I saw the show two weeks ago and while I loved seeing Brian D'Arcy James and Kelli O'Hara do their master work up close, the show itself didn't do much for me. I love the score to PIAZZA and find there to be some lovely melodies within the work, but DAYS had nothing - I mean nothing - that raised my pulse rate. I would just say the score was boring - not a good thing for a musical. Someone else posted that most of the musical numbers sounded the same and I would concur with that assessment. Was there even a melody anywhere in the show - when I left the theater, there was nothing to hum that stuck with me. (Even the BACK TO THE FUTURE score had me humming a couple of the numbers after the show and that score isn't exactly what I would describe as accomplished.) Perhaps, though, the score will require repeated listenings for it to grow on me - I think that was true of PIAZZA back in the day.
The show worked very well dramatically and the acting was absolutely first-rate.
But I think the show is being heavily considered for Broadway. After my performance I overheard Kelli talking to people about the fact it may be headed uptown. The couple she was speaking to were sharing they found the ending to be pretty bleak, especially for Kelli's character (I agree). She suggested they could tinker with the ending if the show were to have a further commercial life. I don't know how I feel about a more hopeful ending but I can understand giving the consideration to making the ending more palatable for a mainstream audience. |
