I wouldn't envy any writer trying to write a new book for MACK AND MABEL around Herman's score, which is the raison d'etre, after all.
The real story of Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand probably wouldn't fit the score very well and a new writer would likely be forced to come up with another fictional story...so...what's the point, really?
I was kind of hoping that Encores! would cut the book away completely and just give enough set-up that the numbers make sense and go from there. Alas no...we got a mostly full, revised Francine Pascal book, which can't be much of an improvement over her brother's original.
I'd actually be most interested in an entirely new show with a new book and score that actual tells, at least, some of the real story of these people. |
