Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater- Page 3

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 7/28/16 at 10:48am

About two hours, with one intermission.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 7/28/16 at 10:48am

I see that After Eight has gotten into the liquor cabinet again.

[John Adams]

Posted: 7/28/16 at 11:39am

Good or bad, it's an early work from a team I think was one of the best combinations of composer/lyricist for musical theater ever. Menken remained an amazing composer after Ashman's death, but (IMO) never found a lyricist that matched Ashman's level. Also IMO, some were so poor that I felt they insulted the memory of what once was...

Because this is such an early work, I want to hear it and listen for the hints of where they would eventually be going.

Even if the score/show are horrible, I can excuse a lot as being an "overly ambitious", early attempt.  ...Rosewater is a book where its plot is almost secondary to its symbolism. Just the name of its central character alone holds deeper meaning (in regards to the plot) than might be explainable in the format of a musical.

I don't know if my thoughts above are accurate, as I'm not able to see Encore's production, but I'm very excited to know that there will most likely be a recording to dive into!

[Taryn]

Posted: 7/28/16 at 12:23pm

I left the show completely overwhelmed last night.  I'm a big fan of the book, which was my introduction to Vonnegut's work back when I was in high school.  He's one of my favorite authors, and I find his work so aggressively humanitarian within all its oddness and it's always touched something really deep in my heart.

Whether or not it's a perfect show, I was completely won over.  I found myself crying freely during Eliot and Sylvia's last phone call and Eliot's 11 o'clock moment.  This book has always been something of an ache for me: whether a person is insane for eschewing their own fortune to throw it at people seen as worthless, the question of whether any person is actually worthless, the fact that Eliot and Sylvia love each other deeply and are both good people, but they both need something so different that they can't end up together.  (There's a great moment in the book that's not in the musical where Sylvia, in the midst of her recovery, insists that Eliot is absolutely sane and that he's doing the right thing, even if it almost killed her.)

I absolutely need that cast album they're hoping to do!

[mamaleh]

Posted: 7/28/16 at 1:47pm

I had read the novel many years ago and although I liked it, I remembered practically nothing about it, nor had I ever seen Off-Broadway production.  So I went into GBYMR last night cold, with no expectations.  I found it charming, tuneful, funny and deliciously caustic in societal comment.  Up in the mid-mezz, some lyrics could not be heard, but what I did hear was so clever, I was once again reminded how much the musical theater lost with the immensely talented Howard Ashman's untimely passing. Mencken's melodies were alternately bouncy and beautiful, perfectly serving the very full book. It was good to see him join the cast on stage after the performance.

Speaking of unheard bits, I heard laughter emanating after someone said "1828"--can't remember if it was from a line of dialogue or a lyric.  But I couldn't make out what directly preceded it.  Does anyone remember what that referred to?

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 7/28/16 at 3:34pm

Whizzer thoughts mirror mine pretty well.  It was odd, and not always in a good way.  Surreal moments are mixed with realistic ones, without a clear message as to why which are which, nor direction as to which are actually real and which aren't.

I found many of the performances able.  The ensemble is mostly charming despite playing characters that are mostly grating.  I especially enjoyed Skyler Astin, but Clark Johnson was painful, reading the script as if it were his first time through in a high school drama class.

[Taryn]

Posted: 7/28/16 at 9:25pm

For anyone interested, here's a YouTube playlist of the 1979 demos from the show.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/28/16 at 10:20pm

So that was...interesting. I thought a lot of act one worked "well". But act two was just a mess. It was maybe 40 minutes long and 25 of those minutes should have been thrown out. I have to collect my thoughts before posting more on this one.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/28/16 at 11:55pm

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. The crowd was extremely enthusiastic. Mencken was in the audience and seemed visibly moved over this production of his early and forgotten show.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 12:01am

I heard that they did a fair amount of cutting and if that is true it would be interesting to know what was cut. I imagine most of it was text. It was running close to 2 and a half hours and it was simply too long for James E Jones.

For those of you that were around in the late 70's.......,Did it run only 47 performances because it bombed or was it done by a shoe string theatre company that could not afford a long run? Was it Off Broadway or Off Off.

