| I think the Encores "Mack and Mabel" was the last show I saw before the pandemic. It's possible that since most theater shut down that any momentum and publicity from the production just kind of dissipated. It's a great score, but wedded to a book that especially has 2nd act problems. Mabel's descent into drugs and scandal is a journey that I don't think an audience really wants to take, especially when she's paired off with a title male lead who seems self-aware that he's not going to take steps to help her. Still, the score is wonderful, so maybe someone will try rewriting it and perhaps incorporate some Jerry Herman trunk songs to make the 2nd act work. |
