-is. The songs are perfect. The book is another story.
#83Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/5/16 at 3:32pm
I find it so ironic that of all shows, Merrily is the one that has a song called "It's a Hit."
Maybe we should give up trying to make the book work and just adapt Best Worst Thing for the stage? I'll happily get on that if there is demand!
http://puccinischronicles.wordpress.com
#84Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/5/16 at 4:29pm
Saw this last night. The main problem for me is that it's just not a good musical. The book is dull and cliched and the music sounds like '70s lounge music you try to ignore when you're on a cruise. The backwards chronology just gets tiresome as it mostly expands on information we already know with little that's revelatory.
I agree that this production seemed too busy, although the shadowing worked for me. I felt that it added poignancy and potency to show that the characters are literally no longer the same people they once were, and the older versions can only stare wistfully and regretfully at their younger selves.
Wayne Brady stole the show with "Franklin Shepard, Inc." but was otherwise unmemorable. The ladies of the cast were the standouts for me, especially Whitney Bashor.
#85Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/5/16 at 11:43pm
the music sounds like '70s lounge music you try to ignore when you're on a cruise.
Wow, really? It's not a very strong show, but the score has three of Sondheim's (arguably) best melodies, "Not a Day Goes By," "Good Thing Going," and "Our Time." Don't think I've ever seen many complaints about the score.
#86Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/6/16 at 1:41am
ljay889 said: "the music sounds like '70s lounge music you try to ignore when you're on a cruise.
Wow, really?
Yeah, the score's dreadful. But I think that way about Sondheim scores in general. Except maybe A Little Night Music.
#87Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/7/16 at 2:43am
Agree with most here. I went in almost completely blind, and I really liked the score, characters, and even the plot but found the overall assembly lacking. It was a somewhat frustrating experience, sitting and watching whilst also imagining a better version in my head (don't know why, but I imagined a film - maybe it's just the "small" showbiz story). The problem, I think, is that there is absolutely no reason to structure the show in reverse. It works very well for Betrayal, in which we learn new information that forces us to reconsider each scene we've already watched, and in which hope and despair collide and swallow each other; but in Merrily the unabashedly upbeat ending doesn't even try to reference the beginning scenes in any way, and we don't gain any insight from seeing the final chapters first. "Not a Day Goes By," for instance, is more moving the second time around because we're familiar with the character, despite the fact that the original song is the longer, more dramatic showstopper. I think this show would be a very compelling slice of life piece if reordered chronologically, save for the final scene on the rooftop, which should stay last - a flashback while Frank despairs over his empty Hollywood life - followed by perhaps an added coda with Frank and Mary.
The production is very well sung and orchestrated, but that's about it. Aaron Lazar's got a tough role - the Marcello Mastroianni type who seems absolutely empty but is secretly filled with dreams, longing, etc. He's a strong singer but a bland actor. Wayne Brady is miscast. Donna Vivino is the best singer of the bunch but her acting in the first scene is quite bad and I was surprised at how little Mary actually had to do other than pine after Frank. Saycon Sengbloh is very brassy and very very hammy; I would've liked to have seen a quieter and more subtly seductive version of the character.
But that's really my complaint with the whole cast. Everyone's doing their best "look ma, I'm in a MUSICAL!" mugging when really this appears to be an intimate, naturalistic play with a nuanced Sondheim score woven in.
As for Arden's direction, it was very ho hum. The dressing room set didn't really add or detract, and the "ghosting" that's been frequently mentioned is hardly noticeable except at the end of each act. I agree with the poster who said he felt like he needed a concept but didn't really follow through, or, for that matter, come up with an original one.
#88Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/7/16 at 1:20pm
The Sondheim show we want to love, but it almost never delivers. There have been so many book revisions (I thought the latest was by James Lapine, but the only credit was Furth's, no mention of Lapine anywhere), that by now it really should have played better than it does. But very little lands during the first two hours. Arden's direction, the choreography and set design are so busy, that it is unclear as to what to look at and when. And for a show that moves backwards, I'm not sure how one is supposed to respond emotionally to three such repugnant characters. Yes, by the end, we know who they WERE, but that's just not enough to make up for the cyphers that they ARE from the beginning. And the use of the "ghosts" (there are too many nods to other Sondheim shows, never a good idea), and having them dance around during all the scene changes, only works for the final few moments. They might as well have been used only then, it would have had the same impact.
As my husband pointed out, MERRILY is much like MACK AND MABEL: about half the score is great, the rest not so much, and when you see it on stage, its impact is never what you hope it will be. Sure I cried at the end, for a variety of reasons, but not the least for the show that might have been.
