| re: Merrily Last Night |
| Posted by: TheOtherOne 04:41 pm EST 12/08/22 |
| In reply to: Merrily Last Night - lowwriter 01:08 pm EST 12/08/22 |
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"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."
I am thrilled to have seen the production and I share your enthusiasm for it, but I do agree with this statement. My impression is that Gussie's role was expanded as the show was retooled to bolster Frank's story apart from Mary and Charlie, but that she remains the arch character she was initially conceived as.. You can get away with a character like that in small doses but you really can't when she's given added significance. But this is just conjecture on my part and anyone familiar with the original production would have a better sense of whether or not this is accurate.
All the same, the show is quite moving and the three leads work so beautifully both individually and together that they are a joy to experience. I wish Sondheim could have seen them.
I've heard other people say they found the sequence with Beth in the courthouse over-directed, by the way, but I loved it and loved Katie Rose Clarke. |
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The destruction of Gussie as someone you can enjoy hating - AlanScott 05:30 pm EST 12/08/22 |
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