Radcliffe, Groff, and Mendez star in MERRILY - Reviews & News Thread- Page 17

[A_Nicole079]

Posted: 12/8/22 at 1:17pm

EvvieDrake said: "WithoutATrace said: ""Still playing the refreshing game…it’s fun at least!"

Keep playing...you'll eventually get in. Grateful that I was able to get a single on Tuesday for myself and a single on Thursday for my friend. Was very worried that I wasn't going to get into this, but persistence pays off!

Can someone confirm that I'm refreshing correctly? I'm on this pagehttps://www.nytw.org/show/merrily-we-roll-along/tickets/0/where it has a dropdown for all the shows in each month. I refresh the whole page and click the dropdown for December, see all shows listed as SOLD OUT, change it to January, see all shows except the final higher-priced benefit as SOLD OUT. Is that what I should be checking?

For people who got a ticket by refreshing, did this dropdown stop saying SOLD OUT for that show? Or do I need to be clicking into a sold-out show to see the calendar with every date crossed out, click a crossed-out date, and click the performance time to check that it's not really sold out at that moment?

Thank you for any advice! Planning to try the cancellation line while I'm in town at the end of December too, but I do enjoy the game of trying to get a tough ticket."

Yes that's the right spot. It will not have the "sold out" in the drop down. I got tickets for a sunday midday on satruday from the site

[EvvieDrake]

Posted: 12/8/22 at 2:12pm

A_Nicole079 said: "Yes that's the right spot. It will not have the "sold out" in the drop down. I got tickets for a sunday midday on satruday from the site"

chrishuyen said: "Yes when tickets pop up, the drop down will not show the sold out label so you'll know which days they pop up for."

Thank you both, very much! This is super helpful. Sounds like others have found tickets at midday too, so I'll try to check around lunchtime.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 12/8/22 at 5:46pm

Nice Ben Brantley NYT article about Merrily and Friedman's history with it and take on it. 

Gift link so no paywall.

Can This Director Save Sondheim’s Big Flop? 

Maria Friedman’s productions of “Merrily We Roll Along” in London and Boston were hits. Now a starry cast is preparing to open Off Broadway.

Updated On: 12/8/22 at 05:46 PM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/8/22 at 6:57pm

I was at the show last night, I was the first person who asked Maria Friedman 2 questions. In case anyone was there.

Whoever said that Company is a better show than this one, I disagree. 

I think Merrily is the best show that Sondheim ever wrote. I feel that the production at Encores with Lin Manuel Miranda and Collin Donnell was superior -but they also had a 30 piece orchestra and a much larger venue.

The good: the show itself. The stars of the show, Daniel and Jonathan are brilliant in it. Reg Rogers is brilliant and steals every scene any chance he gets. The score. The ensemble is fabulous.

The bad: wish they had dancers on the opening of act 2 like they did at Encores! The actress playing Gussie Carnegie was totally miscast and the actress playing Beth couldn't hit the notes as usual, and had to act it because she simply can't hit the notes or sustain them. Elizabeth Stanley and Betsy Wolfe were superior in every possible way.

 

In any case, 4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars. I am amazed how much people are willing to spend on this production or go through to get a ticket, but hoping a Broadway run is announced soon so no one is not able to pay the rent this month to see a show Off Broadway.  I wish people would have half the enthusiasm to see shows like Diana, Bombay Dreams, The Woman in White, KPOP or other shows that are great entertainment but can't find an audience. Or even Merrily, that finally found an audience after all these years, and it's well deserved, because it's in my point of view, Sondheim's best creation.

 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 12/8/22 at 8:30pm

muscle23ftl said: "I was at the show last night, I was the first person who asked Maria Friedman 2 questions. In case anyone was there.

Whoever said that Company is a better show than this one, I disagree.

I think Merrily is the best show that Sondheim ever wrote. I feel that the production at Encores with Lin Manuel Miranda and Collin Donnell was superior -but they also had a 30 piece orchestra and a much larger venue.

