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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Posted by: IThespis 09:31 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
| In reply to: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - MRH 04:44 pm EDT 08/07/20 | |
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| In late '81I saw the 4th preview, the 12th and the 17th. A week after the official opening I saw it twice. I've no memory of any "original opening number being the greatest staging in Broadway history" as you say you read somewhere. Little of the show could be said to be greatest anything, although the score is a delight, won a Tony. And the ending was chilling! Especially for those of us who had been there, done that. The opening number I remember was Franklin Shepherd addressing a graduation class of his high school. Song. Franklin is a successful producer and talented former songwriter. The scene then fades to Franklin hosting a lavish party at his Hollywood house and the story unfolds about Franklin, his former best-friend and partner Charley and former best-friend Mary. You see & hear a scene, hear a song ….. then merrily we roll along back to the next scene, one earlier in their lives. Each scene marches back in time and you see Franklin and Charley successful, Mary, too, then merrily we roll along back to trouble in relationships, then how careers began, then how all met, and in the terrific ending, kids on rooftops watching Sputnik in 1957. For them, anything was possible. In previews the show dropped an opening swimming pool, added sweatshirts with names of characters on them, probably dropped some book lines to quicken the pace. I really didn[t see much change show to show. |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Posted by: IThespis 08:26 pm EDT 08/10/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - IThespis 09:31 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
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| Oops, well on we go .... | |
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| Some things about Merrily | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 12:33 pm EDT 08/10/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - IThespis 09:31 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
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| Just three little things to mention about Merrily We Roll Along, since it has come up: The T-shirts with character identifications of various sorts — not always character names — were there from the first preview. The change was made after a dress rehearsal. The T-shirts did go through changes during previews, with the IDs changing on many of them, but the idea was onstage from the first preview. Sondheim was nominated for but did not win the Tony for best score. I think it was the show's only Tony nomination. Sondheim tied with Maury Yeston for best lyrics in the Drama Desk Awards. I'm very surprised that you feel the show didn't change much during previews. I first saw it at the third preview and then I saw it six more times complete, plus two times when I second-acted it. The last time I saw it was the closing performance. My perception was that it had changed tremendously, although the score changed relatively little compared with everything else in that there were no new songs. Revisions were made to some songs, but no new songs were added. While the basic outlines of the plot were generally the same (although even in basic plot there were several important changes), there certainly were major changes to the dialogue in a number of scenes, with two major scenes being drastically rewritten (basically entirely reconceived). One of those two scenes was drastically rewritten twice. Some scenes did undergo only fairly minor changes. The staging was reworked greatly in a number of scenes. |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Posted by: whereismikeyfl 09:42 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - IThespis 09:31 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
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| IThespis, your memory is better than mine. I also went to early previews and then after opening. I noticed that they cut the Judge's song (though it was recorded for the OBC album) and a few of the slit throats were deleted. I agree that the ending was chilling, but I have very little memory of the swimming pool. |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Posted by: Gustave 10:19 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - whereismikeyfl 09:42 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
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| Oh for god's sake. The swimming pool incident came right after the witch killed the baker. Is no one paying attention? Gustave | |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Last Edit: Chromolume 10:29 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 10:27 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - Gustave 10:19 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
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| Oh for god's sake. The swimming pool incident came right after the witch killed the baker. Is no one paying attention? Attention must be paid. I think that's what Booth said before he jumped in the pool. Or was that "Brek-ek-ek-ek Co-ax?" |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 09:36 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - IThespis 09:31 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
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| I guess this was Company We Roll Along? ;-) | |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Posted by: Snowysdad 11:16 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - Chromolume 09:36 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
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| THANK YOU!!! I don't think I have ever been as confused by a thread as I am this one, even ones about shows I know nothing about . The post says Company and as I remember it, that show was about this guy named Bobby and a bunch of his married friends and a few women who figured romantically in his life, but feel free to correct me if I am misremembering. Then several people start answering about Franklin Shepard who was a lead character in a different Sondheim show, but I will check with my friend Anne Morrison who lives near by. I am sure she can straighten me out as to which show the first responders might have been talking about. Then there was a comment about a Judge and his song, I am guessing that they were referring to Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury because that is the only Judge's song I know of. Oh, wait, there is a judge in another Sondheim show, but he doesn't make it all the way to the end, something happens to him along the way. Then there are a couple of mentions of a pool, can't recall a pool in any Sondheim show, where they talking about a pool of blood? WILL SOMEONE MAKE SOME SORT OF SENSE OF ALL THIS????? |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Posted by: sirpupnyc 11:24 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - Snowysdad 11:16 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
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| "NOOO POOOOOOL???!??!!!?!!?! TRASH IT!" | |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Last Edit: AlanScott 10:43 am EDT 08/10/20 | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 10:42 am EDT 08/10/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - sirpupnyc 11:24 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
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| Ah, but when the pool was in the show during Broadway previews (for a surprisingly long time, although some cast members remember it being gone very quickly), that line was not in the show. The show, of course, being A Little Night Music. No, Merrily We Roll Along. Anyay, that line was added to the revision. Perhaps Furth missed the pool and he had to get a pool in there somehow. :) |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Posted by: BillEadie 12:14 am EDT 08/10/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - sirpupnyc 11:24 pm EDT 08/09/20 | |
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| I thought the swimming pool was where the frog jumped out of the cup and then went to Hades(town). Bill, in San Diego, who will probably regret letting people know he wrote this |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 12:25 am EDT 08/10/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - BillEadie 12:14 am EDT 08/10/20 | |
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| Carlotta was stinko by her pool... | |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Last Edit: BillEadie 01:31 am EDT 08/10/20 | |
| Posted by: BillEadie 01:17 am EDT 08/10/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - Chromolume 12:25 am EDT 08/10/20 | |
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| But, at least she got through it—and thank God, she’s still here! Bill, in San Diego, who should have gone to an acting school, that seems clear... |
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| re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging | |
| Posted by: peter3053 06:09 am EDT 08/10/20 | |
| In reply to: re: COMPANY -- original ending/staging - BillEadie 01:17 am EDT 08/10/20 | |
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| "Merrily tomorrow - Company tonight!!" |
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