THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD Reviews

[bobs3]

Isherwood is writing more and more Broadway reviews. Does this mean Brantley is slowly being pushed out the door?

[ReggieonBway]

oh dear god I hope so.

[Mattbrain]

Oh dear God I hope not. Brantley's tough but Isherwood even more so. Remember when Newsies got the great review from the Times at Papermill and Riedel reported one "source" as saying, "They're lucky they didn't get Isherwood."

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

I've actually thought Brantley's reviews have been pretty spot-on as of late. And mostly well-written.

[bjh2114]

Isherwood is a WAY worse critic than Brantley, but not because he's "tougher". His taste is just abysmal.

[wickedfan]

Isherwood as Chief Theater Critic for the Times...there's a scary thought.

[RippedMan]

He's a dick in real life too. I've served him a few times. Not a nice guy.

[ljay889]

^ :-O

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

The Post is positive with 3 stars:
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/mystery_always_solved_by_dickens_O5ffdHAHfNzKjh5TwIIMHO

[Kad]

Brantley also just wrote several high-profile reviews, so I'm assuming he and Isherwood brokered a deal.

[Rodgerdodger]

And, on that note, I've always wondered how Brantley & Isherwood make their decisions on reviews. I assume Brantley gets first dibs on everything, but I'd love to be wrong. I'm quite positive it's not both men's editor arbitraily picking the assignments.

[winston89]

Now that this has gotten a rave from The Times, when do you think Roundabout will announce a well deserved extension for this show?

[Phantom of London]

Roundabout need to start thinking of the:



As with Follies last year, that didn't win because the show finished early, so Drood needs to extend into at least June/July next year snd I am sure it will get the Tony.

[Miranda3]

A new Riedel article on the life and death of the wonderful George Rose.

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/real_life_horror_of_drood_QG55ZHA51zBWQIpNNnpA8N?utm_campaign=OutbrainA&utm_source=OutbrainArticlepages&obref=obinsource

[sondheimfan2]

He adored playing opposite Cleo Laine in “Drood,” but when she was replaced with Loretta Swit, he wasn’t pleased.

“I’ll never forget the day after she gave her first performance, he threatened to quit the show,” says press agent Richard Kornberg.

Love this!

[Bialyhoos22]

Here's the better article on the subject of Mr. Rose's untimely passing -- it's clear Riedel pulled a lot of facts (including the suggestion of putting his name in the Theatre Hall of Fame) from this article:

http://www.alixkirsta.com/articles/georgerose/index.htm

[Miranda3]

sondheimfan2: The original Drood was at the Imperial (after Central Park) and at the time I hung out with several people who worked on 45th near the theater. They all had heard the same scuttlebut re Rose's displeasure with Swit's replacing Cleo, but I never posted it because it was hearsay, and I know there are some Swit fans on the board. I was surprised to see that Riedel included it in his article.

[Bialyhoos22]

I had some colleagues who were quite close with many of the original cast, and they all have spoken to George's unbelievable disdain at Swit and her antics. But it wasn't only Rose... One of the original creatives went so far as to dubbing her a "total bitch" - saying she was a nightmare to work with -- his only solace being that once she was put into the show, he had nothing more to do with her.

Howard McGillin tells a hilarious (if now infamous) story of Swit's antics. He recalls that a couple of weeks into her run, Loretta was getting increasingly frustrated that she was never once selected as murderer. Not once! Most in the cast would chalk this up to her (lack of) performance as Puffer. However, Loretta was CONVINCED it was because she was not included in the pivotal dinner scene where the rest of the cast sing "No Good Can Come From Bad" and reveal their motives.

SO, she went to Wilford Leach and explained this theory to him - suggesting that if she only made an appearance in the scene -- say, Puffer glaring through the window in the set while the scene/song was going on -- she might be taken seriously as murderer. Wilford, being a sweet man who would rarely say 'no' to anyone, granted Loretta her wish -- knowing full well, that the area behind the window wasn't lit and NO ONE would see her...

So, the next performance comes and the cast is getting ready to begin the dinner scene, when Howard notices Loretta in the wings, getting ready to go behind the set. The cast sees this and rolls their eyes, knowing full well that she won't be seen.

It's at this moment that Howard sees Loretta pull out a flashlight and a massive lantern. The cunning Swit had found a workaround! So the dinner scene begins, and as their singing, there's Loretta, behind the window with the lantern and flashlight - grimacing up a storm, a la Bella Lugosi, attempting to upstage the rest of the cast and prove her penchant for murder!

Apparently, stage management quickly threatened to bring her up on charges with Equity and the flashlight antics quickly stopped. But after hearing this story (and many others) I can begin to appreciate why George threatened to walk!

[Miranda3]

Bialy: Thanks for the info re Swit behind the scenes! I figured from the little I heard that something was going on but had no idea it was shenanigans like this. Funny that in the cast pic you posted both Rose and Joe Grifasi (playing Bazzard, I think) have their heads angled totally away from Swit's, who is like the cheese standing alone. But it's totally possible I am reading that in, based on your post! Thanks for the details.

[DAME]

Bialy.
That never happened. She was not very pleasant. But that incident never happened.

[Bialyhoos22]

Dame -- I don't admit to being there myself but this came directly from Howard's mouth, with very little embellishment. McGillin isn't the type to tell tall tales out of school either.

Whether charges were filed is another matter and I imagine this part was more a 'button' for the story than anything else, but I don't see Howard's need to blatantly lie. He certainly wasn't trying to be overtly negative or spiteful of Loretta when he told it -- more amused/amazed by her behaviour than anything else!

[best12bars]

Love those photos, Bialyhoos22! Thanks for posting them.

[beaemma]

I saw DROOD three times with Cleo Laine, once with Swit, and can testify that the lurking at the window happened. As I recall, at the performance I saw, she made the appearance caressing a knife. She still wasn't chosen as murderer.

[DAME]

Well all I can tell you that as far as the part about her approaching Rupert and all that.. never happened. But she WAS a mess to deal with. And I agree.. Howard wouldn't make up stories.

[Miranda3]

Double post.

[littlebro2]

Anyone heard of it extending, even one more week? I really hope so!!