MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG Reviews- Page 21

[MezzA101]

Posted: 7/2/24 at 12:14pm

MezzA101 said: "Row O Orchestra Center for Tuesday night: $1,299."

 

While slashing the top price for tonight to $999, they're asking for $1,299 now for Saturday night as well.

 

[bear88]

Posted: 7/4/24 at 4:25am

double post

 

Updated On: 7/4/24 at 04:25 AM

[bear88]

Posted: 7/4/24 at 4:27am

Factoring in profits and critical acclaim, where does Merrily We Roll Along rank on the list of successful revivals? Chicago is in a class by itself, of course. The Music Man made big money but the revival didn’t get as much critical acclaim or Tonys love. Funny Girl  essentially restarted with Lea Michele but even she didn’t sell out the entire run. Hello, Dolly! seems like the most obvious comp, but it revived a hit show, not a flop. Am I missing an obvious revive   

Last week, Merrily made more money, in a smaller theater, than any show on Broadway. It’s kind of remarkable.

 

Updated On: 7/4/24 at 04:27 AM

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 7/4/24 at 9:22am

bear88 said: "Factoring in profits and critical acclaim, where doesMerrily We Roll Alongrank on the list of successful revivals?Chicagois in a class by itself, of course.The Music Manmade big money but the revival didn’t get as much critical acclaim or Tonyslove.Funny Girlessentially restarted with Lea Michele but even she didn’t sell out the entire run.Hello, Dolly!seems like the most obvious comp, but it revived a hitshow, not a flop. Am I missing an obvious revive

Last week,Merrilymade more money, in a smaller theater, than any show on Broadway. It’s kind of remarkable.

"

I think the 1998 Cabaret is a clear second to Chicago but this one is up there on the list.

[bear88]

Posted: 7/4/24 at 10:53am

Mr. Wormwood said: "bear88 said: "Factoring in profits and critical acclaim, where doesMerrily We Roll Alongrank on the list of successful revivals?Chicagois in a class by itself, of course.The Music Manmade big money but the revival didn’t get as much critical acclaim or Tonyslove.Funny Girlessentially restarted with Lea Michele but even she didn’t sell out the entire run.Hello, Dolly!seems like the most obvious comp, but it revived a hitshow, not a flop. Am I missing an obvious revive

Last week,Merrilymade more money, in a smaller theater, than any show on Broadway. It’s kind of remarkable.

"

I think the 1998 Cabaret is a clear second to Chicago but this one is up there on the list."

This is what I get for writing something so late, especially since I saw a local production of that 1998 revival. It definitely qualifies - huge commercial and artistic success, ran for years, et cetera.

Any other revivals I am forgetting?

 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 7/4/24 at 12:47pm

I suspect the Merrily will also have the distinction of being the only show ever to have played over 300 performances and closed, never having played to an empty seat.  Most producers would have extended with a different cast, and sooner or later had empty seats.  Must be a strange record.  

[Kad]

Posted: 7/4/24 at 1:09pm

 Merrily is in a class by itself simply because it took a show that originally ran 60 performances (for comparison's sake, 8 performances fewer than Lempicka) and was critically and popularly savaged and turned it into a blockbuster critical and popular hit that won 4 Tonys. No other flop of that magnitude has had such a turnaround.

The popular narrative is that Chicago turned an overlooked show into a hit, but even the original Chicago still managed to run almost 1000 performances.

Updated On: 7/4/24 at 01:09 PM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 7/4/24 at 2:36pm

Kad said: "Merrily is in a class by itself simply because it took a show that originally ran 60 performances (for comparison's sake, 8 performances fewer than Lempicka) and was critically and popularly savaged and turned it into a blockbuster critical and popular hit that won 4 Tonys. No other flop of that magnitude has had such a turnaround.

The popular narrative is that Chicago turned an overlooked show into a hit, but even the original Chicago still managed to run almost 1000 performances."

