I would kill to see a non-profit like Lincoln Center produce a revival of this show. The perfect director in my mind that could refit the material in a more cohesive order would be Bartlett Sher. Any hope that LCT may produce this now that King & I is closed? Kelli O'Hara would make a lovely Margy too... This cast recording is a guilty pleasure of mine from time to time!
I saw it on its pre-Broadway run here in Southern California. I thought it was a really good show, and a real treat to see the star power it had going for it. And to see a "new" Rodgers and Hammerstein musical put forth was pretty special. I know it's always been the "lesser" of their biggies by comparison to Oklahoma, Sound of Music, Carousel, et. al. But I found it quite refreshing.
I was bummed to hear it closed so quickly once it did hit Broadway, but I seem to remember people talking about how old-fashioned it was at a time when such shows as RENT were becoming the new trend. And RENT was big that year. It almost appeared that this was the biggest complaint about it. Too provincial, too quaint, too outdated….and at the wrong time.
But to see this take on it makes it an even more interesting story to me. Gets great reviews around the country. It hits Broadway. The group of seasoned vets behind the curtain hear about all the critics out front. They get nervous. Davidson drops a rope, and it all goes downhill from there. The NY critics pan it. Odd.
An interesting read indeed, as this has always been a musical that I found to be most charming, and I really was disappointed to hear that a refreshing R&H musical didn't make it.
You can get a perusal copy from RNH.com. Briggs did some interesting things like bringing Margy's hometown boyfriend into more of the story and giving the band singer at the fair a backstory. Really a sweet and entertaining show.