Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 1:51am

I am really excited (well, excited, and scared) about how this show will go over at Encores.  When I was an Menken obsessed kid, I listened to the demo and live cast album--and a friend, who hated musicals, told me that it would make a great musical.  (I never read the book).

And this oral history of the show is worth a read.  I really hope it gets a recording.

http://www.nycitycenter.org/Home/Blog/July-2016/Rosewater-Oral-History?fullsite=true

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 1:57am

And this performance from the Ashman tribute is pretty great https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EciSm7T-g6c

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 9:28am

Did anybody see the dress last night? Wondering what roles everyone is playing besides Skylar and Santino. Thanks.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 9:31am

Seeing the show tonight. Will report back.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:09am

Seeing it tomorrow night.

[Crazy NooNooHead]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:21am

My mom was at the dress rehearsal and said that it took a little while to get going, but once it did, she liked it a lot. She thought the cast was great, and Brynn O'Malley's number was her favorite. She also loved Jeanine Tesori's speech. I can't go into too many details because I wasn't actually there, but I'm seeing it on Friday and I'm looking forward to it.

[Taryn]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 11:02am

I'm going tonight. I'm pretty excited! I've never heard the score, but I've always wanted to; I'm a huge fan of both Menken & Ashman and Kurt Vonnegut.  Rosewater was actually my very first Vonnegut novel back when I was in high school and made me fall in love with his work.

[BroadwayKiwi]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 12:17pm

I was there through the generosity of a friend involved and LOVED it. It's weird, bizarre, but brilliant. 

The roles other than Skylar and Santino and Brynn are mostly doubled and tripled etc, and all pretty minor parts, except for Mr Jones as the "author" in an amazing monologue.

See this if you can. Wonderful numbers and cast, sounding great with the band.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 12:30pm

I'm ridiculously excited for this production.  Sadly I'm in Florida right now, so I won't be able to see it.  Hopefully this will lead to a long awaited cast album for this show.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 12:31pm

I am so devastated, no hyperbole, just utterly heartbroken that I have to miss this show. Working far away. This is one of my favorite scores. Howard Ashman is my hero. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 12:34pm

BroadwayKiwi, is Brynn playing Sylvia, then?

[BroadwayKiwi]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 1:17pm

neonlightsxo said: "BroadwayKiwi, is Brynn playing Sylvia, then?

 

"

That's right, she is. She's hilarious and devastating. So good...

[BroadwayKiwi]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 1:18pm

Ms Tesori in her speech (and my friend privately) both mentioned that the aim is to record an album

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 2:52pm

I was at the dress and the piece itself held my interest. Fontana handled his role with amusing levity and he simply has one of the best Broadway voices of his generation. The vocals were quite lovely across the board. Skyler was  pushing a tad but I suspect he will find his groove. Mayer directs well without a heavy hand. There is an upstage platform which is a little clunky hindering sightlines and it is compromised by hanging postcards.  It may be an issue on the 2nd tier.   

[gypsy101]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 2:58pm

BroadwayKiwi said: "Ms Tesori in her speech (and my friend privately) both mentioned that the aim is to record an album "

YES! the world needs this unrecorded Alan Menken & Howard Ashman score.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 4:20pm

BroadwayKiwi said: "Ms Tesori in her speech (and my friend privately) both mentioned that the aim is to record an album

 

"
YES!!

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 7:47pm

Total Menken fan and can't wait to see this! Going tomorrow night! 

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 8:52pm

How was Kate Wetherhead?

[BroadwayKiwi]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 8:57pm

CindersGolightly said: "How was Kate Wetherhead?

 

"

Really funny and sounded great with solo moments

[JBroadway]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 9:40pm

Wow! What a blast! Not a perfect show by any means, but so charming. Amazing cast. Will say mode when I get home. 

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:03pm

I think I actually may cry over missing this. God bless you, Howard Ashman. 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:16pm

What was that? One of the weirder musicals I've seen, and not really in a good way. It should have been called God Bless You, Mr Fontana for somehow using your remarkable innate charm and charisma to somehow almost hold the piece together. How the hell did that bizarro jamboree end up being the best thing about this Encores series?!

At times I got a sort of How to Succeed vibe from the thing, but you know without the Loesser score or any fleshed out characters, save Santino's Rosewater. There were a couple ok songs and a few poignant moments, but I thought overall they got lost in the shuffle of the rest of the hodgepodge that was going on. There is a reason this show isn't performed often. It's an oddity, not an undiscovered gem. 

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:18pm

You're breaking my heart Whizzer!  I can't comment on the show, and maybe I'm blinded from listening to the demo repeatedly as a kid, but I think the entire score is pretty terrific at any rate.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:24pm

Same, it has many of my favorite songs from any Off-Broadway musical. 

Since You Came To This Town

Thirty Miles From the Banks of the Ohio

Look Who's Here

I, Eliot Rosewater

A Firestorm Consuming Indianapolis 

Dear Ophelia

Plain, Clean, Average Americans

 

at least in the demos, I think these are all absolutely killer numbers. 

Updated On: 7/27/16 at 10:24 PM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:31pm

Part of how a score must be assessed is how it works in context. 

Thank God for the Volunteer Fire Brigade? What exactly is terrific about that song? Sure it's wacky, but it comes out of nowhere, sung by characters we haven't met before and won't be seen from again, except for Mr Rosewater.  It's a surreal, what the hell is going on moment. 

What about The Rhode Island Tango? Once again, characters we haven't seen before are given a big spot- we do at least see the Rhode Island relatives again- but they feel both intregal and extraneous to the plot.