You actually make Merrily’s run sound better than it was.  It only played 16 performances post opening, even worse than Lempicka.  I was there…I remember leaving the theatre actually angry.  The production was so bad that I didn’t even recognize that it had a great score.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 7/4/24 at 3:36pm

New record: "Merrily" has three performances (all but the Saturday matinee) with $1,299 seats.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 7/4/24 at 8:14pm

This is the first production of Merrily I've seen where Franklin is the main character. Groff's performance is absolutely no joke - he wrings Franklin dry, bringing a fully realized and bizarrely empathetic human being to life where there's usually just a shambling vehicle for the Charley, Mary and Gussie show. Even in the first scene, where Frank is typically at his most offputting, Groff gives Frank an aura of piteous entrapment by speaking low and resigned, and when he tells Gussie that he hates his life, for the first time it seems like he means it.

Part of this is that essentially every character besides Frank, Mary, Charley, Beth, and (mostly) Joe are played like caricatures. This creates a kind of stomach-churning Muppet movie effect, which is a really intriguing way to illustrate Frank's descent into the artificial hellscape of fame and wealth. In the middle of this nauseating paper-thin cartoon bacchanalia are a set of very real people being torn apart in very real ways, and when it works, it's truly startling.

On the other hand, it does play up the faults in Furth's script. Gussie, in particular, really suffers, and I wish that Krystal Joy Brown had been able to play her in a way that felt more grounded. Elsewhere, Furth's dialogue often clunks, and I was a little surprised by how many jokes got a much less solid laugh than they typically do. I was also kind of surprised (in a good way) by moments of unexpected tightening here and there, particularly in the opening of the apartment scene. Even if the dialogue is too often leaden, the book's overall shape and structure is extremely strong, and I can't imagine a first-timer being confused by the plot.

One element that I really enjoyed was the furious pacing. Friedman whips the show along like she's got places to be and it works tremendously well. I've never seen That Frank sung so fast, it was almost a group patter song, as was Now You Know. It helps to boost the show's sense of time slipping. That, combined with the searing performances, means that moments from one scene are always overlapping with the next, and the feeling of choices begetting choices has never landed so hard.

Besides Groff's almost magical performance, Radcliffe and Mendez turn out performances that are far more than serviceable. Radcliffe has long since established himself as a stage actor, and it was a lot of fun to watch him being absorbed in this role. The sheer chemistry the three of them have is absolutely breathtaking. Every interaction is prismatic, giving you the sense of briefly glimpsing a wider range of their lives. When things are rough in the first act, you can feel the cumulative weight of all that's come before them in a way I've never seen, and as such it's agonizing to see exactly how each weight is laid over the course of the show.

I was not expecting the held final note and it ran me down like a train, splitting my heart wide open. It's one of those perfect theatre moments where the show loads you with emotions and guides you to an epiphany that allows you to release them. It dams you up and then blows you apart.

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 7/4/24 at 9:20pm

^^ well said

I saw it today for the first time. I feel like a lot has been said but I was so pleasantly surprised by how strong Mendez was. I kind of got the vibe that she was the weakest of the three but I adored her in the role. Maybe more than Radcliffe though he was great too.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 7/4/24 at 11:18pm

Mr. Wormwood said: "^^ well said

I saw it today for the first time. I feel like a lot has been said but I was so pleasantly surprised by how strong Mendez was. I kind of got the vibe that she was the weakest of the three but I adored her in the role. Maybe more than Radcliffe though he was great too."

My son and daughter-in-law, not regular theatre goers, saw it two weeks ago and thought it was great; they singled her performance as the glue that makes it all work.  Don’t know that I would say that, but this was a cast made in musical heaven, and this revival will be talked about ‘forever’.

[binau]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 1:50am

Lindsay is definitely not the weakest link - the whole show works because the 3 leads are most strong. She gets overshadowed a little because she isn't a 'star' and has been absent a lot, but she is equally an important part of the creative vision. The chemistry between her towards Groff feels very real and yet another reason why the production works - it's the only time I've ever actually felt the characters could be real and there were genuine emotion between them rather than just reading words from a page. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 2:32pm

I think the character is the glue that keeps them together. 

