I Married an Angel @ Encores - Page 2

[Ludlow29]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 8:31am

People forget that the mission of Encores! is to revive musicals of the past that wouldn't necessarily be done today.  I'd rather have the chance to revisit the work of giants like Rodgers, Hart, and Joshua Logan than see another staging of Hair or Bye Bye Birdie. Hearing the "lost" orchestrations of Hans Spialek (a genius in his field) is worth the price of admission for me. My favorite Encores! presentation ever was Pardon My English, an "un-revivable" Gershwin flop that proved to be delightful—in spite of notorious flopdom and a completely insane plot.   If that's not "your thing," don't go.  I myself avoid Broadway's Jukebox Musicals, because I know they won't meet my preferences of what a musical should be. 

For years, aficionados for clamoring for Encores! to do The Golden Apple, then many chat board regulars trashed it.  You just can't win.

I Married an Angel is in the tradition of screwball musicals like the films of Lubitsch, Mamoulian, and Rene Clair.  Many were not what would be called politically correct today.  It's like analyzing the plots of Fred & Ginger films, picking apart their storylines, and not appreciating songs that were very popular in their time.
- Michael Colby

Updated On: 3/23/19 at 08:31 AM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 9:16am

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but get over yourself. We get it. You wrote a book. We’re not ignorant of musical theatre history or the mission statement of Encores just because this *one* show and production doesn’t sit well. It’s a stupid show presented sloppily and it’ll be gone forever after this weekend, God willing, and hopefully High Button Shoes will turn this season around.

Updated On: 3/23/19 at 09:16 AM

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 9:29am

Ludlow29 wrote:

 

"People forget that the mission of Encores! is to revive musicals of the past that wouldn't necessarily be done today."

Exactly. And I'm glad of it.

" I'd rather have the chance to revisit the work of giants like Rodgers, Hart, and Joshua Logan than see another staging of Hair or Bye Bye Birdie. "

I feel the same way, though I could happily sit through any and all stagings of Bye, Bye, Birdie.

"Hearing the "lost" orchestrations of Hans Spialek (a genius in his field) is worth the price of admission for me."

Ten times the price. Just ravishing. Silver, gossamer, silk.

And the score! Heavenly. Champagne and rose macaroons.

I am still walking on air this morning.

 

 

[Ludlow29]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 10:32am

ColorTheHours048 said: "I mean this in the nicest way possible, but get over yourself. We get it. You wrote a book.

For the record, I did not write the biography of Lorenz Hart: it was written by Dorothy Hart, his sister-in-law.  I was just a researcher.  

You are entitled to your opinion of the show, as are we all.  

 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 10:42am

Michael Colby,

Encores’ mission has never been quite clear- at least in practice. They have put on both Hair and Bye, Bye Birdie, as well as shows like 1776 and Merrily We Roll Along that are revived all the time and do not need to be done at Encores.

I do think I Married an Angel is an appropriate choice for Encores, but if they’re going to do it must be cast to perfection. It was not sung well and they didn’t have the talent to pull off the speciality numbers in the Roxy dream sequence. If this is going to be my one shot to see this R&Hart curiosity, then I want to see it done well or don’t waste my time.

The programming at Encores has been very suspect lately. Why are they repeating shows like Call Me Madam which has already been done (and recorded) when there are so many other shows yet to be produced.

Some of their best stuff has been their Gershwin/R&Hart type shows. They are totally appropriate for Encores, but they fall apart like the tissue paper (or gossamer and silk as After Eight calls them) they are when performed this way. When you spill water on silk it is ruined.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 11:09am

"If this is going to be my one shot to see this R&Hart curiosity, then I want to see it done well or don’t waste my time."

 

Actually, no one wasted your time --- you wasted your own time.

No one forced you to see this show. You could have waited to read the reviews and comments before deciding to buy a ticket to see it. You could have read the complaints about both the show and the performance and concluded therefrom not to waste your time seeing it.

Informed decision-making requires being informed. And that is one's own responsibility.

 

 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 11:20am

Of course that is true, After Eight. I take responsibility for purchasing ticket before reading reviews, but when a show is only playing a handful of performance over a short time period there is no choice but to purchase tickets in advance.

I have always supported Encores and will continue to purchase tickets to all of their shows. I hope it’s not too much to ask them to cast and perform them well?

A friend of mine spoke to a certain higher-up at Encores during the run of the Call Me Madam about the casting of I Married an Angel and this person admitted they were having trouble casting the roles correctly. Shouldn’t there be more thought put into into the programming of these Encores seasons? Shows should be selected partly based on interested talent.

