Doyle's MERRILY.- Page 3
Doyle's MERRILY.
PennybankBill
Stand-by Joined: 11/1/10
#50Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/9/12 at 8:54pm
I think one review said the theme for the Watermill production was the tape recorder. Judging by the photos for this one, it seems to be an archives office. Or maybe moving boxes.
Maybe the different shades of blue to be representative of the blue skies that were ahead when they were young. Notice how Frank's clothes are the darkest shade of blue, Charlie and Mary still have the light shade, just not as up front, so maybe that means they still are trying to remain true to themselves. Also, Mary's dress is sort of a muddied blue, maybe saying her blue skies have been muddied because of Frank's neglect and her own alcoholism?
However it is, I imagined Frank (old) walking in from a door offstage to his "archives" office. He carries a bottle in his hand an spies one of the boxes. He throws the lid off and takes out some papers and a tape recorder. We hear the opening bars of "Good Thing Going" playing on the tape recorder. He stops it. He puts down the bottle and throws the papers on the floor. He presses the forward button on the tape recorder. Up to this point, a spotlight has been following him. He searches for the light switch. When he finds it, the figures of the cast are revealed. The recorder stops. The music for the first "Merrily" starts. When it transitions into "That Frank", the cast pulls props for the party out of one of the boxes. I figured that by the end, there's only one box containing the binoculars and anything else in the last scene. The box is taken away by Frank who runs off, young and ready to take on the world.
TL;DR: Thoughts on Doyle's Merrily just from looking at photos and imaginary production.
#51Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/10/12 at 3:50pm
Wow those orchestrations sure rob It's a Hit of any drive the song usually has... In general it seems a bit too heavy handed--a quality I think the show can't afford to have. For some reason the piles of boxes and sheets of paper remind me of Doyle's set for Road Show. Opening Doors which should be thrilling, just looks cluttered... And this criticism is mean, but the cast seems *old*. I'm not sure if it;'s any better to have an old cast than it is to have a very young one... (It kinda makes the whole thing seems that more depressing)
"I understand that qualm, but in truth Doyle does direct a large number of productions that don't employ the concept, so even if those productions can be argued to lack directorial inspiration, we can't really say that Doyle is simply employing the musician/actor concept to cover for his insecurity about directing a traditionally staged production. "
I have friends who loved what he did with Road Show, so can't comment, but I did see the film of his production of Mahoganny and thought it was woefully lacking--it made me cynically wonder if he WAS a capable director when not using the concept.
#52Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/10/12 at 7:38pm
Also, this is a smaller and shorter Merrily than those familiar with the show are accustomed. Several chunks of dialogue and entire characters have been excised (as compared to the licensed script), the songs have no musical buttons (and thus no applause from the audience until the very end), and the show comes in at an intermission-less one hour and forty-five minutes. Worst of all for fans of the musical, the glorious overture (probably the last great one heard on Broadway) is entirely absent. The director's concept of the show being told to Frank Jr. (Ben Diskant), presumably as a cautionary tale, is interesting, but one not fully developed or focused.
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/cincy/cincy246.html
Yikes. Doyle also took an axe to Sweeney's book. MERRILY without that glorious Overture is kind of tragic.
#54Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/10/12 at 10:33pm
The sensuality of Johanna in Sweeney, with Anthony and Johanna caressing and holding their cellos between their legs, whilst playing to each other, was one of the sexiest things I've seen.
This makes me want to puke. Not just puke, but projectile vomit onto and into their cellos.
This gimmick is infuriating. This is not art. This sheds no light on the works themselves. And this is no longer creative, if it ever even was.
This is nothing more than a contemporary version of "The Emperor Has No Clothes."
And it makes me want to puke.
#55Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/10/12 at 11:00pmA nice cello is expensive. While I respect that you dislike the style, vomiting into Lauren Molina's cello would really be a bummer for her.
#56Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/11/12 at 12:17am
According to ATC, they cut the roles of Beth's Dad (is her mom still in it?) and the Newscaster. If that means the interviewer from Franklin Shepherd Inc, how the hell does that scene/song work now?
Apparently Sondheim saw it, and it made him cry.....
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=2052914
Updated On: 3/11/12 at 12:17 AM
#57Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/11/12 at 1:42amI don't think that role has been cut- the character's name is K.T. and she's still listed in the press release. I think what that poster on ATC means by Newscaster is the two newscasters that have a brief bit of dialogue before the Franklin Shepard, Inc. scene begins.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
#58Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/11/12 at 4:40amCan someone please try to explain exactly what insight, how did the instruments played by actors bring this insight about, how did it enrich the storytelling? How did it integrate the various components into a cohesive whole, that's if it does at all. I honestly have never read a single peep from anyone who claims some insight is gained in his productions. Everyone says they're ingenious but fail to support that claim with examples. Not like I'm demanding it either and know too well how it's like being busy, but when all I read are people saying "it was beautifulll" "INGENIOUS!" "INSIGHTFUL like never before," and leave it at that and many others do the same, it's enough to drive a person crazzzzy. :P
Recreation of original John Cameron orchestration to "On My Own" by yours truly. Click player below to hear.
chrisampm2
Broadway Star Joined: 5/26/07
#59Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/11/12 at 5:27amThis post has examples of insights people feel Doyle productions have given them and I've read and contributed to many others over the years. Maybe you need to look harder.
