MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG Reviews — Page 4

Matt Rogers said: "inception said: "Yikes, just looked at current prices & they are ridiculous. The last row in the Balcony is over $150 now.
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No, sorry. They fixed it. As pretty much every review says, it is an amazing production. Pure Broadway magic l. However, I completely agree that the pricing for this is criminal. The pure definition of producer greed. Seeing tickets priced higher than $500 is pretty pathetic. But it is selling out. I never knew there were so many rich theatre lovers. However, there are only SO many rich theatre goers. They will not be able to charge these ridiculous prices forever. The bottom will eventually drop off and some “reasonably” priced seats will be available."

I am the one who is always bitching about ticket prices.  The problem with this one is that, without charging those prices, the show would probably never have a chance of at least returning its investment.  Not only is it scheduled as a limited engagement...in a small theatre...but Sondheim has just never had long runs.  There is only one reason Sweeney is selling as well as it has, Josh Groban. 

Most Sondheim revivals can be happy for 6 - 9 months, even with glowing reviews.  I am thinking Company, ITW, Follies in recent years; the Doyle Company and ST further out, Assassins at Studio 54 (I don't think that came close to 6 months, but too lazy to look), the SITPWG at, I think, Studio 54 also.  Plus, they have all petered out before closing.  

I believe they need to charge those prices to have a chance of being a hit.  I do not think the solution is a bigger house with cheaper prices, because I just don't think the demand will be there indefinitely.  Of course, I am probably being too pessimistic, but I don't think so.

 

This is the reason to do a revival. For something to really get a second chance like this. 

 

Jonathan Groff's Tony chances. Does it really matter if the show is still running then? If so, why?

For the awards to actually mean something, it shouldn't.

BdwyFan said: "Grab what you can. That’s what I’ve been told. I’ve a feeling Tickets are going to be gone soon."

The Hudson color-coded indicators for ticket availability show most dates are red the next two weeks, turning to yellow/red in November.  Things go green for almost every date in late December and continue green through the 2024 dates.

Just bought some tickets for January. Lots of availability at $200 and under, mostly balcony, but some dress circle. The farther out you can buy, the better your pricing likely will be.

Updated On: 10/14/23 at 07:04 PM

Just got two tickets to see this in mid-November. Paying over $200 (with fees) for seats in balcony is expensive but my wife has not been this excited to see a particular show in a long time. I figured what I saved on airfare to NYC (frequent flyer miles) easily covered the cost of the ticket. Excited about seeing Jonathan Groff perform again and I have never seen Daniel Radcliffe in a show. 

"Oh they're aware of this. If he's in the show come Tony time, his (and all of their) chances go way up. But strike/TV commitments are gonna be a factor in possibly extending, of course."

Personally, I don't think it matters if Groff is still in the show come Tony time. The show and Groff got rave reviews and Groff is well known and liked Broadway performer.

Two-page splash of all the money quotes from the reviews in tomorrow's NYT Arts and Leisure section.

''It shouldn't matter but it's very unusual for major Tony Awards to be handed out to closed shows - even if they should be.''

It shouldn't matter, but it does for practical reasons. Of course, it's why so many shows open in the spring, so they'll be fresher in the minds of Tony voters. Even shows that have opened in the previous summer or fall sometimes reinvite the Tony voters during awards season. Plus, there are out-of-town Tony voters who come to NYC in May to binge on the shows they've missed earlier in the season.  

Closed shows sometimes win Best Play, like ''The Coast of Utopia'' and more recently ''The Lehman Trilogy'' and ''The Inheritance'' (due to COVID). ''Hallelujah, Baby!'' (1967) is the only closed show to win Best Musical. And it was a shocker when ''The Boys in the Band'' won Best Play Revival in 2019; it had opened in May 2018 and closed that August (as a limited engagement). I don't think any closed show has won the Tony for Best Musical Revival, but who knows?

Updated On: 10/14/23 at 02:35 PM

Wayman_Wong said: "''No actor from a closed show has won a Tony in a musical category since 1975.''

I assume that's Angela Lansbury for Best Actress in ''Gypsy.''

Off the top of my head, there's also Martin Short. He won Best Actor in a Musical at the 1999 Tonys for a revival of ''Little Me,'' which closed earlier that season in February.

But is it rare? Yep. Meantime, maybe ''Merrily'' extends."

My bad! I think Barry Bostwick did it too in 1977. Still I don't think it has happened in this century yet, and if Jan Maxwell lost for Follies and Sara lost for Into the Woods, I think Groff's chances would be slim without an extension 

Updated On: 10/14/23 at 02:52 PM

Nevermind, think it's just his first time performing.

https://www.instagram.com/iamevansmith/

Updated On: 10/14/23 at 03:38 PM

Praying that everyone stays healthy. Going on Tuesday and if this is a show that finally works because of its cast, I wouldn’t want to see it with anyone else.

Couldn’t agree more with your review. I was at today’s matinee as well, and this show is as close to perfection as anything I’ve seen. I wasn’t familiar with Daniel Radcliffe’s stage work, and I blown away. Lindsey Mendez was perfectly cast, and Groff- well, I loved every second of his performance, spittle and all. Well worth every overpriced dollar I spent. 

As I posted elsewhere, I saw it and it's the same production that London's Menier Chocolate Company did in 2012. Same director, same set, everything the same except for the cast. People are raving about this like this is Sondheim's greatest show of all time which is simply baffling to me. I'm not saying the emperor has no clothes. I mean it's fine. It's still Merrily which has always been a flawed show. Maybe they tweaked the book a tad to focus on Frank's story, but aside from that, I didn't see any difference. One of the show's main problems is the second act is really ballad heavy and slows the pace a lot. Radcliffe is, well, fine. Not a great voice but serviceable. Groff didn't start off well but got better as the show progressed. The women are the real standouts especially Mendez and Brown. But was it worth waiting 10 years just to get Radcliffe and Groff to market the show? Maybe, but I don't feel it benefited the art of the show. I wasn't knocked out like everyone else seems to be, and at $140 for the cheapest seats on sale at the box office (which I got to avoid nearly $25 in "service fees", it's a fine show. Nothing more, nothing less. 7 out of 10.