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| 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 08:46 pm EDT 10/10/23 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 08:31 pm EDT 10/10/23 | |
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| ''Merrily We Roll Along's'' reviews arrived this morning, so while they were early in the day, happily they weren't ''Surly. Not a good sign.'' By and large, they were love letters to Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's 1981 short-lived musical, which could turn into 2023's ''gargantuan hit.'' Quite a contrast from Dennis Cunningham's TV review of ''Merrily'' in 1981: ''It's neither merry, nor does it roll along. In fact, it clunks, lurches and on several occasions, faints dead away. Where did they [Hal Prince, Sondheim and Furth] go so wildly wrong? ... A score with only the glimmers of the mighty talent of Stephen Sondheim and staging even without the mighty talent of Hal Prince. ... Oh, my!'' What a difference 42 years make! Under Maria Friedman's direction, this revived ''Merrily'' received mostly glowing notices, especially for Jonathan Groff's incredible charisma and skill as Frank and Daniel Radcliffe's showstopping ''Franklin Shepard Inc.'' as Charley. Not that all of today's critics didn't find any fault. Some did, even with Sondheim's glorious score that boasts ''Not a Day Goes By,'' ''Old Friends'' and ''Our Time,'' for starters. For instance, Robert Hofler in The Wrap called '' 'Bobby and Jackie and Jack'' an ''absolutely dreadful cabaret number'' that is ''Sondheim at his rinky-tinky worst.'' And Greg Evans in Deadline.com added: It's ''dated, silly'' and ''neither funny, catchy, nor convincing.'' Happily, we ''Merrily'' fans know better and always knew Sondheim, Furth and Prince had a ''Good Thing Going.'' How I wish they were still here to revel in this revival! |
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| Link | BroadwayWorld.com: Review Roundup of 'Merrily We Roll Along' Revival |
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| re: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 09:32 am EDT 10/11/23 | |
| In reply to: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews - WaymanWong 08:31 pm EDT 10/10/23 | |
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| Not unexpected or surprising, as the reviews were the same at NYTW. | |
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| re: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 08:02 pm EDT 10/11/23 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 07:52 pm EDT 10/11/23 | |
| In reply to: re: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews - NewtonUK 09:32 am EDT 10/11/23 | |
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| Until the latest reviews came out, there was no guarantee. There might've been a backlash to the early Off-Broadway notices or reconsideration (''It's not THAT good!''). Even Jesse Green's N.Y. Times review, which is a Critic's Pick, quibbles about whether the Broadway transfer is wholly successful and fills up the Broadway house it's in. As for higher prices, there's only one way to go but up. A couple of weeks ago, I saw some $399 seats in the front orchestra; now, there's some $699 tickets there. But on the BroadwayWorld message board, someone posted that Todaytix has some tickets for around $100 for a few select dates in February and March 2024. No idea which section. |
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| re: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews | |
| Posted by: huskyital 12:05 pm EDT 10/12/23 | |
| In reply to: re: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews - WaymanWong 07:52 pm EDT 10/11/23 | |
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| I got a seat for $112 in March. It is in the third row center of the balcony but according to seat plan, the view is excellent even if the leg room is not. | |
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| re: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 11:14 pm EDT 10/12/23 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 11:13 pm EDT 10/12/23 | |
| In reply to: re: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews - huskyital 12:05 pm EDT 10/12/23 | |
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| $112 is a bargain now. A couple of weeks ago, the last seats in the last row of the balcony were going for $150. Tomorrow night (10/13), they are nearly sold out, except for a few orchestra seats selling for $499-$599. And on Saturday night, the handful of remaining orchestra seats are $399-$699! |
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| re: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 02:49 pm EDT 10/13/23 | |
| In reply to: re: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews - WaymanWong 11:13 pm EDT 10/12/23 | |
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| I have 2 tickets for $158 total next month. | |
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| I guess prices won’t drop | |
| Posted by: dramedy 09:49 pm EDT 10/10/23 | |
| In reply to: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews - WaymanWong 08:31 pm EDT 10/10/23 | |
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| I bought rear orch about two weeks ago because front was too expensive. | |
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| re: I guess prices won’t drop | |
| Posted by: BillEadie 08:44 pm EDT 10/11/23 | |
| In reply to: I guess prices won’t drop - dramedy 09:49 pm EDT 10/10/23 | |
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| I had dates for my next NYC theatre visit some time ago, and I happily sprung for tickets to this production then. Bill, in San Diego |
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| re: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews | |
| Posted by: jwgnewyork 09:32 pm EDT 10/10/23 | |
| In reply to: 'Merrily,' the raves are rollin' in: A roundup of rapturous reviews - WaymanWong 08:31 pm EDT 10/10/23 | |
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| Robert Hoffler is an idiot. "Bobbie and Jackie and Jack" is an excellent parody of the comedy built around the Kennedy family that was the equivalent of SNL in its time. This is epitomized by "The First Family" a comedy album by Vaughn Meader. It was very successful in 1962 and sold over a million copies. | |
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