The good: the show itself. The stars of the show, Daniel and Jonathan are brilliant in it. Reg Rogers is brilliant and steals every scene any chance he gets. The score. The ensemble is fabulous.

The bad: wish they had dancers on the opening of act 2 like they did at Encores! The actress playing Gussie Carnegie was totally miscast and the actress playing Beth couldn't hit the notes as usual, and had to act it because she simply can't hit the notes or sustain them. Elizabeth Stanley and Betsy Wolfe were superior in every possible way.



In any case, 4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars. I am amazed how much people are willing to spend on this production or go through to get a ticket, but hoping a Broadway run is announced soon so no one is not able to pay the rent this month to see a show Off Broadway. I wish people would have half the enthusiasm to see shows like Diana, Bombay Dreams, The Woman in White, KPOP or other shows that are great entertainment but can't find an audience. Or even Merrily, that finally found an audience after all these years, and it's well deserved, because it's in my point of view, Sondheim's best creation.

"

I'm hearing from my industry friends that Maria's sister Sonia wants it for the Hudson next season but not sure of actual timing though.

Updated On: 12/8/22 at 08:30 PM

[TalksAboutBruno]

Posted: 12/9/22 at 7:56am

Morning :) Lucky enough to catch this a few days ago. Walked into the show not knowing too much about it besides the basics.

 

What a fantastic production of such a flawed show, and I mean that in the best possible way. The entire 2 1/2 hours had me (and the entire audience) in the palm of its hands. However, after thinking about it for about thirty seconds after it finished, the flaws in the script are massive.

 

The three leads do wonderful work. Groff sings the hell out of the score. Radcliffe stops the show cold after his first number. But nobody is working harder than Lindsay Mendez. The audience sees a fully developed and rich character arc that is simply not supported by the script. The fact that she manages to find a through line in a script that gives her practically nothing, mad props to her. Her alcoholism turns into nothing more than a punchline ten minutes after the first scene. Her success (and I'm assuming writer's block) as a writer is alluded to, but never explored. Her unrequited love towards Frank runs so shallow because the book never gives her (and the audience) a peek into her inner life. Could we not give her a song that isn't a "we're all buddies" anthem? Wouldn't Not a Day Goes By be more impactful coming from her, then to find out it was the wedding song of Frank and his wife? Can we explore how she felt having an early success as a writer while her friends were struggling getting their art produced?

 

The director and Mendez work overtime to make sure the audience never sees these faults. And kudos to them, because they mostly succeed. I can't imagine seeing another production of this show that works this well, especially with this weak of a book. And ummmmm... the set? Maybe try to add a little New York to it instead of the feel of a conference room in a shared work space? :)

 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 12/9/22 at 8:43am

TalksAboutBruno said: "Morning :) Lucky enough to catch this a few days ago. Walked into the show not knowing too much about it besides the basics.



What a fantastic production of such a flawed show, and I mean that in the best possible way. The entire 2 1/2 hours had me (and the entire audience) in the palm of its hands. However, after thinking about it for about thirty seconds after it finished, the flaws in the script are massive.



The three leads do wonderful work. Groff sings the hell out of the score. Radcliffe stops the show cold after his first number. But nobody is working harder than Lindsay Mendez. The audience sees a fully developed and rich character arc that is simply not supported by the script. The fact that she manages to find a through line in a script that gives her practically nothing, mad props to her. Her alcoholism turns into nothing more than a punchline ten minutes after the first scene. Her success (and I'm assuming writer's block) as a writer is alluded to, but never explored. Her unrequited love towards Frank runs so shallow because the book never gives her (and the audience) a peek into her inner life. Could we not give her a song that isn't a "we're all buddies" anthem? Wouldn't Not a Day Goes By be more impactful coming from her, then to find out it was the wedding song of Frank and his wife? Can we explore how she felt having an early success as a writer while her friends were struggling getting their art produced?



