Seesaw and The Rink- Page 2

[morosco]

Posted: 4/11/14 at 7:00pm

The basic set for the show.


The amazing transformation at the end of the show. Where did it all go?

[somethingbypuccini 2]

Posted: 4/11/14 at 7:49pm

Wow those pictures are stunning. I've always wondered what the big transformation was, and that completely exceeds my expectations.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 4/12/14 at 12:07am

Oh my gosh, that set looks spectacular! I love the wispy sunset clouds (or is it sunrise?). I don't know the plot to THE RINK, but that set seems like it would make a beautiful ending.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 4/12/14 at 12:25am

While both musicals have their charms, there are properties more deserving of revival, Encores! or otherwise. For instance The Grass Harp. The orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick and Robert Russell Bennett are stunning, and Claibe Richardson's score more than holds up.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 4/12/14 at 11:38pm

Morosco, bless you for posting those great shots! The genius of Peter Larkin new no bounds, and this was one of his very best designs. You can't tell from the photos how twisted the perspective actually was in the entire set. Just hypnotic.

When Liza turned to the demolition crew and cried, "Alright, boys, she's all yours" (or something to that effect), the orchestra burst into a full-out reprise of "Colored Lights" as the whole outer shell of the structure slowly ROSE up to the flies, followed in succession by portals 1, 2 and 3, leaving only the permanent gallery and stairs. Pure emotion translated into the most perfect set change in the world.

Updated On: 4/12/14 at 11:38 PM

[Up In One]

Posted: 4/13/14 at 9:25am

If I remember the Seesaw story right the producers had Michael Bennett rehearsing the new version with Michelle Lee in Cleveland during the day without Lanie Kazan knowing it so they could switch versions while still out of town. I also remember hearing that Lanie had a run of the play contract and the wonderful logo was somehow part of her contract and a legal dispute had them stop using it at one point.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 4/13/14 at 1:05pm

Beautiful photos!

[sabrelady]

Posted: 4/13/14 at 3:52pm

WOW- whole transformative ending came flooding back. Thank U!

[morosco]

Posted: 4/14/14 at 1:39pm

For The rink's curtain call (and the Tony Awards number) the gals were thrown into glamourous evening gowns in an effort to appease those coming to The Rink expecting something a little more splashy and glamorous.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/14/14 at 2:34pm

Stephanie J Block is my ideal casting for SEESAW.

[Demitri2]

Posted: 4/14/14 at 3:49pm

Lainie Kazan was a guest on Florence Henderson's talk show a few years back and did indeed mention the SEESAW fiasco when for some reason the subject of ever having been fired came up (Flo would come up with the best questions). As reported she was still appearing in the show out of town while Michele Lee was being rehearsed as her replacement during the day. Flo asked if there were any hard feelings between the two and Lanie said of course not. It was all business. In fact she mentioned that they were once both roommates when they were starting out in New York. I recall Lainie was also fired shortly aftereards from a revival of THE WOMEN but I don't recall any details on that one. Anyone?

There is a bootleg recording of SEESAW with Kazan but the sound quality is unfortunately atrocious. You can look it up on iOffer.com:
http://www.ioffer.com/search/items/SEE-SAW+lainie+Kazan

I saw the show with Lucie Arnaz, John Gavin and Tommy Tune and thought Arnaz did a wonderful job. Always felt she was underrated and underused. What I especially liked about the tour version was that they cut out that gawd awful song SPANGLISH.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/14/14 at 7:16pm

...Spanglish is pretty terrible...

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/10/15 at 12:26am

I'd love to see if THE RINK could work someday. I've always appreciated the score, but am really drawn to MRS. A lately. Chita is phenomenal on this cast recording. 

Updated On: 4/10/15 at 12:26 AM

[WOSQ]

Posted: 4/10/15 at 3:03pm

The whole Seesaw scenario is in the book "Second Act Trouble" which contains a reprint of a long article that originally appeared in the Times. It is one of the legendary in-trouble-on-the-road tales. Twenty-to-thirty people were fired or left during the Detroit run or the month of previews in town. Not only was the leading lady canned, but so was the director and the bookwriter, Michael Stewart packed up and left too. That is why Bennett has (or took) book credit.

 

Look at the credits carefully. There are 4 choreographers credited: Bennett, Grover dale, Tommy Tune and Bob Avian. Only Bennett won the Tony.

 

Seesaw  almost closed after a week (any reserve funds were long gone), but Mayor Lindsay capitalizing on his similarity in looks to the leading man, Ken Howard, did a walk-on that was played on all the local news outlets and perhaps went national on some networks. This created a surge at the box office that kept them going a bit.

 

If you look carefully at some of those small photos on the cast recording, you will see Lindsay and also Michael Bennett in them.

 

Seesaw limped through a 7 month run and never made a nickel profit. It was one of those make a thousand one week, lose a thousand the next. The show finally closed because the IRS raided the box office on a Tuesday and demanded (and got) all the cash because the producing entity had not been sending in the payroll taxes that are a part of doing business. The cast came in that night and found the notice up for the following Sunday.

 

And that's show biz, folks.

[evic]

Posted: 4/10/15 at 3:40pm

I knew some dancers in the cast who were fired in Detroit- it was not pretty.  I adored Michelle Lee in the show and Anita Morris and Baayork- of course!  The score is a lot of fun and would be a wonderful show for Encores- with the right Gittel and Jerry.  And it was at that glorious palace of a theater- The Hellinger.  I did not care for The Rink....the first half hour was pretty good then it went all downhill despite Chita and Liza and the gorgeous and talented Scott Holmes.  Jason Alexander was in the chorus on skates....lol

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/10/15 at 4:06pm

To be fair, when Seesaw landed it got decent-ish reviews.  And others have said they felt if Bennett had had more time he could have pulled it together (and that the tour, while not vastly different aside from a new song and a dropped song or two was tighter.)

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/10/15 at 4:32pm

Saw Seesaw and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Did not see The Rink but I like the score.