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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater

EricMontreal22

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joined:10/31/11

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#1
Posted: 7/27/16 at 1:51am

I am really excited (well, excited, and scared) about how this show will go over at Encores. When I was an Menken obsessed kid, I listened to the demo and live cast album--and a friend, who hated musicals, told me that it would make a great musical. (I never read the book).

And this oral history of the show is worth a read. I really hope it gets a recording.

http://www.nycitycenter.org/Home/Blog/July-2016/Rosewater-Oral-History?fullsite=true

EricMontreal22

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#2
Posted: 7/27/16 at 1:57am

And this performance from the Ashman tribute is pretty great https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EciSm7T-g6c

neonlightsxo

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#3
Posted: 7/27/16 at 9:28am

Did anybody see the dress last night? Wondering what roles everyone is playing besides Skylar and Santino. Thanks.

JBroadway

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#4
Posted: 7/27/16 at 9:31am

Seeing the show tonight. Will report back.

Mr Roxy

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#5
Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:09am

Seeing it tomorrow night.

Poster Emeritus

Crazy NooNooHead

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#6
Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:21am

My mom was at the dress rehearsal and said that it took a little while to get going, but once it did, she liked it a lot. She thought the cast was great, and Brynn O'Malley's number was her favorite. She also loved Jeanine Tesori's speech. I can't go into too many details because I wasn't actually there, but I'm seeing it on Friday and I'm looking forward to it.

"I have maggots in my scrotum!"

Taryn

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joined:1/24/04

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#7
Posted: 7/27/16 at 11:02am

I'm going tonight. I'm pretty excited! I've never heard the score, but I've always wanted to; I'm a huge fan of both Menken & Ashman and Kurt Vonnegut. Rosewater was actually my very first Vonnegut novel back when I was in high school and made me fall in love with his work.

BroadwayKiwi

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joined:12/27/12

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#8
Posted: 7/27/16 at 12:17pm

I was there through the generosity of a friend involved and LOVED it. It's weird, bizarre, but brilliant.

The roles other than Skylar and Santino and Brynn are mostly doubled and tripled etc, and all pretty minor parts, except for Mr Jones as the "author" in an amazing monologue.

See this if you can. Wonderful numbers and cast, sounding great with the band.

icecreambenjamin

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#9
Posted: 7/27/16 at 12:30pm

I'm ridiculously excited for this production. Sadly I'm in Florida right now, so I won't be able to see it. Hopefully this will lead to a long awaited cast album for this show.

Scarywarhol

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joined:10/1/04

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#10
Posted: 7/27/16 at 12:31pm

I am so devastated, no hyperbole, just utterly heartbroken that I have to miss this show. Working far away. This is one of my favorite scores. Howard Ashman is my hero.

neonlightsxo

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#11
Posted: 7/27/16 at 12:34pm

BroadwayKiwi, is Brynn playing Sylvia, then?

BroadwayKiwi

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#12
Posted: 7/27/16 at 1:17pm

neonlightsxo said: "BroadwayKiwi, is Brynn playing Sylvia, then?

"

That's right, she is. She's hilarious and devastating. So good...

BroadwayKiwi

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#13
Posted: 7/27/16 at 1:18pm

Ms Tesori in her speech (and my friend privately) both mentioned that the aim is to record an album Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater

SmoothLover

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#14
Posted: 7/27/16 at 2:52pm

I was at the dress and the piece itself held my interest. Fontana handled his role with amusing levity and he simply has one of the best Broadway voices of his generation. The vocals were quite lovely across the board. Skyler was pushing a tad but I suspect he will find his groove. Mayer directs well without a heavy hand. There is an upstage platform which is a little clunky hindering sightlines and it is compromised by hanging postcards. It may be an issue on the 2nd tier.

gypsy101

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#15
Posted: 7/27/16 at 2:58pm

BroadwayKiwi said: "Ms Tesori in her speech (and my friend privately) both mentioned that the aim is to record an album "

YES! the world needs this unrecorded Alan Menken & Howard Ashman score.

"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."

EricMontreal22

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#16
Posted: 7/27/16 at 4:20pm

BroadwayKiwi said: "Ms Tesori in her speech (and my friend privately) both mentioned that the aim is to record an album

"
YES!!

RippedMan

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#17
Posted: 7/27/16 at 7:47pm

Total Menken fan and can't wait to see this! Going tomorrow night!

CindersGolightly

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#18
Posted: 7/27/16 at 8:52pm

How was Kate Wetherhead?

"Get up the nerve to be all you deserve to be."

BroadwayKiwi

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#19
Posted: 7/27/16 at 8:57pm

CindersGolightly said: "How was Kate Wetherhead?

"

Really funny and sounded great with solo moments Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater

JBroadway

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#20
Posted: 7/27/16 at 9:40pm

Wow! What a blast! Not a perfect show by any means, but so charming. Amazing cast. Will say mode when I get home.

Scarywarhol

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#21
Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:03pm

I think I actually may cry over missing this. God bless you, Howard Ashman.

WhizzerMarvin

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#22
Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:16pm

What was that? One of the weirder musicals I've seen, and not really in a good way. It should have been called God Bless You, Mr Fontana for somehow using your remarkable innate charm and charisma to somehow almost hold the piece together. How the hell did that bizarro jamboree end up being the best thing about this Encores series?!

At times I got a sort of How to Succeed vibe from the thing, but you know without the Loesser score or any fleshed out characters, save Santino's Rosewater. There were a couple ok songs and a few poignant moments, but I thought overall they got lost in the shuffle of the rest of the hodgepodge that was going on. There is a reason this show isn't performed often. It's an oddity, not an undiscovered gem.

Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco. Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!

EricMontreal22

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#23
Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:18pm

You're breaking my heart Whizzer! I can't comment on the show, and maybe I'm blinded from listening to the demo repeatedly as a kid, but I think the entire score is pretty terrific at any rate.

Scarywarhol

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#24
Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:24pm

Same, it has many of my favorite songs from any Off-Broadway musical.

Since You Came To This Town

Thirty Miles From the Banks of the Ohio

Look Who's Here

I, Eliot Rosewater

A Firestorm Consuming Indianapolis

Dear Ophelia

Plain, Clean, Average Americans

at least in the demos, I think these are all absolutely killer numbers.

Updated On: 7/27/16 at 10:24 PM

WhizzerMarvin

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#25
Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:31pm

Part of how a score must be assessed is how it works in context.

Thank God for the Volunteer Fire Brigade? What exactly is terrific about that song? Sure it's wacky, but it comes out of nowhere, sung by characters we haven't met before and won't be seen from again, except for Mr Rosewater. It's a surreal, what the hell is going on moment.

What about The Rhode Island Tango? Once again, characters we haven't seen before are given a big spot- we do at least see the Rhode Island relatives again- but they feel both intregal and extraneous to the plot.

Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco. Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!

EricMontreal22

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Encore's God Bless You Mr Rosewater#26
Posted: 7/27/16 at 10:32pm

Scarywarhol said: "Same, it has many of my favorite songs from any Off-Broadway musical.

Since You Came To This Town

Thirty Miles From the Banks of the Ohio

Look Who's Here

I, Eliot Rosewater

A Firestorm Consuming Indianapolis

Dear Ophelia

Plain, Clean, Average Americans

at least in the demos, I think these are all absolutely killer numbers.

"

I'm glad I'm not alone--and yes to all of those choices (plus it has Cheeze Nips, the first of Ashman's "Food songs" like Feed Me, Be Our Guest, Growing Boy from the unfinished Babe, etc)