MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG First Performance... — Page 9

Saw it this afternoon and truly loved it. The three leads were terrific. Keenan-Bolger impressively navigated the very difficult first scene with humor, maturity and a lack of shrewishness. She, Donnell and Miranda were wonderful throughout. Lapine was in top form. Wolfe and Stanley could not have been better.

The second act still drags, and I would think that ideally, for the sake of the pacing of the act, the "Musical Husbands" scene needs to be condensed, somehow bringing Gussie's sexy stage number and "It's a Hit" into a single musical number. "The Blob"/"Good Thing Going" scene is also too long.

But the end of act II was emotionally riveting. The theme of lost illusions did not seem a sour exercise in bitterness with this company and Lapine's solid direction.

I am one of those odd ducks who greatly prefers Merrily to Follies. This afternoon, I not only felt this production deserves a Broadway transfer. I also had the feeling that if this were a new musical it would be considered the best new show in a very long time.

Updated On: 2/19/12 at 11:02 PM

"The second act still drags, and I would think that ideally, for the sake of the pacing of the act, the "Musical Husbands" scene needs to be condensed, somehow bringing Gussie's sexy stage number and "It's a Hit" into a single musical number. "

This is precisely how it was usually done in the revised version--until now. I admit making the song a big production number sounds fun,but...

"As someone who went into the show last night with no prior knowledge of it, I have to agree. I was so moved by it that it's almost hard for me to believe that it was originally a "flop." By far my favorite Sondheim show that I've seen"

-My thoughts exactly, agreed a 100%-

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^I can understand that Eric. I liked the number itself. A lot. And Stanley was outstanding (I couldn't believe she was the same woman who played April in the Company revival, her performance and look was so different - although I liked her very much in Company). I actually like every single component of the second act. But I just feel the act is too long, its individual glories overpowering the delicate emotional arc of the reverse narrative. Viewed as a series of numbers and scenes, the act seems to be in great shape - but as a whole it bogs down.

I had no idea the condensing of the first scene was one tactic used in another production so thanks for mentioning that. That may have only shed a few minutes, ljay, but, I wouldn't be surprised if every little bit might count a lot in aiding the momentum. In my mind a minute here and minute there makes a big difference in a reverse chronology because the audience already has the feeling of being in a time warp.

Saw this at Encores a week ago and loved it. The ending was so beautiful and poignant. I'm listening to the OBCR right now and had a question about the original production. I know about a lot of the changes that have been made to the show in subsequent productions, but I wondered in the original why Frank sang the first "Not a Day Goes By" instead of Beth. It looks like it comes in the same place in the show as it does now, but I was just wondering if it came in the same slot and was Frank telling Beth that he was still in love with her. Thanks in advance, Merrily experts!