After years of sitting through productions of his moving but stubbornly flawed musical “Merrily We Roll Along,” Stephen Sondheim has finally found the one he likes best.
And I don’t mean the recent Encores! version directed (and rewritten) by his friend James Lapine, which disappointed critics.
Sondheim traveled to the Cincinnati Playhouse to check out John Doyle’s staging of “Merrily” — and he’s been raving about it to friends ever since.
He must have really enjoyed it, because his trip to Cincinnati was arduous. Due to a screw-up on the part of the Playhouse’s travel department, Broadway’s reigning genius was forced to fly — coach!
Sondheim, sources say, was the last to board the plane, and found that his first-class seat was already taken (by Jerry Herman, I’m praying).
All that was left was a seat in the rear, where the chardonnay is a few pegs below his beloved Napa Valley Kistler.
Had there been a flight attendant who loves musicals on board, I’m sure Sondheim’s predicament would have been sorted out:
“I am not putting the man who wrote ‘Finishing the Hat’ in 22E!”
But the Great Man went unrecognized. He traveled to Cincinnati wedged between an overweight salesman and a techie who wouldn’t turn off his BlackBerry.
I’m exaggerating, but the people involved in “Merrily” were mortified.
“We couldn’t have gotten off on a worse foot,” says one.
Fortunately, Doyle delivered the goods. He’s up to his old tricks — the actors double as the band — but they still work.
His revival of “Sweeney Todd” was nominated for a Tony in 2006. And his production of “Company” won the award in 2007.
I’m not sure he can keep this gimmick going forever. A “Passion” with Fosca playing the harp might be too much. But judging from the reviews — and reports from Broadway insiders who saw the show — Doyle hasn’t lost his touch.
The Cincinnati Enquirer praised his “ravishing” and “elegant” production, with the caveat that the show was emotionally cool.
CityBeat raved: “The show has long been viewed as one of Sondheim’s rare failures, but you wouldn’t know that from this staging.”
Three Broadway vets have the leading roles. Malcolm Gets plays Franklin, a New York composer who sells his soul to Hollywood. Daniel Jenkins plays Charley, the talented lyricist Franklin leaves behind. And Becky Ann Baker plays Mary, a would-be novelist who ends up a bitter, alcoholic critic.
I hear several New York producers, including Richard Frankel, who produced “Sweeney Todd,” have gone out to take a look.
As for Sondheim, one of his associates says: “Steve was very pleased. If there’s going to be a revival of ‘Merrily’ on Broadway next season, it’s going to be this one.”
Broadway.com is a fun and informative Web site, expertly edited by Paul Wontorek. But the company makes its real money as a ticket clearinghouse for Broadway shows. And on that end of things, I hear there’s trouble. Two executives have abruptly left the company — one because he was annoyed that his Christmas bonus was a $5 Starbucks card, the other under murkier circumstances. I’m told a third exec is on his way out, as well.
A couple of business deals that Broadway.com was putting together have fallen apart, and company sources say their computers were recently “swept” as part of an “internal investigation.”
Broadway.com has been making money selling hard-to-get “Book of Mormon” tickets. But to buy all those tickets, the company had to get a loan from the producers of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” (interest rate: 8 percent).
This one could get interesting, and where there’s trouble, there’s Riedel!