 I found myself liking some of the melodies and I have been humming Since You Came To This Town ever since I saw it and it was the first time I had seen or heard the show. 

[Taryn]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 12:12am

I wasn't around in the 70s, but the oral history someone linked earlier talked a bit about why it didn't run longer.  Basically: the only Off-Broadway venue available at the time was too large and traditional for the piece to thrive, but they didn't want to wait.  A lot of the charm got lost in the space, and then the reviews weren't kind.  Hence the fairly quick closing.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 12:36am

What do you mean, Smooth, about being too long for James Earl Jones?

Yeah, I linked the oral history on LCT's site that goes into the specifics--but it's basically what Taryn said.  Kurt Vonnegut was such a fan that he asked his daughter to produce it immediately and she, apparently, thinks she did a poor job--not waiting for a smaller theatre, etc.  At any rate, regardless, it got mixed to negative reviews it seems which sealed the deal. 

It's fascinating to me to see such mixed reactions.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 12:37am

The theater where it originally opened was the Entermedia theater also known as the Eden. Remember seeing Grease there I believe and a quick folding musical called Smith starring Don Murray. It is now a multiplex in the east village. As I recall, it was the size of a large Broadway house

[Tom-497]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 12:39am

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT

 

 

I just got back from this evening's performance. I thought it was mostly excellent -- as entertaining, involving, and thought-provoking as anything I've seen in quite awhile. My only really significant criticism is that the show ended too abruptly.

 

Regarding one previously discussed song, Cheese Nips -- I thought it was a simultaneously funny and harsh way to prove Eliot's point in Dear Ophelia: "I need answers of my own... The only place to find them is alone." Eliot's wife tries her best to join Eliot in finding answers, but what works for him (hanging around with the poor and disenfranchised in his old hometown) drives her literally insane.

 

Also I didn't find the show as much of an odd hodgepodge as some may have. I thought it was mostly quite coherent (and I had no knowledge of the story or the songs going in). To offer just one example -- I seem to remember "Thank God for the Volunteer Fire Brigade" being set up by various things early on, and then also tied to other things later. For instance, people say "God Bless You" Mr. Rosewater in much the same way they "Thank God for" the Brigade; Mr. "Rosewater" shows an early interest in "combustion"; the money he is constantly giving away is referred to as flowing water; and there's a song where the name "Rosewater" is sung at almost the same moment as the bad-guy lawyer says the name of the Rhode Island town that sounds like "piss on it."

 

In short, I think Eliot's basically being portrayed as a type of financial (and spiritual) firefighter, and the boy shyster is the anti-Rosewater, pissing on the "average Americans" he pretends to celebrate. Also, if I understood things correctly, the "Fire Brigade" song (which is goofy but nevertheless filled with arson and mayhem) gets picked up on late in the play when we learn the dark, sad reason why Eliot is so interested in making friends with firemen.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 1:09am

I saw this tonight, and I rather enjoyed myself. It was a little slow to get going, but I found the score quite infectious. I loved the Act 1 closer, and a lot of Eliot's little solos and interactions with Ophelia. I don't think the story is all that sloppy, but felt this production was quite messy. This is the first Encores show I've seen in a long time when the actors have had scripts in hand, and the first time I've EVER seen an Encores show where the actors are literally reading from a script. Clark Johnson, in one of his big speeches, was fumbling all over the place. Also, he's a Emmy-nominated director, but this is his stage acting debut. Why? They couldn't find anyone else? What did he possibly bring to the show that someone else couldn't have done better? Also, another weird thing, Rebecca Naomi-Jones, who I really enjoy, played all the ensemble females roles while there were 2 other female ensemble members who did NOTHING. Why not allow them to do a few of the other solos? I didn't get that. Naomi-Jones was given a prime part of a prostitute and did nothing with the role. It could have been a scene stealer. And one of the other ensemble girls is studying computer science at Fordham.... What was up with this casting? You have some amazing talents up there - um, hello James Earl Jones and Liz McCartney - with a college student who isn't even pursuing acting and someone who is making their stage debut? Huh? Da faq?! Santino was great. He's very charming and I wanted him to push the character just a little bit more. But he stumbled over his lines here and there as well, but otherwise he was great. Skylar I felt was giving me TV acting, which I get because of his current career, but that's a big ass theater and you're giving me these quite little line readings that didn't quite go over. I didn't understand his character at all. 

