#the act

[carolsturkas]

Rhea Seehorn in The Act (2019)

[doggojin]

do you have any thoughts on what Protoframes might be together? I’ve seen some ships circulating recently but I was wondering which you like!

Not anyone else, really. I think Eleanor and Lettie are cute but also, mhhh, they could find better chemistry (I might make bitches for them is what I mean AHEM-). Otherwise......... them.

[fanofspooky]

Scream Queen - Juliette Lewis

[whyishekinda]

Do I already know that my series, 'the act' is not doing well? YES.

Do I still feel like writing a spin off smau(with excerpts of media gossips, interviews, pap media run tabloids) showing their pre breakup life? ALSO YES.

Someone please take my phone away🤚🏼😭

[hanihaato]

a/n: yandere aventurine x female reader, suggestive, non-consensual touching and forced kisses

“Ah, ah, ah, don’t say a word, darling,” a glowed finger pressed to your lips makes words die on your tongue almost as effectively as the Aventurine’s vivid, piercing eyes. Except for the shallow breaths, you stay in silence, and he glides his hand from your lips to cup your cheekbone. “I must say, you are really bold, testing my connections like that to find you. Being sceptical is a great quality…”

He pushes you onto the bed and lays on top of you, interlocking your fingers together so you don’t ever try to push him off yourself. He stares at you, his smile growing smug with your every try to wiggle out yourself of the embrace.

Aventurine’s head falls on your shoulder. You shiver as he chuckles and his warm breath sends a chill through your spine he muchly adores tracing his fingers on.

“…But not when it comes to me.”

You turn your head away from him. Ugh, you wish you could have at least a full day without him, but you could pride yourself in having a plan good enough to escape the room he locked you up two weeks ago when you first arrived on this planet.

Though, it hurts your ego a bit that Aventurine doesn’t seem to be bothered at all.

He shifts on the bed, and you hate how the sheets that smelled of the hotel’s cleanliness are already starting to stink with his perfumes. The smell you once loved now suffocates you with each breath.

He wraps his arm around your waist so he spoons your back for a second before grasping you tighter and throwing you over himself, having you face him. He entangles your legs before you can think of hitting him with a knee.

You whisper into the pillows.

“…At least I know you are a real deal.”

Aventurine chuckles in a tone you would find endearing if you didn’t feel he laughs at you. When he first started to show you the best parts of the world he’s been living in—the casinos that always had a nice pianist playing on a grand piano, the numerous vine tastings, the breakfasts that make your mouth water, clothing that feels like silk in touch—you could hear the tone everywhere, usually just by your ear. He then told you how he loved how your eyes shone and how much more enchanting you look every day.

You wonder which night he started to plan to cut you off from both worlds, yours and his, to only have him as your everything.

“That’s news to me,” he says, theatrically raising his eyebrows. “You didn’t believe me at all? You must know, darling, that everything I told you after we got together is true. That’s a real privilege right there.”

His finger starts to trace circular patterns on your forearm’s skin. Your heart throbs painfully.

“Aventurine…” Your voice is as demanding as can be the voice of a woman squished in the arms of a man who knows how to use words and guns. “I don’t believe you really love me. That’s not how love looks like.”

The man is still in his position. He blinks, and his eyes are fully on you. You have yet to find out if that look is a warning for you or whether he is enticed by what are you saying. Or maybe he just wants to hear your voice—you know Aventurine is not a man above misleading you into believing you aren’t in a hopeless position just to hear your pleas.

“When you love someone, you want the best for them. You want— You see them as equals. You don’t strip them of what they love to do, and… and people they love. You just… join their life and slowly build a new one together…”

When you fall silent, Aventurine pulls you in and with the other hand brushes hair off your face.

He hums. “That’s an inspiring speech. Oh, and I loved how you looked when you talked about it. Such a view. You must’ve thought about it for quite a while, huh?” He pats you on the head, lingering a bit to loosely twirl your hair on his fingers. “But, dearest, everything you’ve said, well, it all checks out.”

“No.”

“I do view as equals. We have a trade: my everlasting love for a bit of your freedom. It looks like a good deal.”