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#89Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/7/16 at 1:30pm
It's kind of a sign of the times that people are hating on Arden's concept, but not his direction of the performers. The director is responsible for the performances as much as the actors. If Brady is miscast, that's Arden's fault. If someone is acting "too hammy," that's Arden's fault. I just feel like people forget that the director's job is to provide a cohesive show. It's not just about concept. And I don't think this show needs a concept. It's already got enough concept.
#90Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/7/16 at 2:10pm
Was the Maria Friedman production filmed, as is there anywhere to view it? I went in blindly to the Arden production, and I would love to see another production of MERRILY to see if my few issues were with the production or the material.
"I saw Pavarotti play Rodolfo on stage and with his girth I thought he was about to eat the whole table at the Cafe Momus." - Dollypop
#91Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/7/16 at 2:27pm
Yes it was filmed and is available to view
http://www.digitaltheatre.com/news/details/merrily-we-roll-along-available-online-from-today
“I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”
#92Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/7/16 at 2:36pm
I mean, yes, Arden is the first and last person to blame for those problems. Perhaps in my final paragraph I should've said "As for Arden's staging..." but singling out problems with specific performers really wasn't intended as a repudiation or failure to acknowledge auteur theory or something like that. As you say, it's all his failure.
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#93Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/7/16 at 3:02pm
Sorry if that came off as harsh and wasn't trying to single you out! I just feel like people either don't realize or forget that a director is responsible for more than "stand here, move here." Sher is a great director because he gets performances, nurtures performances from actors. And his concepts are usually interesting and gorgeous. Arden, as an actor, seems to be more interested in the concept rather than the performances.
#94Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/7/16 at 5:49pm
QueenAlice said: "Yes it was filmed and is available to view
https://www.digitaltheatre.com/news/details/merrily-we-roll-along-available-online-from-today"
Unfortunately, the Friedman production is no longer available from Digital Theatre. It was only available for a year or so. Those of us who bought it during that time still have access to it, thankfully, but otherwise it is gone. (And since Digitial Theatre uses a special licensed viewer, there is no way to share the video so others might see it.)
There's an interesting interview with Maria Friedman on this very site where she discusses MERRILY in great detail, her approach, its casting, the set, the choreography, etc. Even if you haven't seen her production, it's well worth a read.
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/InDepth-InterView-Maria-Friedman-Talks-MERRILY-WE-ROLL-ALONG-From-Stage-To-Screen-Plus-Sondheim-Comments-20131018
RippedMan said: "I just feel like people either don't realize or forget that a director is responsible for more than "stand here, move here."
From my comments above: Part of the problem is the direction? How about ALL of the problem is the direction (which includes decisions about casting, set design, etc.)
#95Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/7/16 at 8:39pm
RippedMan said: "Sorry if that came off as harsh and wasn't trying to single you out! I just feel like people either don't realize or forget that a director is responsible for more than "stand here, move here." Sher is a great director because he gets performances, nurtures performances from actors. And his concepts are usually interesting and gorgeous. Arden, as an actor, seems to be more interested in the concept rather than the performances.
"
No worries. This is the first Arden I've seen, but really while everyone is vocally well suited to their roles it's a problem of casting and incorrect/mismatched tones. Both of which a more discerning director could have avoided.
#96Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/8/16 at 7:28pm
A positive review:
https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/BWW-Review-Michael-Arden-Reinvigorates-MERRILY-WE-ROLL-ALONG-at-The-Wallis-20161207
#97Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/9/16 at 10:31am
It kills me when I hear the story about the character-identifying shirts. Why couldn't they have just used some projections or a giant clock to signify that the story was moving in reverse?
http://puccinischronicles.wordpress.com
Wildcard
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/21/06
#99Arden Directing 'Merrily' in LA
Posted: 12/16/16 at 1:46pm
Caught the show last night and I was left underwhelmed. The direction and staging was a mess! The setting had nothing much to do with the theme of the show and seeing the ensemble disrobing was not needed. Perhaps it's a way of saying that the show was peeling layers but since the leads weren't really the ones prancing around half-naked, the stunt was meritless. I HATED the use of the younger performers representing the leads. And having them take the place of the trio at the end of lessens the impact when you've been on the journey with the main three actors throughout the whole play, and all of a sudden, you get three new faces playing them at the penultimate point. The highlight of the show was its cast, with Donna Vivino as the standout. I'm usually not a fan of Wayne Brady but he was alright though a bit miscast. An even more unfortunate casting was that of Saycon Sengbloh, while she is an excellent performer, was totally wrong for the role. This production just didn't have the emotional impact of other productions of Merrily that I've seen and LA deserves better.
