Tuesday, November 29, 2016
How Stephen Sondheim's Biggest Flop Became a Cult Classic
The Creators Project: People who know musical theater know that Merrily We Roll Along was one of the greatest flops in Broadway history. Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 show about finding success and losing your optimism closed after just 16 performances—to put that into perspective, Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark by Bono and The Edge, considered by many to be a flashy, hazardous failure, ran for a whopping 1,066 performances.
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3 comments:
It is wild to think that a show that was such a flop on the big white way is now beloved by so many performers and theater patrons all over the world. It is also humbling to realize that even theater revolutionaries such as Stephen Sondheim did not always hit it out of the park.
From what I could gather from this article focusing on a film telling the story of the making of Merrily We Roll Along is that the major aspect that led to the downfall of the Broadway production was a major casting mishap. Which is not uncommon. In stagecraft the other day, Tiia discussed with the class that casting does not always make sense to the play, or the needs of the role, which in turn can affect other aspects of the show.
So I wonder if casting really wasn't the only issue with the original production, but only the beginning of the problem. Did casting throw everyone else working on the production off their game? I guess it really doesn't matter anymore, as the show still rakes in the cash. Year after year after year.
I absolutely love Merrily We Roll Along. Some of the songs are truly beautiful. "Not A Day Goes By" is one of my favorite musical songs ever. But, I mean, I do understand why it was a flop. It's a heavy show, about making it and failure. Sondheim has said it is basically his life story in a musical. And it's all about theater. It's essentially a show for theater people, in a way. It's not exactly destined to be a hit. But, I feel like it was important for Sondheim to make. It's sometimes important to explore your own life in your art. But, it was not lucrative. I'm glad such a beautifully written and scored show now has the appreciation and following that it deserves. It is a heart-wrenching show. I would love to have seen the original cast, and I'll probably watch this documentary next week.
Merrily We Roll Along is one of my favorite shows. I was first introduced to it my senior year of high school, we did it for our spring musical. The show definitely resonated with the whole department, as it ends with three young people being hopeful about the future and their place in it. The whole feel of optimism and uncertainty towards the rest of your life resonates with most young people. The music and story is so beautiful and compelling. I can understand why the casting of the original affected the overall show, but I don’t understand why it was such the flop that it was. The script and music are wonderful, which I would think could carry a production. Evidently, it didn’t for the original Broadway run.Whatever the case, I really want to watch this documentary and learn more about why one of my favorite musicals was very unsuccessful when it first premiered.
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