[Claude Perkins]

Posted: 7/5/24 at 10:16pm

I saw this back on January 16, and Lindsay Mendez's ability to deliver comic lines was the first thing to make an impression on me , as I had never seen her before . And the highlight of the night was Radcliffe's performance of 'Franklin Templeton Inc' - he really knocked it out of the park in a way that was totally unexpected to me.  I knew he was talented, as I had previously seen him in The Cripple of Innishman, but it was still a wonderful surprise.

Updated On: 7/5/24 at 10:16 PM

[MezzA101]

Posted: 7/6/24 at 6:00am

Nine seats at $1,499 on the Hudson Theatre website for tomorrow's closing matinee.

[bear88]

Posted: 7/6/24 at 11:05am

The prices for today’s shows are a lot better on StubHub, and I read online someone who waited until an hour before showtime got a ticket last night for less than $190.

[yyys]

Posted: 7/6/24 at 12:54pm

buy at your own risk w/ stubhub - the Hudson Theater tix are just barcodes and can be sold to multiple people. I know stubhub can refund you if you don't get in but it's still a big hassle.

bear88 said: "The prices for today’s shows are a lot better on StubHub, and I read online someone who waited until an hour before showtime got a ticket last night for less than $190."

 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/6/24 at 4:34pm

I bought a ticket from tickpick 10 minutes before curtain for todays matinee.   226 was what I paid for rear mezz, more than what I wanted, but that’s what happens when I wait til the last minute. Ticket was originally sold for 149, it said on the ticket.  The fvcker got a $77 profit from me.  I’m sooo happy they filmed it because it warrants multiple viewings. FABULOUS musical, fabulous production.  Everyone was fantastic, I was especially impressed with Krystal Joy Brown.  Typical Sondheim show with all his beautiful themes. 

[MezzA101]

Posted: 7/7/24 at 1:36pm

EXIT INTERVIEW | Katie Rose Clarke Says Goodbye To Beth in MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

 

https://www.theatrely.com/post/exit-interview-katie-rose-clarke-says-goodbye-to-beth-in-merrily-we-roll-along

 

Theater doors opened at 1:20. Auditorium doors just opened. No understudy posting for Lindsay. What's the final count?

[JSquared2]

Posted: 7/7/24 at 2:06pm

MezzA101 said: 

Theater doors opened at 1:20. Auditorium doors just opened. No understudy posting for Lindsay. What's the final count?"

Not sure about Lindsay’s “count” — but you certainly scored 10 extra “being a douche” points. Seriously, you couldn’t just let it go and let them have a happy final performance??

Maybe you should stick to posting random links? 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/7/24 at 2:20pm

A marvelous revival and I was thrilled to see it twice with all 6 principals on and in great form.

Shout out to Reg Rogers and Krystal Joy Brown, who didn't get the credit they deserved for their roles.

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/7/24 at 2:22pm

She was FANTASTIC in this!  Truly a stellar performance, I enjoyed watching her more than Daniel Radcliff.  

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 7/7/24 at 2:31pm

The focus has been so heavily on the three stars, but I want to give my praises to Reg Rogers, Krystal Joy Brown, and Katie Rose Clarke. All were excellent in their roles. 

AND! The fantastic ensemble. Each one was completely their own onstage.

Lastly, to Lindsay's understudies for rising to the challenge of keeping the magic alive opposite two huge stars. Not an easy feat.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/7/24 at 2:52pm

I will miss this show.   Caught it twice, once in previews, once the day after the Tonys, both without any understudies.  Just love for it.

 

It's special, for so many different reasons.  Looking forward to seeing what any of the cast will do next.  

Question: I don't think I remember seeing anything mentioning it (which is likely my answer) but were there ANY actors that were replaced during its run....either from the off bway or within the bway run?