It’s a documentary about a famous flop: “ Merrily We Roll Along,” … “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened” takes a more audacious and offbeat — and, therefore, Sondheimian — approach. For the first time, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of the show's creation - and tells the stories of the hopeful. Read Next: ‘Beginning’ Review: A Woman Seeks Peace Amid Persecution in This Astonishing Debut, ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’ Review: Scattered but Scorching, and a Must-See for Andra Day’s Performance, ‘Silk Road’ Review: Intriguing but Undercooked Drama About the Dark-Web Drug Site, ‘Cusp’ Review: In a Clear-Eyed Sundance Doc, Three Small-Town Texas Teenagers Act Out Their Alienation, Partying Against Purple Skies, Sidney Poitier: A Living Legend Who Changed Hollywood, Time’s Up Condemns Brett Ratner’s Return: ‘There Should Be No Comeback’, ‘Saturday Night Live’ Parodies Apology Culture with Chloe Fineman as Britney Spears, Aidy Bryant as Ted Cruz, ITV Discussing Piers Morgan’s Conduct After Spat With U.K. Industry Campaigner, 2021 Oscars Predictions: All Awards Categories. Free shipping in the U.S. Another candidate would be “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (1979), the show that propelled Sondheim to the height of his fame and creative glory. A love letter to the theater—and a deeply poignant one at that—Lonny Price’s sentimental documentary Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened… is a bittersweet gem. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened,” a documentary by Lonny Price, examines the buildup and collapse of “Merrily We Roll Along” in 1981. Water cooler that makes you suck the rust if you wish to drink. Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along was a flop in 1981. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. “Best Worst Thing” is more than a story about a Broadway show; its most poignant moments examine the thrill of dreams coming true, and the inevitable come down afterwards. The Srebrenica massacre (Serbo-Croatian: Masakr u Srebrenici / Масакр у Сребреници), also known as the Srebrenica genocide (Serbo-Croatian: Genocid u Srebrenici / Геноцид у Сребреници), was the July 1995 genocide of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in and around the town of Srebrenica in July 1995, during the Bosnian War. Find the perfect Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. They give the film a double shot of poignancy. This film from acclaimed theater director Lonny Price charts the journey of the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" in the 30-plus years since the musical debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in 1981. ‘Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened’: Broadway-Flop Doc Is a Success Story of legendary, rare theatrical failure from Stephen Sondheim doubles as … Come to think of it, the concept isn’t all that radical; basically, it’s what you see anytime you watch a high-school musical. View HD Trailers and Videos for Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened... on Rotten Tomatoes, then check our Tomatometer to find out what the Critics say. Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened is a nimble documentary made with a personal touch of nostalgia, and it should prove nothing less than catnip to Sondheim obsessives. For the first time, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of the show's creation - and tells the stories of the hopeful young performers whose lives were transformed by it. More From Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened. The legendary lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim is worthy of a great, big, expansive documentary. Frank Rich, as ardent a Sondheim fan as there is, looks back in sadness at his pan in The New York Times, but stands by it, and he describes the profound confusion the show provoked in audiences. “Best Worst Thing” is directed by Lonny Price, who was one of the three leads in “Merrily We Roll Along.” Early on, he digs out 35-year-old tapes recorded for an ABC-TV documentary on Sondheim that never aired, and he watches his dewy, puppy-eyed, long-curly-haired young self talk about how being in this show is the greatest thing he can ever imagine happening. An Atlas Media Corp Production in association with Allright Productions. Pennebaker documented the recording of the cast album of “Company,” the musical that dissected modern love relationships — back when “relationships” was kind of a new concept — and the one that marked the full-scale launch of the Sondheim vision: the notion that a musical could be as nuanced as a novel, with songs that fused verbal intricacy and tangy harmonics into sublime acerbic monologues. For the first time, BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of the show's creation - and tells the stories of the hopeful young performers whose lives were transformed by it. The film’s second act packs a bittersweet punch, along with the fact that the failed show is now much-respected. BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of that show's creation and tells the stories of the hopeful young performers whose lives were transformed by it. Opening a mayo but getting only a little piece off. “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened” takes a more audacious and offbeat — and, therefore, Sondheimian — approach. “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened” takes a more audacious and offbeat — and, therefore, Sondheimian — approach. But even if it hadn’t, “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened” illustrates an essential principle of art: You have to risk cataclysmic failure — and, at times, fall into it — if you’re planning to scale the heights. 