Encores largely relies on subscribers to fill the seats. People who will not wait for the reviews, but those who trust the people in charge to do program, cast and present the shows at a high quality. Usually Encores succeeds, but here the failed to deliver.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 11:34am

"I take responsibility for purchasing ticket before reading reviews,"

 That is admirable. It is admirable to take responsibility for one's actions.

"but when a show is only playing a handful of performance over a short time period there is no choice but to purchase tickets in advance."

No, there is a choice. The choice is not to go at all. If you choose to go, than you have to assume the risk of not liking it. 

You have every right to be dissatisfied with a production. But the choice to go was yours and yours alone.

[Ludlow29]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 1:31pm

WhizzerMarvin:  You're right that the mission of Encores includes better known titles, as well as curios.  After all, their first show was Fiorello.  Like any theatre company these days, they need some box office insurance and will include, for example, 1776 and Chicago as guaranteed audience draws.  I was falling back on the mission of the company that preceded Encores, The New Amsterdam Theatre Company (of which I was a founding member). 

Where Encores has changed is going from semi-staged, book-in-hand, presentations to more fully staged and memorized events.  I wonder if this change has deterred some performers, who find it too difficult to master a role in so short a rehearsal time. Even doing a musical with script-in-hand can be daunting.   No one wants to look like Olympia Dukakis, who clung to her script throughout 70 Girls 70.

- Michael Colby

Updated On: 3/23/19 at 01:31 PM

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 1:56pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "I mean this in the nicest way possible, but get over yourself. We get it. You wrote a book. We’re notignorant of musical theatre history or the mission statement of Encores just because this *one* show and production doesn’t sit well. It’s a stupid show presented sloppily and it’ll be gone forever after this weekend, God willing, andhopefully High Button Shoes will turn this season around."

I mean this in the rudest way possible, but get over yourself. It's not a "stupid show." It's an old-fashioned musical that structurally is too far away from modern musical theater to be viable today. But that doesn't mean Encores! shouldn't present these sorts of works. Sara Mearns' dancing was delightful, and she delivered her lines with humor and ease. The rest of the cast was not the best but I've seen worse at Encores. The choreography by Josh Bergasse was a bit of a disappointment but whatever, it would be hard to compete with George Balanchine. And if you have such a distaste for these sorts of shows then Encores! is not for you.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 2:07pm

I don’t have a distaste for “these shows.” I had a distaste for *this* show. I’ve seen several - though not all - Encores offerings since moving to the city over 10 years ago and have at the very least been able to appreciate the glorious sounds of scores I would never have heard live otherwise. Just because some of us don’t appreciate this specific show doesn’t mean we should stay away from Encores altogether. It means we expect more from a company that usually does a pretty great job of making even the most unproducable of shows delightful.

Yes, Sara Mearns is a lovely dancer. Yes, the score was played beautifully by the always dynamite orchestra. But the choreography was nothing all that special, especially compared to Bergasse’s glorious On the Town choreography, and the cast was pretty meh across the board. I will attest to very much enjoying “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and wish the rest of the production had been as excitingly performed and that the rest of the company had been as committed to the ridiculousness as Hayley Podschun.

Updated On: 3/23/19 at 02:07 PM

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 2:20pm

I thought there was only one point where Bergasse's choreography was actively bad, and that was the Roxy sequence. It was watchable but not memorable for the rest of the show. That part was a disappointment. However I enjoyed Nikki James and Hayley Podschun. I thought the real weak link of the cast was Mark Evans. 

However I thought the score by Richard Rodgers was lovely, and very different from what he would later make with Oscar Hammerstein. I also enjoyed the pre-Code zeitgeist of this show, with Lorenz Hart's lyrics and the book being considerably less G-rated than R&H shows. 

So in other words, a medium-quality Encores! production and not the best they could have put forth but not the worst. I thought Call Me Madam was way more disappointing especially as I had seen the wonderful Ethel Merman/Donald O'Connor film the night before I went to see Encores! version.

[scarlet721]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 4:32pm

Encores is a subscription series, so while people do "have a choice," a lot of them are taking it on faith that the Encores folks will come up with something excellent.  And often they do.  But not so much this time.

I went into this show expecting a slight book with a lot of entertaining dancing.  I got the slight book, some beautiful dancing, glorious music played by an incredible set of musicians, and gorgeous costumes, but the flip side was wooden acting and an uneven cast.  Sarah Means moves beautifully, but her vocal delivery is bland and boring and I felt most of the rest of the cast was trying, but the energy just wasn't there.  Except for Hayley Podschun as Anna Murphy and Ann Harada in a tiny part.  Tom Robbins was funny as Szigetti, but I felt he lacked chemistry with Nikki M. James.

