| re: Am I going to Theatre Jail for not really liking MERRILY? | |
| Posted by: Hirving 10:08 am EDT 06/23/24 | |
| In reply to: Am I going to Theatre Jail for not really liking MERRILY? - DistantDrumming 01:00 am EDT 06/23/24 | |
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| Re: the narrative that Maria Friedman solved this show and "is an actor's director," I disagree strongly. I tried to watch the pro-shoot of her UK production and I couldn't get through it. In the first couple scenes, I could barely find a moment where any actor played an honest moment. It was all arch and surface and pushed and over-the-top. And that was also true of many of the performances in this Broadway production (which I saw at NYTW and twice on Broadway). Aside from Groff, Mendez, and Radcliffe, most performances felt artificial. Some of this is a challenge of the book writing, but the three leads found ways to overcome that issue due to their skill, taste, and genuine love for one another which grounded their performances and gave them nuance beyond what Furth's book supplies. Friedman's best contribution was the new framing device - beginning with Frank at the end of the story, regretfully holding the script for "Take a Left" which he promised he'd do "next" with his best friend for almost two decades, and now questioning what he has done to his life and friendships. This motivates the ensemble to question him with, "How did you get to be here?" They become the voices of his conscience as he revisits his choices in reverse order, and when it comes back to him with the script at the end of the show we can presume that this "A Christmas Carol"-style revisiting of his life will maybe lead him to making some better choices tomorrow. This device adds a heartbeat to the musical that would not be there otherwise. But between the first and last moments of the show, Friedman directed a show that was (aside from the performances of the three leads) full of false performances and moments, unattractively designed, and uninventively staged. I think the Tony voters got it right, despite the pundits assuming it was a lock for Friedman. The MVPs of this production are Groff, Mendez, and Radcliffe, who elevate the production and made it one of the genuine must-see shows of this past season. |
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| Previous: | re: Related question: what exactly was wrong with Merrily that was so bad in the first place? - comedywest 11:59 am EDT 06/23/24 |
| Next: | Now I might get sent straight to PRISON, instead of jail.... - DistantDrumming 10:17 pm EDT 06/23/24 |
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