2016 | TV-MA | 1h 36m | Documentary Films. 2 talking about this. Starring: Stephen Sondheim, Harold Prince, Jason Alexander. 1. 4. It’s a documentary about a famous flop: “Merrily We Roll Along,” the quasi-experimental musical that Sondheim composed in 1981, right after “Sweeney Todd.” Summary: One of the truly legendary musicals in the history of Broadway, Merrily We Roll Along opened to enormous fanfare in 1981, and closed after sixteen performances. Audiences, however, could barely sit still for it, and the critics were savage; the show closed after only 16 performances. One of the truly legendary musicals in the history of Broadway, Merrily We Roll Along opened to enormous fanfare in 1981, and closed after sixteen performances. Basically, Sondheim and Prince had outsmarted themselves, though one crucial story the film leaves out is why the two never worked together again. Well played chocolate chip cookie. Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened. Opens theatrically on 11-18-16. But all of that could have been tied up in a quicker epilogue. Lonny Price's Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened recounts the story of Merrily We Roll Along, the 1981 musical by Sondheim, Prince and George Furth. But if you’re going to make a film that centers on a single show of his, there are certain obvious candidates. It … Meanwhile, the re-release of Daughters of the Dust was the final film in the $10,000 club earning $10,842 in its lone theater. Notable Video Game Releases: New and Upcoming. “Merrily We Roll Along” remains one of his most entrancing scores, and that’s why it’s one of the most ironic bombs in Broadway history. They’re all Sondheim freaks, but they’re also just kids (they range in age from 16 to 25) who have been brought on board to act out Sondheim and Prince’s fearless concept — a musical about a composer, a lyricist, and a critic all growing into middle age, but cast with actors who look young enough to be in a high-school musical. Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened earned an average of $11,745 in two theaters. One of the truly legendary musicals in the history of Broadway, MERRILY WE … Please enter your birth date to watch this video: You are not allowed to view this material at this time. © 2021 METACRITIC, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Lonny Price’s Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened faces a quandary right away. COMPANY LOVES MISERY - My Review of BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED (3 Stars) In 1981, Stephen Sondheim and Harold Prince, both Broadway legends, launched a … In 1981, 'Merrily We Roll Along' was a Stephen Sondheim flop, but it became a beloved one. It’s the flop that came back from the dead. Lonny Price's nostalgic theater-world doc looks back at its creation, and at the Sondheim mystique. Jim Walton, Ann Morrison and other original cast members talk about what the show meant to them, and how it felt (in a word: lousy) to have their dreams crash into a brick wall of harsh reviews. In 1970, D.A. 2. Find capsule reviews of over 30 films debuting at the 2021 Sundance Film... Music title data, credits, and images provided by, Movie title data, credits, and poster art provided by. Oscars Predictions: Best Picture – Is ‘Nomadland’ Still the Academy Frontrunner or Is Netflix Closing In? Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened ( 26 ) IMDb 7.5 1 h 36 min 2017 13+ The dramatic, surprising, bittersweet story of one of the truly legendary musicals in the history of Broadway: Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince's "Merrily We Roll Along," which opened to enormous fanfare in 1981, and closed after just sixteen performances. © Copyright 2021 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. All the stuff the show’s creators were getting excited about turned out to be awful, but the thing they took for granted — Sondheim’s tunes — could have been the basis for a classic show. Synopsis. Director Lonny Price's documentary The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened tells the story of that ill-fated production and what came after in the lives of its creators. Over about 60,000 years, 96 percent of all marine species and about three of every four species on land died out. For the first time, BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of the show's creation - and tells the stories of the hopeful young performers whose lives were transformed by it. BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of that show's creation -- and tells the stories of the hopeful young performers whose lives were transformed by it. Was it simply the debacle that disillusioned them — or did failure make them realize that they’d said all they had to say? 3. Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American neo-noir black comedy crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary. For the first time, BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of the show's creation - and tells the stories of the hopeful young performers whose lives were transformed by it. The chorus, so to speak, lacks a hook. The individual personalities that emerge in interviews both from back in 1981 and now, with the actors in their 50s, are often delightful, both funny and rueful. We reveal our final official ranking of the year's best movies, and... Get a list of the best movie and TV titles recently added (and coming... 