“It doesn’t look like—”

Aventurine shuts you up with a kiss. You hate, hate, hate this feeling, because in these moments you wonder if you could ever truly fall in love with a man you despise that gives you the hugs you long for and kisses you think about for days.

As he pulls away, with your free hand, you wipe off the traces of the kiss on your lips. Of course, you know it’s meaningless—he kissed you many times, you would have to count in hundreds at least—he will revenge you for that later.

“Awh, don’t be like that,” He says, kissing you again and holding your wrists this time. “You know, I pride myself in being a good businessman. If you are going to put your undying love for me, I will give you the freedom back.”

“You may beg all you want, but with begging you can’t get my love.”

It’s a brave thing to say when you are at the mercy of a man who’s famished for your affection.

“Hm, is that so?” Aventurine chuckles, but for the first time in the evening, it lacks the usual flippancy. He begins to pepper your neck with kisses, and you feel his sturdy hands travel down your stomach and a tugging on your shirt. “Well, say what you want, darling. But since you’ve been by my side for such a long time, you must know I only engage in bets I know I will win.”

[operaqueen]

Liza Minnelli, in the original Broadway production of The Act. New York, 1977.

[georgefurth]

The Act, Michael Bennett, and George Furth

A series of discovery

Over the past almost two years my focus has been on a project not about George Furth, but about Michael Bennett. I still can't yet get into much detail about what this project is, but a side quest came out of this work that was related to the topic of this blog: how was choreographer and director Michael Bennett (A Chorus Line) involved with George Furth's show The Act.

I've known for some time that Bennett was briefly involved with the show, but mostly from less than trustworthy sources and without much detail. Bennett was at one point the hottest director on Broadway, and of course anything with Liza Minnelli involved always equals plenty of poor quality, gossip-y nonsense that I had to sort through. So I decided to try to get as direct as I could get.

What's The Act?

First off, let me give you some context if you're not familiar with The Act (actually "The Act"). The Act is a show with a book by George Furth, and music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb. It originally premiered on Broadway in 1977, to fan excitement and critical failure, starring Liza Minnelli and directed by Martin Scorsese. Yes, that one! It's his (so far, I guess) first and only stage musical. Gower Champion was brought in towards the Broadway opening to fix entrances and try to make the show stand on Its feet, because, well, Scorsese didn't know what he was doing.

While there are about, say, 125 gay men on the Internet who will proclaim the show's brilliance, all because of their Queen Ms. Minnelli, the critical reviews were largely and extremely negative, and you could probably argue that it ruined George Furth's budding career as a librettist, especially as he was coming off so hot post Company and Twigs.

The show follows a nightclub act of a burnt out former movie star Mike Craig, and her relationship with her ex-husband, her musician friend, and (in the Broadway version:) her step daughter Molly. Later revisions of the script, those being the only ones that were ever published, changed things around.

Early On (1973-1976)

(Note: The Act's earlier titles include In Person and Shine It On)

In a description of the development of The Act, relating to a lawsuit around the show, Furth describes early development of The Act, first mentioning Marvin Hamlisch playing some of the score for Liza Minnelli in early 1973, followed by multiple meetings with Michael Bennett throughout October and November 1973, until he abandoned the project on November 4th. He mentions Bennett briefly agreed to the project as long as he received the "conceived by" credit, but then dropped it again.

It then seems that Hamlisch abandoned the project as well, around September 1975.

The first stuff from the moment, dated March 16th 1974, was a massive letter from George Furth to Michael Bennett, from Michael Bennett's papers at Yale. Now, it's way too long for me to post here, but here's a summary of what's relevant to this story:

1. Furth at this point had already been working on what became The Act for quite a while.

2. Furth wanted to pitch it to Bennett, and had been in touch with Bob Avian (Avian was Bennett's right hand man) attempting to send the show as it was to Bennett. Furth writes, "I hope you decide to do it, Michael. No one could do it better."

3. Furth expresses excitement about working with Marvin Hamlisch, but also expresses worry about being able to "hold onto" him.

