| Considering how many shows he produced, Merrick's list is surprisingly free of junk--and surprisingly free of dire flops. Sure, there are a few that were probably bad ideas to begin with and closed quickly, but those are fairly rare exceptions. Most of Merrick's list consists either of "distinguished" British and European plays--or plays and musicals that at least had been hits in London--several Tennessee Williams plays, a couple of early Brian Friel plays, Woody Allen's first play, and a whole lot of musicals that ranged from pretty good to exceptional. |
