| Merrily Last Night | |
| Posted by: lowwriter 01:08 pm EST 12/08/22 | |
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| I saw Merrily Last Night and had a wonderful time. The casting of Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe is perfect. I’ve seen this show in different versions six times now and I found this one full of excitement and often moving. Groff is such a charismatic performer that he makes Frank a more sympathetic character though you really hate where he winds up at the end and how he treats his friends and family. Radcliffe gets a showstopper with Franklin Shepard Inc and remains lovable throughout. And Mendez gets our sympathy with Like It Was and the Not a Day Goes By trio in act 2. I loved watching the three of them together singing Old Friends and Opening Doors. They have great chemistry together. Groff actually carries Radcliffe twice on his back. The production itself isn’t perfect. Some of the transitions are awkward and I found the set design uninspired. Occasionally the acting is too broad and cartoonish and that might have something to do with the small venue. Katie Rose Clarke who is well cast as Beth has been directed to sing Not a Day Goes By so melodramatically that it doesn’t work in act one. I think Gussie’s character has always been problematic in this show. She is so unlikable and shallow and Krystal Joy Brown doesn’t succeed in making her more than a caricature. On the other hand Reg Rogers manages to make us care about Joe by doing much less. Overall, though, I really liked this production. Director Maria Friedman spoke after the show and said she realized that this musical really centers around Frank so he is foregrounded at the beginning and the end. And that works. In the past I always found the treatment of Frank unsatisfying. Friedman also pointed out that she hasn’t made many changes and what is there was in George Furth and Sondheim’s writing. One small thing: Our Time is probably one of my favorite Sondheim songs because it is one of his few optimistic ones. I thought the entrance of the ensemble near the end of the song somewhat awkward. I remember the staging at the Kennedy Center production years ago being more effective in building toward a climax. I still love the song. It is a shame we don’t have the terrific overture this time around though Jonathan Tunick’s orchestrations sparkle even with a small band. I’ll be going back to see the show at the end of the month and look forward to it. And should it transfer? Most definitely. But it may not happen this season. |
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