MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG Reviews- Page 12

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 12/14/23 at 9:16pm

Jarethan said: " IMO people who did not love their performances went in not wanting to admire their performances."

Well thats silly. I went in expecting Groff to knock my socks off given the reviews and was disappointed by how blah the role is. I actually think i went in expecting too much, not too little. Radcliffe stole the show in his supporting role and I hope the Tonys reward him in the spring.

Re seats: I was in Row E of the Dress Circle, just below the lip of the balcony, and i imagine front balcony is totally fine for this-- everything is played pretty front and center, and the Hudson is built narrowly, making it all feel plenty intimate.

 

[inception]

Posted: 12/22/23 at 10:44pm

Finally saw this tonight.  Does Lindsay Mendez's voice remind anyone else of Helen Reddy just a bit?  It is so warm, like a big blanket you just want to curl up in.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 12/27/23 at 2:56pm

Is there any talk on trying to find a replacement cast? I don't want this show to close.....

[Sytwix]

Posted: 1/4/24 at 7:29am

Reading thru previous posts, looks like Jonathan Groff is out April 16-17 and Daniel Radcliffe is out May 30-June 2. Were there other dates of scheduled absences? I’m looking to buy tickets at the end of March. Thanks!

[Springtime]

Posted: 1/4/24 at 2:03pm

Radcliffe also out 2-3 April.

[KarenValentine'sheadband]

Posted: 1/27/24 at 11:50pm

I can't wait to see this one. The cast recording is spectacular. 

[EthelMae]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 6:30am

Man, some comments here are infuriating.

First, I adore Lindsay Mendez ever since I first saw her in The Marvelous Wonderettes replacing Beth Malone. She also shattered me in Significant Other. 

So, I want to see her in Merrily, not the Understudies. I’m paying top dollar and I’m entitled to see her. If she’s sick the night I go, that would be a disappointment and life would go in. But this is not the scenario here. I don’t need to know why she’s out but if these are planned absences, the Producers have a responsibility to note those dates on ALL ticketing outlets. 

The publicity machine on this show pushes the fact in our faces that these three are amazingly close friends for years. It makes you want to attend the show. They’re doing their job well. So to miss one of the three would be disappointing- to me anyway.   

I had tickets for the Wednesday matinee, January 17th, my birthday. Reading on various chat lines that Ms. Mendez was missing matinees on 2-show days, I exchanged my tickets for Tuesday evening, April 30th. Thank you TodayTix for your amazing customer service. Chat lines informed me of this info- not the Producers of this tremendous hit show. 

These are some of the reasons we’re clutching our pearls over this.  

Updated On: 1/28/24 at 06:30 AM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 10:33am

I finally saw this last week and thought it was just exceptional. I’ve never really appreciated Merrily much, and still don’t know that I love the material, but what Maria Friedman has managed to pull off with this particular combination of actors - and the palpable excitement of nailing one of Sondheim’s most notoriously troubled works - is nothing short of brilliant. I had seen the Encores mounting and walked away actively disliking the show, and mostly felt cold toward the BroadwayHD stream of the West End cast, so I was inclined to dislike this production as well. Boy, was I pleased to be wrong.

Really, the evening lives and dies on the charm of Jonathan Groff. He has to be likable enough to overcome what a jerk Frank is, and he most certainly is. The chemistry between him, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez really is quite remarkable, given they weren’t actually friends before this rehearsal process. You can feel how lived in their performances are, and it lends the evening that glimmer of hope I’ve always felt was crucially missing from the show each of the other times I’ve encountered it.

My one gripe is that the character of Gussie is… insufferable. For a show that doesn’t actively paint her as a villain - and I’m not sure if it was Maria Friedman’s directorial choice or Krystal Joy Brown’s performance - every time she comes onstage, all I could think was “Ugh, her again.” It adds stakes to the Mary-Frank-Beth dynamic, but at the expense of a character that should feel as well-rounded as everyone else. I give a lot of credit to Lindsay Mendez and Katie Rose Clarke for adding three-dimensionality to pretty underwritten characters, but Krystal Joy Brown seems to just be playing unlikable as though it’s a character trait.