2021 Sundance Film Festival: Best and Worst Films. It’s a documentary about a famous flop: “Merrily We Roll Along,” the quasi-experimental musical that Sondheim composed in 1981, right after “Sweeney Todd.” He and his longtime director/producer/collaborator, Harold Prince, knew that because they were coming off the huge success of “Sweeney,” they now had the chance to take a chance — to try for something that would be game-changing even for them. Select from premium Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened of the highest quality. One of the truly legendary musicals in the history of Broadway, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG opened to enormous fanfare in 1981, and closed after sixteen performances. BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED, 2016. The cataclysm was the single worst event life on Earth has ever experienced. For the first time, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of the show's creation - and tells the stories of the hopeful. It turned out to be their endgame. Too bad, considering that, to quote a Sondheim song from the show, they “had a good thing going.”. Major tinkering went on during the previews, but up until opening night, Sondheim, Prince, and company thought they had a brilliant show. MUSIC: Songs from and Inspired by the Motion Picture. High-quality DVD. Regé-Jean Page Taps Into ‘Bridgerton’ Role on ‘Saturday Night Live’, ‘Superman and Lois’ Brings The CW Superhero Brand Back Down to Boring Earth: TV Review, Stacey Abrams on Her New Thriller ‘While Justice Sleeps’ and Why She Stopped Using a Pen Name, ‘The Masked Dancer’ Finale Reveals Cotton Candy as Winner: Here’s the Identity of the Final Three Celebrities, Netflix’s ‘Behind Her Eyes’ Can’t Escape Its Baffling, Deeply Silly Ending: TV Review, Viola Davis and Stacey Abrams on Oscar Season, Politics and Wielding Their Power as Black Women, CNN Overhauls Daytime, With New Anchors in Morning, Afternoon Slots, ‘Jackass 4’ Team Trying to Get Bam Margera Help After Meltdown, Mel Gibson’s Ex-Wife Robyn Moore Seeks $32 Million on the Malibu Sand, Michelle Wie West Responds to Rudy Giuliani’s Reprehensible Remarks About Her, 3 High-End Audio Components That Will Elevate Your Home Sound System, Bielema Trial in Razorback Foundation Battle Pushed Back to 2022, Smart Glasses are Gaining Popularity — Here are The Best Smart Glasses Available Right Now. The combination of kids playing adults and time moving backwards was one dislocation too many. Price interviews all the original cast members, many of whom wound up falling between the cracks of the theater world, though a few kept going — notably Jim Walton, who went on to have a major Broadway career, and Jason Alexander, who made his debut in “Merrily.” Price himself became a director (of Sondheim musicals, among other things), and in 2002 he was responsible for bringing the original cast back together for a crucial one-night concert revival of “Merrily We Roll Along.” Now that the actors were actually adults, people could simply sit back and hear the songs. One Take Bonus: Director Lonny Price will join us after the Dec. 13 screening via Skype. That’s how everyone in the cast feels. The show turned into something comparable to a cult film, and it has since been revived many times, its songs (like “Now You Know” and the haunting “Not a Day Goes By”) recorded by major artists. Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, Check box if your review contains spoilers, Now Playing: Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, One of the truly legendary musicals in the history of Broadway, Merrily We Roll Along opened to enormous fanfare in 1981, and closed after sixteen performances. For my taste, it goes a little heavy on the Sondheim gush (a few too many testimonials from actors who simply couldn’t believe they were in the same room with Stephen and Hal), but there’s an exquisite fascination and mystique to seeing Sondheim in his prime, looking to write “simple” songs of the kind he did when he was 25. Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" opened in November 1981 to scathing reviews and closed after just 16 performances. This – Losing only one ear bud. “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened” is a nimble documentary made with a personal touch of nostalgia, and it should prove nothing less than catnip to Sondheim obsessives. Despite its inauspicious beginnings, the musical's score has grown to become one of the composer's most beloved. Because “Merrily” was a musical about the ravages of time on friendship and youthful ideals, the documentary tells parallel stories — one fictional, the other real — of disappointment and disillusion. The end of the story told by the documentary, which had … But Sondheim and Prince also had the idea to tell their story backward (once again, not so original — Harold Pinter had done it in “Betrayal” in 1978), and the pileup of all this conceptual flimflam turned out to be deadening. BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of that show's creation -- and We got 28 examples of such worst events happening on a daily basis, all around us, enjoy. Summary: One of the truly legendary musicals in the history of Broadway, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG opened to enormous fanfare in 1981, and closed after sixteen performances. The cast and crew of the 1981 Broadway musical "Merrily We Roll Along" recall joy and heartbreak during the production of a surefire hit that wasn't.
How To Get Snakes Out Of Your House, Springfield Official Cart Instagram, Sunflower Urban Dictionary, Fat Loss Supplement Stack Bodybuilding, Essex County, Ny Fire Departments, Burt's Bees Controversy, Juki Mcs-1500 Vs Janome,