Radcliffe, Groff, and Mendez star in MERRILY - Reviews & News Thread — Page 12

I had won the lottery for this and seats were at the end of row A. The stage is super low so no issues in that sense, though my friend did say her neck was sore from needing to turn to one side the whole time.

I thought this was about as good as it could be and had a fantastic time! The set is essentially the same as the one you see in the proshot, with a few minor differences. Also like the proshot, the overture is truncated and the ending doesn't exactly end on the last note of Our Time. There are some slight staging changes (I liked this version of Gussie's Opening Number much better), but I think the big thing is that the characters really feel lived in. These actors definitely studied the material and brought a lot of compassion to the characters. A lot of the lyrics are delivered in a different way or half-spoken in a way that generates more of an emotional moment.

The three leads are absolutely great but I don't think there's a weak link in the cast at all. Daniel Radcliffe really has terrific comedic timing and his Franklin Shepard Inc. brought the house down, as expected (I also think it's apparent that he's not used to a body mic because he kept hitting it during Bobbie and Jackie and Jack); Lindsay Mendez is really quite sympathetic as Mary but I thought she shone especially in Now You Know (and she also added a few touches throughout the show that allowed me to see the scene/line differently); and of course Jonathan Groff sounds great and also manages to imbue Frank with the charisma needed. Krystal Joy Brown was also a standout as Gussie, and it's clear she's really savoring the camp that Gussie employs, and same with Reg Rogers as Joe.

One small script change I noticed was they cut the lines "at least he's not black/at least she's not pregnant", though I'm not sure why they didn't keep the latter. A couple small tech issues, a backdrop didn't come down at the appropriate time, and it took a bit more time to remove another set piece, though the show just continued around it.

The sound was a little strange, the orchestra perched essentially in the "attic"/second floor of the set, though it was walled off with a few windows and I wish it was just open instead (like Kimberly Akimbo), and I think they relied too much on the mics during the overture (or maybe it was just a lot of it was coming from the keyboard). It wasn't as vibrant as I wanted and sounded almost canned, and I'm not sure if that was just where I was sitting or if they're still working on the balance, but I didn't notice that quite as much later on.

Glad people were able to get cancellation tickets (though 10am is wild)! I think I saw Ben Brantley picking up tickets too so that was an interesting to see.

Jonathan Cohen said: " When Charley solos on "Good Thing Going" that was the only point Radcliffe's singing didn't work for me."

When LMM played Charley at Encores, they had Colin Donnell join him singing it as a duet. Maybe they can do that here.

ljay889 said: "When LMM played Charley at Encores, they had Colin Donnell join him singing it as a duet. Maybe they can do that here."

This is part of the show. Charley sings it once by himself and then Frank convinces him to sing it again by saying he'll sing with him.

The email I got prior to the show specifically asked people not to stage door and I don't believe I saw any merch (does NYTW usually have any?)

Gary Stevens has posted on Instagram that members of the original Broadway and London casts of Merrily watched the performance and met the new cast at the first preview (one photo only from his post copied below).

From garystevensnj on Instagram:

garystevensnj

Experiencing Monday night’s first preview of New York Theatre Workshop’s exhilarating new production of “Merrily We Roll Along”, together with fellow members of our original Broadway cast (Liz Callaway, Mana Allen, David Loud, David Cady, Jim Walton and Evan Pappas from the original London cast) was nothing short of magical! And celebrating with this brilliant new cast and crew was the icing on this delicious cake!Congratulations to each and all!!! Here’s to us, who’s like us, damn few. #passingthetorch #merrilywerollalong #newyorktheatreworkshop #sondheim #broadwaymusicals

Updated On: 11/22/22 at 04:12 AM

chrishuyen said: "ljay889 said: "When LMM played Charley at Encores, they had Colin Donnell join him singing it as a duet. Maybe they can do that here."

This is part of the show. Charley sings it once by himself and then Frank convinces him to sing it again by saying he'll sing with him.

The email I got prior to the show specifically asked people not to stage door and I don't believe I saw any merch (does NYTW usually have any?)"

Listen to the cast album. The solo version is a duet. I saw the production live, and it made sense to support Lin’s weaker vocals.

Updated On: 11/22/22 at 07:46 AM

chrishuyen said: "

The email I got prior to the show specifically asked people not to stage door and I don't believe I saw any merch (does NYTW usually have any?)"

They normally do not sell merch

but for this production, i was hoping they at least sell the window card :) guess not happening



also I heard there was no physical copy of the program, is that correct? Would be a huge disappointment if so (even with digital version)

Updated On: 11/22/22 at 12:07 PM

I’m of the camp that Merrily basically works.



it’s just truly depressing. Happy to hear this production is successful!

Skip23 said: "The Sondheim Festival production worked just fine.

I don't find it depressing. Just an interesting slice of these 3 people's lives. If anything, it's cautionary. Your life is your choices.



"

Realistic, if not pessimistic.

My biggest problem with Merrily is that Furth's book is so lazy, often uninteresting, and at times very elementary.

For example, "I'm not out to hurt you, Frank, but I'll hurt you if I have to." Some lines are just painful, and sound like they were written by an amateur.

The Fiasco production tried tinkering with the book to solve some issues, but it didn't really help at all.

Now the score is marvelous, but I don't think any iteration of Furth's book will ever match the score.

Updated On: 11/22/22 at 06:09 PM

TaffyDavenport said: "There are some single seats available for this weekend on the NYTW website."



They are available for $69, $99 and $120. In your dreams.

Can someone offer info about these comments:

"Never saw a production before, but knew the score and text, its just pretty great - aside from the set"

"The set is essentially the same as the one you see in the proshot, with a few minor differences"



They're referring to the 2013 Menier Chocolate Factory production, right? Is this confirmation that it's pretty much the same set & production as Menier but with an American cast? I really liked the Menier production, but I don't feel like I need to see it again (even with the star wattage).