Am I the only one excited about Merrily?????- Page 3

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 8:37pm

Intermission in Paramus, NJ. Show is sold out. Some seats in the first two rows, and I'm unfortunately stuck in the second row, straining my neck.
Great production so far!

[Huey's Pop]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 8:42pm

Just picked up our tickets in long beach, CA. The show is 20 percent sold.

[iflip4musicals]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 8:47pm

Intermission here, such a beautiful production! I am not alone, perhaps 70 people (I'm not the best judge of numbers).

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 10:01pm

Saw this in London in June, an amazing night of musical theatre. Perfect in every way

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 10:05pm

I hope this production comes to NY in the flesh at some point!

[jasonf]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 10:06pm

I loved it. I'd seen Merrily about 15 years ago, and this new production made me see it in a whole new light.

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 10:14pm

Wow, would be great to see this production on Broadway. Would not be surprised if Roundabout eventually transfers it, like they did with SUNDAY.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 10:34pm

I had a great time. Saw it in Times Square and the theater had said they'd even sold out for quite a while now but there were entire rows of empty seats which was odd.

I thoroughly enjoyed the production, but there were a few things that kept me from "loving" it. The little boys British accent was laughable. And as much as I adores Jenna Russell, I honest to God thought she was playing it as a lesbian her attraction to Frank was so nonexistent in this, I really did wonder about it. Please, somebody tell me I'm not alone in thinking this. Lol

And usually the ending of the show just has me sobbing, but my eyes didn't even water up tonight. I can't place my finger on exactly why, though.

Updated On: 10/23/13 at 10:34 PM

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 10:43pm

"Who wants to start a petition to have the ads continue so After Eight won't spend time on here anymore? I'll find a way to finance it myself."

How about a petition so After Eight won't spend time on here anymore, period?


But seriously, that was just terrific (with the exception of little Frankie's nonexistent American accent).

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 10:43pm

Can someone help me out with the very last scene? SPOILER ALERT - When Frank removes his jacket and is holding a script in his hands, which prior scene or time period was this meant to evoke? I couldn't place it.

Thanks!

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 11:06pm

It's going back to his very first entrance, I believe.

I just got back and wow! That was an amazing and beautiful production. I felt like it was very well done and the acting was superb. Besides the Encores! recording, this is the first time hearing some of the score and seeing the show in any way. I loved it and would love to see it again or download it from Digital Theatre if it becomes available. A job well done by all!

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 11:12pm

I can't believe you didn't see Jenna's attraction to Frank, Jordan. My entire group was floored and we all ached for her.

I've never been a fan of MERRILY. I've never been able to find the glimmer of genius everyone else seems to find. Until tonight.

Marie Friedman has done a masterful job with this work. It still doesn't succeed. I doubt it ever will. Frank is just such a scumbag. But the cast... Especially Jenna Russell... wow.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 11:18pm

I really didn't see it. However, I did see you after the show but you were surrounded by people so didn't want to interrupt.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 11:36pm

I mostly loved it. Beth's accent was really atrocious, though once I pretended she was Jessica Hamby I liked her a lot better. And it was the version where Gussie throws the iodine which was a surprise!

What made me crazy was that thing at the beginning. Nothing irritates me more than showing me scenes of what I'm about to see in ten minutes, instead of just showing me what I paid to see in the first place. And one of them said the moments in the show couldn't be just snapshots and the next person said the moments in the show were just snapshots and then at one point we had to listen to what people in Australia like to do to have fun... It was truly unnecessary. It should have played before it started or at intermission. I thought it was treading over-trod ground for people who knew the show and was pretty spoilerific if you were seeing it for the first time.

I went with two friends who didn't know the show at all. One liked it and one didn't. The one who didn't said at intermission, "It's just so... depressing."

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 11:48pm

Funny, Phyllis, I was bitching during the entire backstage thing and then finally went to the bathroom. It was so frustrating to see the scenes I was about to watch.

Next time say hi, Jordan!

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 11:50pm

To the others that posted after me - can you help me out with that last scene?

Was he having a revelation in 70's Hollywood after remembering how it all started in '58?

[catmandoo]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 11:57pm

I loved it. I've always loved this show sine I saw it at Baldwin Wallace College my sophomore year (With Jill Paice as Beth, actually, her freshman year.)

My partner said "It was okay. The second act was better." and from him, that's high praise.

But I had a good time.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/23/13 at 11:59pm

Honestly, I've never seen it with that device. I got it in that it was tying the end to the beginning but I don't know what that screenplay(?) was supposed to be.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 12:02am

It's the screenplay to FOLLIES.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 12:04am

Maria Friedman said in an interview it's supposed to be the script for "Take A Left".

[cardamon]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 12:06am

I thought he was just closing his eyes and breathing in to take a mental photograph of the moment because he was so happy (he had mentioned doing that earlier in the show). But I have no idea why they took his jacket off.

[BwayTday]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 12:07am

I thought Jenna Russell was the best out of the three (very good) leads. Her performance was devastating. The whole cast was pretty wonderful to me. The chemistry between the leads really held the piece together I think. I had accepted that the accents were going to be terrible so they didn't bother me too much.

As for the show, I'm very familiar with it, but I've never seen it done. It is still one of my favorite Sondheim shows but I think there are problems inherent in the structure that it will never overcome. It's not even the characters' un-likeablity in beginning, but that the character development of each fills out from top-to-bottom. It's extremely interesting to analyze (because I think the writing is brilliant) but not exactly satisfying. It's so goddamn depressing, but I don't mind that necessarily. I'm going to wait to see a live production, hopefully this one will eventually transfer (with a different set) because I really liked the direction. All that being disjointedly said, the last scene was just so fantastic and pretty perfect musical theatre.

(Oh and this post really doesn't need to be longer, but I read the end as it going back to the 70s, because didn't he have the script in the opening number as well? Or am I imagining that?)
Updated On: 10/24/13 at 12:07 AM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 12:17am

I thought Franklin (I don't know his real name) did a credible job of bringing some likability to the character in the early scenes, which is no easy feat.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 12:24am

I saw it tonight and I thought it was wonderful! I saw it in Tampa Florida and the theatre was about 60 percent full! That's more than I had expected! I really hope they put this on DVD sometime in the near future.

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 10/24/13 at 12:36am

<------Heisenbaby



Was not familiar with this work. Saw it tonight for the first time. (Theater in Danbury, CT was 40% full according to the ticket taker.)

In addition to Mary and Frank, was there an unrequited romance between Charley and Frank? It felt like it, especially the way Charley said "I love you," and tried to warn Frank he didn't need to get married.

I thought the behind-the-scenes film at the beginning was misplaced. When I see a show, I want to see it and enjoy it first, then analyze it later. Were they trying to mimic the structure of the play? In any event, poorly done, fail.

My husband didn't care for it all. He said after the opening scene you could predict where it was heading. Maybe that's one of the reasons the show wasn't popular with audiences in the past.

I liked many of the actors. My main issue with the show was the beginning scenes didn't pack as much of a punch as they might have because we didn't know the characters yet. Also, I never understood what Mary did in the group. Was she just overall a "friend."

Overall I would give it a C. It was okay.








Updated On: 10/24/13 at 12:36 AM