The director and Mendez work overtime to make sure the audience never sees these faults. And kudos to them, because they mostly succeed. I can't imagine seeing another production of this show that works this well, especially with this weak of a book. And ummmmm... the set? Maybe try to add a little New York to it instead of the feel of a conference room in a shared work space? :)

"

When I saw the show I heard the people behind me say that Mendez was stealing every scene she was in. I think that is extremely accurate 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 12/9/22 at 7:41pm

Haven't seen this production. I understand from the Maria Friedman interview that the set is supposedly a conference room in Frank's Beverly Hills home. The whole story is supposedly staged as progressive flashbacks from the mature Frank's point of view. If that's the framing device, I'm not surprised if a poster above found the set confounding and inappropriate.

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 12/9/22 at 8:39pm

muscle23ftl said: "I was at the show last night, I was the first person who asked Maria Friedman 2 questions. In case anyone was there.

Whoever said that Company is a better show than this one, I disagree.

I think Merrily is the best show that Sondheim ever wrote. I feel that the production at Encores with Lin Manuel Miranda and Collin Donnell was superior -but they also had a 30 piece orchestra and a much larger venue.

The good: the show itself. The stars of the show, Daniel and Jonathan are brilliant in it. Reg Rogers is brilliant and steals every scene any chance he gets. The score. The ensemble is fabulous.

The bad: wish they had dancers on the opening of act 2 like they did at Encores! The actress playing Gussie Carnegie was totally miscast and the actress playing Beth couldn't hit the notes as usual, and had to act it because she simply can't hit the notes or sustain them. Elizabeth Stanley and Betsy Wolfe were superior in every possible way.



In any case, 4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars. I am amazed how much people are willing to spend on this production or go through to get a ticket, but hoping a Broadway run is announced soon so no one is not able to pay the rent this month to see a show Off Broadway. I wish people would have half the enthusiasm to see shows like Diana, Bombay Dreams, The Woman in White, KPOP or other shows that are great entertainment but can't find an audience. Or even Merrily, that finally found an audience after all these years, and it's well deserved, because it's in my point of view, Sondheim's best creation.

"

Wait? You seriously think "Merrily" is a better show then "Company", "Sunday in the Park", "Sweeney", "ITW", "Night Music", "Follies" etc etc....

C'mon! "Merrily" has some pretty songs but it is a very flawed show...like very very flawed.

[wickedwitch2]

Posted: 12/10/22 at 3:37pm

Bill Snibson said: "Wait? You seriously think "Merrily" is a better show then "Company", "Sunday in the Park", "Sweeney", "ITW", "Night Music", "Follies" etc etc....

C'mon! "Merrily" has some pretty songs but it is a very flawed show...like very very flawed."

Merrily is my personal favorite of his shows.  Which I realize is not the same as best, but the music compensates for the book for me.  Company is a close second.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 12/10/22 at 5:02pm

Bill Snibson said: "muscle23ftl said: "I was at the show last night, I was the first person who asked Maria Friedman 2 questions. In case anyone was there.

Whoever said that Company is a better show than this one, I disagree.

I think Merrily is the best show that Sondheim ever wrote. I feel that the production at Encores with Lin Manuel Miranda and Collin Donnell was superior -but they also had a 30 piece orchestra and a much larger venue.

The good: the show itself. The stars of the show, Daniel and Jonathan are brilliant in it. Reg Rogers is brilliant and steals every scene any chance he gets. The score. The ensemble is fabulous.

The bad: wish they had dancers on the opening of act 2 like they did at Encores! The actress playing Gussie Carnegie was totally miscast and the actress playing Beth couldn't hit the notes as usual, and had to act it because she simply can't hit the notes or sustain them. Elizabeth Stanley and Betsy Wolfe were superior in every possible way.



In any case, 4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars. I am amazed how much people are willing to spend on this production or go through to get a ticket, but hoping a Broadway run is announced soon so no one is not able to pay the rent this month to see a show Off Broadway. I wish people would have half the enthusiasm to see shows like Diana, Bombay Dreams, The Woman in White, KPOP or other shows that are great entertainment but can't find an audience. Or even Merrily, that finally found an audience after all these years, and it's well deserved, because it's in my point of view, Sondheim's best creation.

