| re: Is there any chance this will extend again?? oddities | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 11:08 am EST 12/17/24 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 10:59 am EST 12/17/24 | |
| In reply to: re: Is there any chance this will extend again?? oddities - NewtonUK 09:03 am EST 12/17/24 | |
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| ''Good shows and bad shows close quickly. Maybe reviews. Maybe word of mouth. But they close because they are not selling tickets.'' Ain't it the truth? I imagine we all have short-lived shows we adored, but somehow they didn't find the audiences we thought they deserved. A recent example was Sondheim and Furth's ''Merrily We Roll Along,'' which closed after 16 regular performances in 1981. I've seen various revivals (i.e., York Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Encores!). Always loved Sondheim's score (and the 2002 reunion concert), but somehow the show, as a whole, never worked as a commercial hit until the recent Broadway revival, thanks to the lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry between Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe. Much credit has gone to Maria Friedman's sensitive direction. But I saw the video of her much acclaimed British revival of ''Merrily,'' which began at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2012, and wasn't all that impressed. If Friedman had brought that cast to Broadway, ''Merrily'' would've bombed again. In fact, Friedman did direct a ''Merrily'' revival in 2017 at Boston's Huntington Theatre Company; it starred Mark Umbers and Damian Humbley reprising their roles as Frank and Charlie from England, and added Eden Espinosa as Mary. I can only assume there were hopes that version would go to Broadway. Wisely, and I think this is the best thing Friedman did: She waited and cast Radcliffe and then Groff. Audiences love their stars. Friedman was widely expected to win the Tony for directing ''Merrily,'' but Tony voters chose to reward Danya Taymor for her showier, more dynamic staging in ''The Outsiders,'' especially that rainy fight scene in Act II. ''Merrily'' did win the Tony for Best Musical Revival, and happily so did Groff and Radcliffe win their awards, but it's telling to me that I've never heard of any plans for a national tour. Perhaps shrewdly they thought: ''Merrily'' probably couldn't repeat its success on the road without stars. |
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