#60Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/11/12 at 10:11am
...vomiting into Lauren Molina's cello would really be a bummer for her.
Are tubas easier to clean?
#62Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/11/12 at 3:01pmI love the cast. I would really like to Daniel Jenkins interpretation of Charlie. He has to be better than Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was woefully miscast. It needs a good singing voice and strong acting abilities, both of which Mr Miranda does not have.
#63Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/11/12 at 6:28pm
There are many who claim religious experiences, but that's about it. XD No hows, whys, and wheres.
And that cello loin thing is unimpressive. LOL.
I can claim those gigantic wooden beams on either side of the Les Mis stage evoke giant phalluses and how horny that made me feel during Marius' and Cosette's run-in in her garden and I'm sure 99% of y'all would be unimpressed, too.
Recreation of original John Cameron orchestration to "On My Own" by yours truly. Click player below to hear.
Updated On: 3/11/12 at 06:28 PM
CurtainCall
Understudy Joined: 4/1/11
#64Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/11/12 at 7:15pm
'This makes me want to puke. Not just puke, but projectile vomit onto and into their cellos'
Ah, Socractic discourse, I have missed it and when your balls drop or you're less twattish - which ever's first - I'd be delighted to read your latest sophomoric ramblings.
#65Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/11/12 at 11:46pm
I saw this production as well and, while I usually love Doyle's work, didn't care for it at all. Doyle's version has a really somber and heavy feel to it in comparison to other stagings of Merrily, and not to its credit. There were interesting ideas floating around (the teenaged Frank Jr. being on stage the whole time was intriguing, though underdeveloped), but on the whole nothing hung together. Worse, the instruments seemed cumbersome on stage, and the orchestrations had what instruments were there vastly underutilized. There was a lot of standing around with instruments. The best thing about Merrily is its score, and it wasn't done justice with this staging. Company and Sweeney can (in my opinion, I'm fully aware that others will disagree) handle the sparser orchestrations because there's so much else to hang on to in terms of story and and what the actor/musician concept can, at least theoretically, contribute. It didn't add anything here.
I think part of what made this staging of the show feel really oppressive to me is that there is, seriously, not one applause break from start to finish of the show played in one act. No applause for Franklin Shepard, Inc. Or any other song. I get it, but Merrily doesn't really lend itself to the chamber musical take. In terms of performances, the cast was solidly good with the exception of Jane Pfitsch, who sort of blew Not a Day Goes By but did improve in later scenes.
All that said, I do love Doyle's work and I think it's unfair to judge the actor/musician concept as used up or finished because it didn't work for this piece. I'm always excited to see what he does next.
#66Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/12/12 at 3:44amWait, so now Merrily is staged as a cautionary tale for Frank Jr? "Here son, why not watch us enact for you a tale about what an asshole your father ended up being to everyone who loved him! Enjoy!" Depressing.
#67Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/12/12 at 11:34amIs it any less depressing than, "Look at what these idealistic and talented young people became: alcoholic one-hit-wonders, sellout philanderers, and crazy people"?
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#68Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/12/12 at 4:08pm
"Wait, so now Merrily is staged as a cautionary tale for Frank Jr?"
Hmmmm... putting a child who barely figures in the script into the centre of the plot... sounds reminiscent of the Regent's Park production of Into The Woods.
"Is it any less depressing than, "Look at what these idealistic and talented young people became: alcoholic one-hit-wonders, sellout philanderers, and crazy people"?"
That's not depressing. That's life.
#69Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/12/12 at 6:12pmWell yes, because the soin isn;t being forced to witness his dad's life as performed by crazy instrument wielding performers as some sort of warning for his own life. :P I do find that more depressing or at least head shaking...
Brick
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/21/06
#70Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/14/12 at 4:14pm
I doubt this sways many of your case-closed conclusions on Doyle, but in this new Playbill interview about 'Merrily' he yet again address the 'gimmick' claim:
"I often read, 'Oh, John Doyle, he's the person who does shows with actor-musicians.' The reality is that I've done 20 of them out of a career of 250 shows, but it's better to be known for something than nothing at all, I suppose. ... I only really try to do it if there's a real point and there's something to say.'
Playbill interview
bk
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/03
#72Doyle's MERRILY.
Posted: 3/14/12 at 10:12pmFor me, twenty too many. The only actor/musician shows I've seen that worked were Radio Gals and Cowgirls, for very obvious reasons. And I'm told Once works, as well.
