Theater history is spotted with rare but memorable cases in which out-of-town revisions turned a flop into a smash. One such was A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which I found an unfunny bore in rehearsal. My sketch included a talented new actress named Karen Black playing the love interest. She was fired in Washington (allegedly because of her poor singing), flew to Hollywood, and quickly became a star.
Jerome Robbins was called in to redirect during the tryout and developed an extended introductory musical sequence to replace a brief, spoken one. It was called "Comedy Tonight," a hit number so charming and funny that together with the inflection he gave the humor throughout, critics and audiences were captivated when it opened on Broadway.
All
artwork has been reproduced by special arrangement
with Sam Norkin Studios. Click here
for more information.
“Assassins is about how society interprets the American Dream, marginalizes outsiders and rewrites and sanitizes its collective history. "Something Just Broke" is a major distraction and plays like an afterthought, shoe horned simply to appease. The song breaks the dramatic fluidity and obstructs the overall pacing and climactic arc which derails the very intent and momentum that makes this work so compelling...”
- Mark Bakalor
“I found [the Sondheim Celebration's Company] to be completely delightful. Almost all of the numbers excited and energized me, and most of the scenes were about as pitch-perfect as you can get. I just sat there with a big smile on my face the whole show.
Which is not to say that it is perfect...”
- popcornonmyknees
Explore the rest of the Finishing the Chat Community Forum
 |
|
CD: $13.99
DVD: $25.49
VHS: $19.98
|
Browse additional merchandise...
