Road Show thoughts.... (some spoilers)...

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 12:27am

General thoughts:

I found the story of the Mizner brothers fascinating. I think the audience around me did as well. There was a lot of listening going on at the Public tonight. Not so much coughing. Which is a good thing.

The positives:

The set. John Doyle did an amazing job. I thought it totally worked. When the globe popped out for Addison's first big solo, it was visually arresting. The use of money being flung into the air (and left on the floor), the way the simple cube set transformed itself again and again (and yet stayed as it was transformed) was a great directorial choice. And Ann Hould-Ward's costumes (white, with blueprints printed on them) were genius.

The lyrics. I should have been writing them down. Honestly, after sitting through such lyrically banal shows as "Romantic Poetry" and "13," it was an incredible JOY to hear a master lyricist doing what he does best.

The music. While occasionally some of it felt recycled (especially from "Assassins," am I crazy, or were "Assassins" melodies re-used completely in this show?), it always drove the show forward, and was memorable and interesting.

The story. The tale of those two brothers was engrossing. The Mizner brothers are fascinating characters, and I thought their stories were told well, in an hour and a half, very leanly and concisely. The craft on stage was top notch.

The negatives:

John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim have created two shows together prior to this one, both of which were idea musicals, not character studies. I think "Assassins" is a terrific idea musical, as is "Pacific Overtures." But there are no overriding "characters" in those shows. The problem for me with this one was they were doing an entirely different show, one that revolved around the relationship between two brothers, and Weidman's book treated them as symbols, instead of humans. This particular show called for a "character musical," not an "idea musical." The "Passion" path would have worked better than the "Assassins" path, IMHO.

And that's my only negative.

Honestly, it was a very, very entertaining show. I think Doyle's take is much better than Hal Prince's was. And I advise any Sondheim fan (or theatre fan, for that matter) to get to the Public and see it.




Updated On: 11/7/08 at 12:27 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 12:34am

Nice review. I cannot wait to see this.

Does Doyle cut the room for applause after most songs like he did with SWEENEY & COMPANY?

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 12:37am

ljay, Doyle did exactly what was appropriate for "applause breaks." He gave the audience the release when they needed it, and didn't demand it when it wasn't necessary. It was good work.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 3:09am

Being Sondheim I guess it's a given this will get recorded, and I can't wait to hear it, though I get the feeling they did the best they could, with the show. I don't think it'll ever be--for me--a top tier Sondheim. But lower tier Sondheim is certainly worth seeing.

[Boq101]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 3:38am

EricMontreal I hope you are right, I've yet to hear any news of a recording.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 5:34am

It would be the first major Sondheim revised production not to get one. I read somewhere that Sondheim recordings, relatively speaking, are much steadier sellers than most cast albums in this day and age--so I think it's a pretty sure bet. I hope

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 6:40am

It's only scheduled until Christmas time. I doubt a recording would happen unless it gets a longer run. But we can hope.

Can't wait to see it in December!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 6:52am

Well I guess somethign should be scheduled by now--but how long did Saturday Night run? The original Bounce? The Pacific Overtures revival? Merrily we Roll Along? Anyone Can Whistle?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 7:42am

It was already recorded - the album is called BOUNCE.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 7:53am

...

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 8:34am

I'm glad to hear people are enjoying this...just didn't work for me.

Always glad to hear Sondheim shows are being well-received.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 9:20am

1. thanks for the info about the cd bounce; I never realized it was recorded.
2. does anyone know if it is available at the theatre?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 9:36am

Oh I guess I assumed anyone with interest in Road Show had the original Bounce CD--unfairly. It's not at the theatre (it's significantly different anyway so wouldn't serve much purpose) but is still in print and easy to find on amazon, etc.

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 12:45pm

I have the Bounce CD and saw the show at the Kennedy Center in DC. I've gone back and forth about going up to NYC to see Road Show, but if a cast album were recorded, I'd buy it. I tend to buy most things Sondheim sooner or later.

[davidgr572]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 3:08pm

I saw Bounce in Chicago and Road Show last Sunday. It has greatly improved and is a much tighter production.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 11:26pm

I hope it gets recorded for the beautiful ballad between Hollis and Addy. And how beautifully staged it was!

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 8:33pm

It's a much better show than it was in Hal Prince's hands.

Whether it could work on Broadway?

Perhaps. The story is compelling. The craft is exemplar. Doyle's work is sensational.

Could it sell? I don't know. But I wish it could.

[GoSmileLaughCryClap]

Posted: 11/9/08 at 11:13am

I saw two of the other incarnations of this show, and it was problematic but interesting. I think there's something very important about the timimg of this latest verson as Road Show.

When the last two productions were staged, the country was still on an economic spending spree. People across the country were buying houses and cars they couldn't afford - and like the show - literally throwing money around.

Sondheim has a history of being prescient and before his time with the themes of his shows. This seems to be a perfect example.

The characters and their motivations seem to match the current financial downfall and the loss of a moral compass to define our lives.

I would think that many of the reviews will warm to a show with an over-riding theme that so accurately represents exactly what our country faces today.

Of course the show needs to be good to succeed. But if things have been tightened and strengthened, I can see a lot of nice things said about the show when it opens.

I wouldn't be surprised if Frank Rich writes a review couched in his Sunday opinion column.

Timing is everything.