And can someone explain the purpose of the Roxy numbers to me?  I just rode them out and waited for the final reconciliation between Angel and Willie.

Oh, and was anyone else there Friday night hearing the elderly lady in the rear of the orchestra making loud comments during Act 2?

[StageStruckLad]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 4:56pm

I went in with lowered expectations after that terrible review in the Times, but I thought it was a delightful evening. How great to hear that score played by that glorious orchestra! Was it one of the top 10 Encores experiences, like Chicago or Boys From Syracuse or Most Happy Fella? No, but where else are we ever going to see this show with comparable production values? This is exactly the type of show Encores should be doing.

I was there last night, and it was a woman on the right side of the orchestra section who appeared to be having some mental issues. She was either singing along or talking back to the show, and one man got up from a nearby row and went over and told her to be quiet. After the show that same man went over and berated the male companion of the woman, saying that she shouldn’t be allowed to attend the theater.

[Ludlow29]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 5:44pm

In regard to "At the Roxy Music Hall:"
I can't remember which, but either Joshua Logan or Larry Hart called the "Roxy Music Hall" section a "divertissement"--i.e. a diversion from the crazy plot complications for a bonus sequence.  The segments were all Ballanchine's satires on dance and other entertainment of the era.  Like Larry Hart's jokes in the lyrics to "Roxy Music Hall," it would be difficult—maybe impossible—to translate the humor to anyone unfamiliar with the targets covered.   I can't comment on the current staging, since I'm seeing the show tomorrow.  I know in the 3 incarnations I witnessed (two of which I worked on), this sequence was pared down to minimal, in part because the music wasn't available.  But I look forward to hearing the recently restored music tomorrow.

[A Director]

Posted: 3/23/19 at 11:34pm

Ludlow29 said: 
For the record, I did not write the biography of Lorenz Hart: it was written by Dorothy Hart, his sister-in-law. I was just a researcher.

Ah, yes, the Dorothy Hart biography!  In it she claims Noel Coward was the Show Doctor for I'D RATHER BE RIGHT.  Do tell!  The book for the show was written by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman.  Their style is very different from Noel Coward's, so why bring in Coward to work on this musical?  Where did you find this information Mr. Just A Researcher?  Did you and Ms Hart make things up?

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 12:22am

Both shows this season have been poorly directed and have displayed very little creativity.

I heard through the grapevine that they knew this show was in trouble and they brought in other people to help the director but it was too little too late.

[bk]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 2:15am

SomethingPeculiar said: "I think the restoration productions depend largely on money-- like they did with The New Yorkers, Lady Be Good, Paint Your Wagon, etc.

I wonder if Ben Franklin in Paris is another one of those untouchable shows because of Jerry Herman's contributions to the score?"

No, Mr. Herman would have nothing to say because he signed a contract agreeing to write what he wrote for no credit and a small piece of the show.

[Ludlow29]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 5:40am

A Director said: "Ludlow29 said:

Ah, yes, the Dorothy Hart biography! In it she claims Noel Coward was the Show Doctor for I'D RATHER BE RIGHT. Do tell! The book for the show was written by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. Their style is very different from Noel Coward's, so why bring in Coward to work on this musical? Where did you find this information Mr. Just A Researcher? Did you and Ms Hart make things up?"

Where in the world does someone come up with this stuff?  Dorothy Hart never mentions Noel Coward as a doctor of I'D RATHER BE RIGHT.  She writes: "Cohan [George M. Cohan, the show's star] tampered with some lyrics about his friend Al Smith."

I was just out of college when I worked on Mrs. Hart's book.  I wouldn't dare tell her what to write.  The only thing I mentioned were typos in the lyrics when I saw an early copy, and Mrs. Hart told me I was overstepping my authority. - Michael Colby

 

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 5:10pm

Hopefully City Center will be redeemed by Bat Out Of Hell.

[EdEval]

Posted: 3/25/19 at 11:03am

Hey Encores! How about doing another Rogers and Hart work, a little thing called "I'D RATHER BE RIGHT"  Geirge M Cohan was the original star and he was up in age then.  So why not ask Joel Grey to be the star.  He's the right age and he done Cohan before.  Sound good?

Updated On: 3/25/19 at 11:03 AM

[qafgenius122]

Posted: 3/26/19 at 3:39pm

CATSNYrevival said: "I'm still bummed The New Yorkers didn't get a cast album! Maybe this one will? Or High Button Shoes?"

Be Bummed no longer, Encores! will record The New Yorkers with the Original Encores! cast!

http://www.playbill.com/article/scarlett-strallen-tam-mutu-more-to-record-the-new-yorkers-encores-cast-recording

 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/26/19 at 4:13pm

Wow! Thanks for the news! This is wonderful.