4. Debbie Reynolds is name dropped as a potential star. Though Furth also appears to apologize about her behavior on her behalf to Bennett, which.... I really wish I knew what happened there!

Next, we go to Furth's records at the NYPL, here we find a letter from Michael Bennett, dated July 9th 1975, in it Bennett writes:

Dear George, I read the script and honestly feel that no matter how much you rewrite it Mary Martin is totally wrong for this. The woman has got to sing great, and I don't think that she is at that point in her life. Cloris Leachman is more suitable I think. Bobby and I have discussed it and I don't think that at this point we are interested in doing it....we love you, and keep plugging away. Love, Michael

Next, we find yet another long letter from Furth to Bennett in 1976, once again from the Michael Bennett papers at Yale. This letter is largely focused on apologizing to Bennett for any hurt feelings over the show not ending up his way.

The other thing I wanted to say it's something I always thought was really understood but now it's time to say it. It has to do with the whole notion of my objecting to your having "concept" credit. It really was an idea Marvin and I had discussed prior to your coming up with it. At the time all I had were lyrics sung by one singer and the only concepts open to us were a concert, an act or a recording session. If you remember before you told me the idea I told you it was probably a concert...and you said "close". And when Marvin called me from London that night to ask what the concept was I explained to him that although it was something we had thought of and not done that with you handling it it was something we could do.

Bennett's Visit (1977)

Post A Chorus Line, a show which notably got its title from the original title of Furth's play Twigs, and was composed by Marvin Hamlisch, Michael Bennett was asked to come in to help fix the struggling The Act while it was in previews in California.

Some sources claim this was George Furth's doing, others claim it was the producers who asked him. What I do know is that Bennett, alongside Ron Field, gave them a lot of notes! 5 pages of notes! They're labeled as "Michael Bennett's Notes on Shine It On" from July 20th 1977.

Most descriptions of Bennett's visits to The Act, like those in Kander and Ebb's book Colored Lights, say that Bennett was clearly high and that his notes were nonsense. The notes present in George Furth's records at the NYPL, were to me, rather reasonable, with a few exceptions. Furth writes at the top of the paper:

Note session... Pleaded to get these things acknowledged or in... Scorsese said he had his own thinking on all this and dismissed all Michael and Ron said.

Highlights in Bennett's notes include:

6. "After a while the audience stops trying to understand because they're not involved in the story"

17. She should go from 16 to 40. Change lights to change her age. Change hairdo - go to another color if necessary so it is not just Liza. She should be 40 years old at the top of the show

26. Need a stronger reason for her abortion. a) Bravery to have an abortion at 25 is my opinion. b) But have if for your first straight role and I'll be rooting for you to have an abortion.

60. Use Marvin Hamlish who only thinks he's worth anything for his talent or for amusement

63. "I need a job" is out of Chorus Line. Drop it.

64. Don't make Ted gay

Finally, returning to the Michael Bennett papers at Yale, the head of the Shubert organization, Bernard Jacobs, wrote Michael Bennett a thank you letter, dated November 11th, 1977:

Dear Michael: Your wonderful opening night message for the premiere of "THE ACT" meant more to me than anything I received from anyone. Survival is, indeed, the name of the game, but there's another name that can mean even more, and that's friendship and love.

Gee, I wonder what that opening night message was!

Conclusions

Ultimately, digging through all this stuff has been interesting, rewarding, and slightly agonizing. As I continue to research, I'm hoping I'll stumble upon more stuff that answers some of the gaps that still remain.

The majority of documents within the folder relating to The Act in Furth's records at the NYPL are reviews. There is seriously like an inch or two high stack of clippings of reviews, from the Chicago tryouts, the California tryouts, and the Broadway run. The vast majority of these reviews are extremely negative towards Furth, and numerous amounts of them compare the show to... A Chorus Line! So many, in fact, that we had to stop taking photos of them as there were quite literally too many. I'd never even thought of that comparison until I looked through all these, and now I can't unsee it.

I hope to continue my investigations into The Act, as it is really juicy, but hopefully you enjoyed this breakdown of one element of the show's troubled troubled history.