An Act Of God

[+ Chris Eisenhower]

Brilliant and hilarious.

 

Alan Rickman sat directly behind me. And the two asshats beside him were tossed out for being asshats. There is a God.

[RyanDean]

Was it the usual NY theatergoer asshattery? Or fanboy asshattery inspired by Rickman? Or Parsons? Or you?

[tyro]

Alan Rickman? NO WAY.

Jelly.

T

[+ beethoven]

Glad to hear that "Act of God" is so good, as I'm seeing it soon. "Asshat" is a new word to me; anything like "asshole?"

[AdamSmith]

asshat

One who has their head up their ass. Thus wearing their ass as a hat. Asshat

[+ Chris Eisenhower]

Asshat = the new, modern asshole. One of the guys was actually heckling Jim Parsons who tried briefly to incorporate it into the show: "Whoever is talking in the audience—SHUT UP, this is a one-God show!" The guy continued and he gave up and eventually the house manager came over and motioned to him to step out and the guy was like: "WHAAAAAAA? (looks around, in disbelief) MEEEEEEEEE?"

 

His friend followed him about ten minutes later. The show was one of the funniest, smartest things I've ever seen. And when we got up I turned around and was like: "Oh. Hello, Severus Snape." I could hear him and and his wife talking behind me before the show began and knew they were Brits, but his regular speaking voice is somewhat different than his acting cadence.

[mike carey]

Good to hear that Arsehats were kicked out of the session. On the other hand I would love to have a session with Chris, just sayin!

[+ nycman]

Love Jim Parsons, but I thought the show was very good, not great.

 

Funny, not hilarious.

 

To each his own. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Kevin Slater]

Yeah, I saw it off-Broadway. Thought it went long.

 

Kevin Slater

[thickornotatall]

Glad to hear that "Act of God" is so good, as I'm seeing it soon. "Asshat" is a new word to me; anything like "asshole?"

"Hand To God" was the best I have seen this year...we had 4th row center floor....the most incredible dialog.....after a few minutes I completely tuned out the actors and only saw the puppets....frightful....funny...shocking......not to be missed..

[RyanDean]

Hand to God - puppet as demon

Act of God - Jim Parsons as deity

 

The slippage between these two plays on this thread puts me in mind of this great moment in recent cinema.

[+ WilliamM]

Fifty/Sixty years ago Act of God would have been an Ethel Merman musical with music by Irving Berlin.

 

Glad Broadway has grown up, except that Merman never had a box office flop. Word of mouth is good for Act of God, so it likely will not finish in the red financially either.

[+ beethoven]

"Ethel Merman ever had a box office flop?" I was going to come back with a snappy retort about "Happy Hunting," but I decided to look it up first, and the damn thing ran for a year! All I remember about that show was something about a horse's ass -- maybe it was in an ad?

[+ WilliamM]

I was going to come back with a snappy retort about "Happy Hunting," but I decided to look it up first, and the damn thing ran for a year!

 

I only saw Merman in person twice, both times in "Gypsy." She never bothered to tone down her singing and acting, which worked so well on Broadway, but not for TV and movies.

[actor61]

I only saw Merman in person twice, both times in "Gypsy." She never bothered to tone down her singing and acting, which worked so well on Broadway, for TV and movies.

I think she's pretty good in the film "There's No Business Like Show Business". Mitzi Gaynor tells some great stories about playing her daughter in that movie. I was always a Dan Dailey fan and I think he and Merman actually have great chemisty in "...Show Business". I also like Merman in the film version of "Call Me Madam" just because it preserves her performance. I don't think she changed a gesture or an inflection between what she did on B'way or in the movie, and it works. She and Donald O'Connor seemed to really like each other in the 2 films they did together. I saw Merman on B'way in "Hello Dolly". Apparently, Jerry Herman had her in mind when he originally wrote the show. She was good but by then, the voice was starting to go and she was a little off key. I also saw Mary Martin do Dolly on tour. She was charming but too cutesy in the role. Loved her singing, though.

 

My favorite Merman story. It might be apocryphal but I love it anyway. In a rehearsal for "Gypsy", Jack Klugman complained to Jerome Robbins that Merman never looked at him in the dialogue scenes. Robbins gave Merman the note to which she replied, "Why the fuck should I look at him? He can hear me!"