"

Wait? You seriously think "Merrily" is a better show then "Company", "Sunday in the Park", "Sweeney", "ITW", "Night Music", "Follies" etc etc....

C'mon! "Merrily" has some pretty songs but it is a very flawed show...like very very flawed."

We don't all have to have the same rankings for Sondheim shows. I know Merrily, Company and Into The Woods- for me personally- rank far above West Side Story and Sweeney, out of the shows I've seen that he has composed for. And that's okay. We don't all have the think the same. Even though it could be because I've seen those first three shows far more recently than the latter two-I still rank those three above the others. 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 12/10/22 at 5:38pm

I don't know if I will ever luck out enough to see this show, but I am grateful that Groff and Radcliffe committed to this production so that it even is an option. 

I deeply appreciate when some of the top talent around remain committed to an active rotation of time on stage among film and TV commitments. 

I know finances don't always allow this option for others who no doubt would like to do more of the same.

[Springtime]

Posted: 12/10/22 at 6:33pm

Two photos from Joan Marcus, posted at Vogue as part of a feature article:

Updated On: 12/10/22 at 06:33 PM

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 12/11/22 at 3:41pm

Springtime said: "Two photos from Joan Marcus, posted at Vogue as part of a feature article:



"

Gorgeous humans. Thank you for posting these

[halfhourcheckwithmerman]

Posted: 12/11/22 at 4:42pm

Will be interested to see reviews tonight. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/11/22 at 4:47pm

halfhourcheckwithmerman said: "Will be interested to see reviews tonight."

It opens tomorrow.

[halfhourcheckwithmerman]

Posted: 12/11/22 at 4:57pm

I though that too -- but then Lindsay Mendez posted this, Corey Mach posted this, and Katie Rose Clark reposted her husband who said happy opening and "tonight's the night," among other people... ?

Maybe they're referencing tomorrow, but Mach posted "Opening Night -- 12/11/22". I don't know. 

Updated On: 12/11/22 at 04:57 PM

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/11/22 at 5:07pm

Yes, tonight is the "cast celebration" opening, but reviews should come out on the official opening date, which is tomorrow. I guess we'll know later tonight.

Updated On: 12/11/22 at 05:07 PM

[halfhourcheckwithmerman]

Posted: 12/11/22 at 5:54pm

Ah. Thanks :)

[RippedMan]

Posted: 12/11/22 at 10:38pm

What makes this production succeed direction wise that sets it apart from other productions? Enough to get it revived some years later? I know the cast is the cast, but if it was just a bunch of nobodies, what's so special about the production? I watched the London version and just didn't see anything new or significant? And the set is awful. 

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 12/11/22 at 11:24pm

RippedMan said: "What makes this production succeed direction wise that sets it apart from other productions? Enough to get it revived some years later? I know the cast is the cast, but if it was just a bunch of nobodies, what's so special about the production? I watched the London version and just didn't see anything new or significant? And the set is awful."

 

Maria Friedman didn't want to modify or change anything at all, so the production has nothing new, I found the production at Encores! more thrilling as I explained earlier, but Lin Manuel Miranda wasn't a huge star then, plus even now I think his name doesn't have the selling power of the Jon and Daniel duet. I think this run wouldn't be sold out without the big names. But I think if it transfers, the 2 leading men will sell very well on Broadway with advertisement. They basically sold out their entire Off Broadway run without any advertisement for prices that are above Broadway prices. With Sondheim's recent death, and the stars attached to this project, if it transfers, Merrily may finally be a Broadway hit!

[Springtime]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 4:26am

​​​​Maria Friedman and cast members on opening night.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 8:28am

I was standing outside the theater after I saw the show and Lindsay was just a few feet away from me, but I was way too shy to say anything. 

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 7:12pm

NYT Critics' Pick

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/12/theater/merrily-we-roll-along-review.html

[Springtime]

Posted: 12/12/22 at 10:00pm

A production photo from Joan Marcus of 'The Blob' scene from the New York Daily News review: