Had Assassins transferred to Broadway in 1990...- Page 2

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 12:55am

David Zippel's lyrics for City of Angels are intensely clever, engaging, and wholly original. The lyrics for "It Needs Work" alone are award- worthy.

"In that case, I think "Assassins" would have replaced "Will Rogers" or "Once On This Island." If it replaced "Will Rogers," who the hell knows"

B3TA07: You think that, speculatively, Assassins would've replaced the actual Best Musical Winner as a nominee? Really?

[B3TA07]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 12:57am

Yes. My days of J/K are over.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 1:00am

Hmmm. Why do you think it WON in that year then, if it was the fourth favorite nominee, ready to be bumped out? Did the commitees really have such intensely differing opinions/ agendas?

[B3TA07]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 1:04am

In the world of my opinions, I am the Tony Committee.

And I like "Miss Saigon," "Aspects of Love," "City of Angels," "The Secret Garden," "Once On This Island," "Assassins," and even "Lestat" more than "The Will Rodgers Follies."

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 1:06am

OH. I understand. I agree with you. I like all of those shows/ scores (except Lestat) better than Will Rogers Follies as well.

I just didn't think that had anything to do with the question. (Not trying to be snarky at all; I just didn't understand what you meant.)

[B3TA07]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 1:08am

I think that the Will & Grace episode that your signature quote is from is on.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 1:28am

I can't find Will and Grace on TV right now! What channel are you watching?

P.S. Sorry Sondheim, Cy Coleman, and everyone else for shameless thread- jacking.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 1:35am

The CW but a new episode's on now. 8(

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 6:02pm

It was generally agreed that WILL ROGERS FOLLIES won in 1991 mainly because the Tony voters did not want to award their top prize to another huge British spectacle. Even if SAIGON was beter than PHANTOM which had won 3 seasons earlier. Still, there was a concern at the time that the Tonys should encourage American made musicals. It was a fun year because no one knew for sure going in which musical would win.

I think the score fro WRF is the weakest of the four. The book is no great shakes either. But Tommy Tune's stageing was dazzling and that helped a lot.

There was also the backlash against Cameron Mackintosh for canceling the production when Equity refused to allow Lea Salonga and Jonathan Pryce to come over from London to do it. (Equity relented, and both actors won Tonys.)

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 7:59pm

Are people forgetting that Assassins got creamed by the critics in 1991? Even Frank Rich, as passionate a Sondheim fan as anyone, wrote a downbeat review in The New York Times. I vaguely recall that the only critics who wrote favorable reviews for it were Michael Kuchwara for Associated Press, and Ken Mandelbaum for TheatreWeek. The Golden Theatre was being held for it for a transfer, which didn't end up happening, and the show closed up shop at Playwrights after the end of its limited engagement. It was the release of the cast recording, with Michael Starobin's full orchestration (instead of the three piece accompaniment at Playwrights) that turned people around to the virtues of Sondheim's score, particularly in its fractured versions of American popular music over a 100 year period. Had it opened on Broadway, it probably would not have replaced any of the musicals that ended up getting nominated, although it could possibly have bumped out The Secret Garden, which also didn't open to especially strong reviews.

Assassins turned out to be a show that the critics eventually caught up with, giving much better reviews to the Roundabout revival - in some cases, earning respect from the same critics who dismissed it at Playwrights. (We're certainly living in a different world now). But had it moved to Broadway in '91, it would probably not have been much of a contender for the big awards.

Updated On: 7/28/07 at 07:59 PM

[B3TA07]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 8:03pm

Had it transferred, is it possible the full orchestrations would have been instated in the production?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 8:10pm

Well, not with what is on the recording, which uses 30+ pieces for some songs. But I'd imagine they would have used a small band to fill out the sound. There is not much room at the Golden for any more than 9 or 10 pieces, at most. I believe the Roundabout production had an orchestra of 15?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 8:15pm

Here is Frank Rich's take on the original production.

"One need not agree with Mr. Sondheim's cynical view of history and humanity to feel that "Assassins" has the potential to be an extraordinarily original piece of theater. In its Off Broadway premiere, unfortunately, that potential is unfulfilled."

Frank Rich on Assassins

Updated On: 7/28/07 at 08:15 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/28/07 at 8:30pm

I'd also link Stephen Holden's appraisal of the Assassins cast recording in The New York Times, which helped turn around perception of the score. But the Times website is having some sort of problem pulling up that story. The headline though, is "Assassins is now dead right," which will give you an idea of the impact of that recording.