[+ WilliamM]

 

For those who may not be too familiar with Ethel Merman and Mary Martin. Here is a 1977 joint interview with the two Broadway stars conducted by Beverly Sills. Merman's favorite roles were in "Gypsy" and "Annie Get Your Gun." Martin liked playing Nellie Forbush in "South Pacific" for over three years, but also mentioned "Peter Pan."

 

I have a recording of the 1977 concert they are promoting. It was released in very limited edition. Mary's voice was far from perfect, especially in the early songs.; I assume she turned down efforts to release the concert on CD. Ethel and Mary sang "Send in the Clowns" off-stage first and then appeared on stage together -- excellent opening, with some changed lyrics from Sondheim.

[RyanDean]

Merm did ultimately come in for Dolly. And for the duration of her run in the role, Jerry Herman even re-inserted a song he had originally written with her in mind.

[+ beethoven]

Elaine Stritch told this story in her one-woman show at the Public Theater in NY. Years and years ago, she was the understudy for Ethel Merman in a Broadway show, but I can't remember which one. As all of you know, being an understudy for La Merm meant that you would never need to go on. But, of course, you had to be there. Elaine had gotten a part in "Pal Joey" in New Haven, and "Zip" was to be her big number. How to understudy Ethel and sing "Zip" at the same time? Elaine worked out a complicated train schedule, and asked Ethel's permission to be absent for a certain few minutes, and started explaining how she could take a cab here and a train there, and this time and that time, and was going on and on, and finally Merman said, "JESUS, ELAINE, JUST GO NEW HAVEN AND SING THE FUCKING SONG!!!"

Of course, this story brought down the house.

[+ WilliamM]

Ethel Merman's "Gypsy" co-star, Jack Klugman, was here in Philadelphia when Merman died in 1984. A local news shows interviewed Klugman. He was a young guy who did not sing much and was intimidated by Miss Merman's stage presence and career.

 

So Klugman rarely talked to Merman during rehearsals. Merman: "What the fucks wrong with you?" Klugman: "You are the star, Miss Merman." Merman: "Have I ever acted like a star with you?" Klugman: "Well no, Miss Merman." From that point on they became friends. Merman remembered Klugman as one of her best co-star. She even forgave him when she was ask to play Klugman's mom on his TV series "The Odd Couple."

[actor61]

Elaine Stritch told this story in her one-woman show at the Public Theater in NY. Years and years ago, she was the understudy for Ethel Merman in a Broadway show, but I can't remember which one. As all of you know, being an understudy for La Merm meant that you would never need to go on. But, of course, you had to be there. Elaine had gotten a part in "Pal Joey" in New Haven, and "Zip" was to be her big number. How to understudy Ethel and sing "Zip" at the same time? Elaine worked out a complicated train schedule, and asked Ethel's permission to be absent for a certain few minutes, and started explaining how she could take a cab here and a train there, and this time and that time, and was going on and on, and finally Merman said, "JESUS, ELAINE, JUST GO NEW HAVEN AND SING THE FUCKING SONG!!!"

Of course, this story brought down the house.

Stritch was her understudy in "Call Me Madam", and then did the National Tour. Merman rarely toured her shows.

[+ beethoven]

I saw "Act of God" today, and while it was pleasantly amusing, and Jim Parsons was quite good, I was disappointed. The humor is extremely bland, with few topical references -- I think the producers believed that most of this audience -- fans of the TV show -- wouldn't understand them. Parsons started to talk about politicians who believe that God told them to run for president, mentioned Ted Cruz briefly, and then moved on to something else.

Just as cable TV comedy is edgier than network TV comedy, Broadway can also be edgier -- but this isn't.

If you haven't already bought tickets, I think you should spend your money somewhere else.

[thickornotatall]

I saw "Act of God" today, and while it was pleasantly amusing, and Jim Parsons was quite good, I was disappointed. The humor is extremely bland, with few topical references -- I think the producers believed that most of this audience -- fans of the TV show -- wouldn't understand them. Parsons started to talk about politicians who believe that God told them to run for president, mentioned Ted Cruz briefly, and then moved on to something else.

Just as cable TV comedy is edgier than network TV comedy, Broadway can also be edgier -- but this isn't.

If you haven't already bought tickets, I think you should spend your money somewhere else.

And go see Hand To God....spectacular..I saw both....AoG so so....HTG wowow!