Issues with Gussie aside, this was one of my favorite theatregoing experiences to-date, and well worth the money spent. Would I see it again for full price? Certainly not; the prices are genuinely crazy. But as a “You just need to experience it” splurge, it really took me exactly where it intended.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 10:50am

And I think Gussie IS an awful, opportunistic person. She married both Reg and Frank for what it could DO for her. (And let's not mention going after another woman's husband - which doesn't, at all , take responsibility away from him for his actions.

I have to admit, this is the only production of Merrily I've ever seen...so perhaps my opinion is tainted. 

[inception]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 11:57am

ColorTheHorse, I'm curious about what it was about the Encores production that made you feel that way?  Was it just a weaker performance from the actor playing Frank than what Groff is doing?

I listened mainly to that version's recording before seeing this new production.  The recording seems good, but it was done in a studio later.  I guess I  like the orchestra & LMM's performance as Charley the most on the recording.

Updated On: 1/28/24 at 11:57 AM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 1:06pm

I find telling the story in reverse without any “reason” kind of renders it dramatically inert. It’s a lot of filling us in on who’s who and how they relate to the main trio and it comes off as clunky exposition. In a concert staging put up in two weeks and running for a weekend, there’s not much that can be done other than presenting it straightforward. But also, yes, I find Jonathan Groff’s Frank infinitely more charming and likable than I found Colin Donnell’s.

The Encores recording is perhaps the best pure “recording” of the Merrily score, but it’s also not one of my faves as far as Sondheim goes, so it doesn’t mean much to me in that respect. And the acting is… fine, if uninspired. But this revival’s recording captures a lot of the energy of the performances, which is really what makes this revival work so well: the acting.

There’s also a lot to be said for the way Maria Friedman has directed it, and how crystal clear the storytelling is. Her care for telling the story and nailing the heart of it is everywhere. The visual thread of the red manuscript and the initially cheesy “Don’t write what you know; write what you know” have a satisfying payoff because of the subtle ways her direction draws attention to them. You could hear every piece that fell into place in the audience, and it really feels like such a rare thing to have an audience like that acknowledge such small details. It’s something a concert mounting - no matter how successful - could likely never achieve.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 5:20pm

lets cut her a break. we don't know what's going on in her private life.

a little kindness - goes a long way. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 1/28/24 at 6:45pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "I find telling the story in reverse without any “reason” kind of renders it dramatically inert. It’s a lot of filling us in on who’s who and how they relate to the main trio and it comes off as clunky exposition. In a concert staging put up in two weeks and running for a weekend, there’s not much that can be done other than presenting it straightforward. But also, yes, I find Jonathan Groff’s Frank infinitely more charming and likable than I found Colin Donnell’s.

The Encores recording is perhaps the best pure “recording” of the Merrily score, but it’s also not one of my faves as far as Sondheim goes, so it doesn’t mean much to me in that respect. And the acting is… fine, if uninspired. But this revival’s recording captures a lot of the energy of the performances, which is really what makes this revival work so well: the acting.

There’s also a lot to be said for the way Maria Friedman has directed it, and how crystal clear the storytelling is. Her care for telling the story and nailing the heart of it is everywhere. The visual thread of the red manuscript and the initially cheesy “Don’t write what you know; write what youknow” have a satisfying payoff because of the subtle ways her direction draws attention to them. You could hear every piece that fell into place in the audience, and it really feels like such a rare thing to have an audience like that acknowledge such small details. It’s something a concert mounting - no matter how successful - could likely never achieve."

I agree with everything you said, except your first sentence.  I think it would be much less impactful in telling the story in chronological order.  By the end of the actual show, I felt terrible thinking about what was going to happen to these innocent, hopeful, talented people.  Even with that, because it ended with such a beautiful, hopeful song, you didn't leave the theatre depressed. 