I'd recommend going to hear the infectious score and for the sheer fact that no one will produce this commercially ever. But there are some gems, and I think if they cleaned up the book it could be quite fun. I actually liked the little asides they did towards the beginning of the show and it felt very reminiscent of 30 Rock or Family Guy, and I kind of wish they had kept that going. The directing/design just felt sloppy and uninspired. I couldn't believe this was Michael Grief. 

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 1:34am

yeah Clark Johnson was terrible, granted it was an Encores production, but YEESH

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 1:38am

No no no. I've never seen a ENCORES production where the actors are literally just standing there reading from a script. There was a scene between Clark Johnson and Santino and they were both just reading from the script. It was a little disheartening, because maybe the show would have shined a little brighter with some fully-fleshed out choices. But eh. I still liked it. 

But I just don't understand what happened? Did they get the script yesterday? I mean this is Thursday, the 3rd performance. If you're still scrambling for lines (James Earl Jones gets a pass for being...like 83) then WTF. And you've been through a week of rehearsals and tech and you're still wondering what your cues are? What was the process this time around? I'm so baffled. 

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 5:44am

I don't think the Times review has been posted.  Isherwood seems to have more or less liked it, though he says Vonnegut's satire isn't suited to the stage.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/29/theater/review-a-vonnegut-madman-tangled-in-thickets-of-dark-satire.html?_r=0

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 6:21am

Mr Roxy said: "The theater where it originally opened was the Entermedia theater also known as the Eden. Remember seeing Grease there I believe and a quick folding musical called Smith starring Don Murray. It is now a multiplex in the east village. As I recall, it was the size of a large Broadway house

 

"

Yeah, it's definitely bigger than you'd want for this show. Best Little Whorehouse played there too before quickly moving to Broadway. As did many rock shows--this Talking Heads concert which played at some point between Whorehouse and Rosewater, in the first few mins, gives some sense of the size https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5P62YyApSKA&autoplay=1

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 9:15am

Who is Clark Johnson?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 9:56am

Saw Superman and Waltz and did not see them reading from the scripts.Almost everyone read from them last night. Looks like they concentrated on memorizing the musical and dance numbers and read from the script for everything else.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 10:01am

I'm a huge Menken and Ashman fan and was very much looking forward to it. Must confess, I hated it and thought the score entirely UNremarkable. If it is recorded, I doubt I'd listen to it again.

And the scripts were SO obnoxious. Those acting editions are too small for anyone to read in that environment. And who the hell is Clark Johnson? Has he ever acted before in his life?

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 10:01am

I'm a huge Menken and Ashman fan and was very much looking forward to it. Must confess, I hated it and thought the score entirely UNremarkable. If it is recorded, I doubt I'd listen to it again.

And the scripts were SO obnoxious. Those acting editions are too small for anyone to read in that environment. And who the hell is Clark Johnson? Has he ever acted before in his life?

[Cesare2]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 10:12am

FWIW, here's the theater where Rosewater ran for 49 performances:

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/290

"The Golden Apple," "Once Upon a Mattress," "Oh! Calcutta!" were some of the other shows that opened there. 

I think I read that one of the problems with using the theater was that sections of the 1200-seat theater were roped off because the show was operating under an off-Broadway contract.  Even if the show sold out, it was playing to more than a half empty house.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 7/29/16 at 11:43am

Those acting editions are too small for anyone to read in that environment.

 

The books were not the acting edition of the script, they were made to look like different Kilgore Trout novels (the author that Eliot is obsessed with). I was in the third row, I could clearly see the covers. Maybe it turned out to be a poor decision because of the size, but at least there was an effort to hide the scripts and work them into the show itself.

 

Also, plenty of the kids in RUNAWAYS had scripts with them onstage, just to name a recent Encores show. I don't recall them reading them as closely, but to be fair, the actors in ROSEWATER were really only using them for the dialogue scenes, while RUNAWAYS had almost no dialogue.

Updated On: 7/29/16 at 11:43 AM