Once in a while you are fortunate enough to see something in a theater which is so stunningly performed that you cannot help but allow the magic to envelop your soul. Such is the case with the musical adaption of Days of Wine and Roses.
Craig Lucas adapted the book for this show from the original teleplay and well-known film. Adam Guettel, his co-creator of The Light In the Piazza, supplied the brilliantly complex and interesting music and lyrics. The material is about two people who spiral into full blown alcoholism. The songs let the characters open their minds and channel their feelings, no matter how ugly they may be.
Kelli O’Hara (The King & I, Bridges of Madison County) stars as Kirsten Arnesen. She sings in fourteen of the musical’s eighteen numbers, seven of which are solos. Her vocal prowess is well-known. Here she is in glorious form. The music seems complicated to perform and her mellifluous renditions of each and every one are utterly entrancing. Hearing such an exceptionally sung score by one of our theater’s leading actresses in a small off-Broadway house is a treat worth savoring.
Her acting chops are equally fine from the initial teetotaler to a plunging descent into a motel room bender. That scene was vividly staged and conveyed the horrors of this addiction so completely. This is not a feel good story despite all efforts by the two principals to keep trying to feel good.
Brian D’Arcy James (Something Rotten, Shrek) is her drinking buddy Joe Clay. He is already a business man party boy when the show commences. His aggressive ensnarement of Kirsten is another one of the show’s brutal honesties. That she follows him down so dark a path is inevitable due to beautifully paced storytelling. Mr. James is excellent, as usual, in a role which, as written, is far more developed than Ms. O’Hara’s.
This show does not leave you humming. That is not its intent. There are songs that stand out such as “Evanesce” which contains the memorable rhyme “to just say yes and evanesce”. Dropping out of normal existence aided by an abundance of alcohol is where these two will go. The story is heartbreaking with a father and daughter as witnesses to the searing tragedy unfolding in their lives.
The entire show is essentially written for the two leads but these additional characters allow us to immerse ourselves in the collateral damage. Byron Jennings and Ella Dane Morgan excel as family members who see the truth but are unable to truly change the situation. That’s not possible when our central couple wants just “a wee little dropsy” when falling off the wagon.
Director Michael Grief confidently steered the ship and the storytelling was in sharp relief amidst a hazy fog of sadness and despair. My one slight negative was Lizzie Clachan’s set design. The modernistic lighted panels felt too contemporary and distracting for what is essentially a chamber piece. That’s a quibble, however. The riveting greenhouse scene was an outstanding theatrical moment both visually and crucially to display the extent with which alcohol can subsume all control.
I do hope there is a recording of this unique musical. This one’s likely not heading to Broadway anytime soon. The material is far too dark for audiences looking for the familiar and a good time. Days of Wine and Roses exists for the rest of us who will gladly support massively talented artists with room to create challenging and exceptional art.
Days of Wine and Roses is running downtown at the Atlantic Theater Company through July 16, 2023.