Told in chronological order, I think the show would become dreary and hopeless, as their relationship falls apart and possibly becomes irreparable.  The audience would leave the theatre burned out and desperately wanting a drink.  By ending when they are young, the irony of knowing what becomes of them makes it both heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time, which is quite an achievement.

I have to admit that I like the fact that the Josie character is not in the final scenes.  While excellently played, her character is just so awful that it is good to be rid of her.  

The other thing I like is that it keeps you on your toes more, making you think a lot more than if it was told in a very conventional chronology.  

[MezzA101]

Posted: 1/30/24 at 5:19pm

I was unable to update the Lindsay Mendez thread but this interview may be of interest to her fans who want to see her in "Merrily," especially the possibility of a wedding before the show closes.

 

Lindsay Mendez Merrily Rolls Along With New Friendships and a Family

https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a46570963/lindsay-mendez-merrily-rolls-along-with-new-friendships-and-a-family/

[Springtime]

Posted: 1/30/24 at 5:40pm

The interview doesn't provide any explanation for her absences and states she is filming the Ryan Murphy television show on her day off. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 1/30/24 at 5:46pm

Springtime said: "The interview doesn't provide any explanation for her absences and states she is filming the Ryan Murphy television show on her day off."

 

Well thank god she's got YOU keeping close tabs on her!

 

[FLarnhill]

Posted: 1/30/24 at 6:14pm

PipingHotPiccolo said: "Jarethan said: "IMO people who did not love their performances went in not wanting to admire their performances."

Well thats silly. I went in expecting Groff to knock my socks off given the reviews and was disappointed by how blah the role is. I actually think i went in expecting too much, not too little. Radcliffe stole the show in his supporting role and I hope the Tonys reward him in the spring.

Re seats: I was in Row E of the Dress Circle, just below the lip of the balcony, and i imagine front balcony is totally fine for this-- everything is played pretty front and center, and the Hudson is built narrowly, making it all feel plenty intimate.

Huh? Frank is easily the more interesting character compared to Charley, and Groff outshone Radcliffe at every turn (he was good, still).

[AKarp2013]

Posted: 2/5/24 at 4:05pm

Have there been any rumblings about a further extension through the remainder of the summer in lieu of potential Tony love? I could see them doing one final extension through the remainder of the summer and closing out Labor Day weekend. Or does it simply revolve around the desire of the leads?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/5/24 at 7:05pm

Not sure what the Tonys would have to do with any possible extention, it relies on the stars availability and ticket sales.  And since the show hasn't had an unsold seat it's entire run, it really is availability (of course, who knows when sales could slow) The buzz has always been that their contracts always were prepared for the July date.

[Springtime]

Posted: 2/5/24 at 8:59pm

A second press push started last week with new interviews, and there was a Broadway.com interview with Paul Wonterek filmed last Thursday with Radcliffe, Groff and Mendez (not released yet). 

Updated On: 2/5/24 at 08:59 PM

[tomwsjr]

Posted: 2/5/24 at 9:48pm

Is Mendez still only doing 5-6 performances a week?

[Springtime]

Posted: 2/6/24 at 3:12am

Six last week, three the week before.

[CJRochester]

Posted: 2/6/24 at 10:27am

Lindsay was out when I saw the show last week, Wednesday matinee. Jamila Sabres-Klemm was okay, but nothing exceptional. Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe are the main stars, but for me the standout performance was Krystal Joy Brown as Gussie. Brava!!! I hope she is noticed during awards season. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 2/6/24 at 7:44pm

She's out tonight.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 2/8/24 at 3:51pm

Springtime said: "A second press push started last week with new interviews, and there was a Broadway.com interview with Paul Wonterek filmed last Thursday with Radcliffe, Groff and Mendez (not released yet)."

 

This one?

https://youtu.be/5VezbF60-Zk?feature=shared