Tag: Musical

“Surely books are made to linger in,” notes Alice at the beginning of this new musical.  Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is one such book which is embraced again and again.  There have been so many adaptations and interpretations of this story.  Alice By Heart begins in London’s Underground in 1941 amidst the Blitz during World War II.  The atmospheric set design by Edward Pierce nicely evokes a dark, cavernous yet claustrophobic shelter.  Bombs are exploding as the story begins.

The people in this particular shelter are all coping with their fears.  Alfred is quite ill and is expected to die from tuberculosis.  Despite admonitions to stay away, Alice decides to help him pass the time (and hopefully heal) by reading through Alice in Wonderland.  When the nurse destroys her book, she has to recall the story by memory, hence the title Alice By Heart.  The production quickly shifts to a loose adaptation.

The most interesting aspect of this musical is the parallel paths taken by Alice Spencer/Alice down the rabbit hole.  The book written by Steven Sater and Director Jessie Nelson links the growing up quandary of the classic tale to the harsh realities of growing up too early in a dark world of evil.  At her trial before the Queen of Hearts (Grace McLean, excellent), the song “Isn’t It A Trial?” sums up the sad reality.  I heard multiple meanings in the lyric “Isn’t it a trial to try and stay a child?” from the innocence of youth to the adult denial of aging.

Twenty songs are crammed into this ninety minute show.  Many of them are memorable notably “Chillin’ the Regrets” and “The Key Is” performed in the slinky caterpillar scene.  The creativity in the staging is additive to the fun.  In order to create an outer shell for the mock turtle, the cast utilizes green soldier helmets.  The show feels like a series of ideas and captivating visuals without a center core to truly flesh out this particular retelling.

The opening blitz scene happens so quickly that we do not get invested in our central couple of Alice and Alfred, nor with any other characters.  Maybe a more expansive book would help glue the story together and make the plotlines clearer.  Scenes between Alice and the Cheshire Cat seemed to be critically important for the narration and summation of the most important learnings.  Instead, the songs “Some Things Fall Away” and “Winter Blooms”  were flat and uninspired.

Without a great core, Alice By Heart simply exists to offer some very entertaining musical numbers.  The choreography by Rick and Jeff Kuperman is eminently watchable with intricate movements and clever tongue-in-cheek flourishes.  The famous cast of characters that populate Wonderland are allowed to dominate the show which also dilutes the main storyline.

But what a cast of characters to enjoy!  Extra praise has to be given to Andrew Kober (King of Hearts, Jabberwocky), Colton Ryan (Alfred, White Rabbit), Heath Saunders (Caterpillar) and, especially, Wesley Taylor (Mad Hatter and others).  This creatively staged but underdeveloped musical is fun even if it did not achieve the promise of its dark premise.

www.mcctheater.org

The Stephen Sondheim musical Merrily We Roll Along opened on November 16, 1981 and closed after 16 performances (and 52 extended previews).  A notorious flop, I finally had a chance to see this show in a short one week 2012 Encores! production starring Colin Donnell, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Lin Manuel Miranda.   Pleasantly surprised, I enjoyed the story and certainly the score.  Why was the original such a disaster?  Roundabout has once again paired up with the Fiasco Theater Company.  Their last partnership four years ago was the very success reimagining of Sondheim’s Into the Woods.

Their interpretation impressed Mr. Sondheim enough that he met with the artistic team, providing access to his archives and earlier versions of the script and cut songs.  This production collapses the cast down to six actors.  The story is the focus, unencumbered by an ensemble.  A dissection of earnest collaborative relationships turned fragile and ultimately broken over time takes center stage.

In the original Broadway outing, there were dozens of people on stage.  In researching for this review, I went to see a video recording of the original production from November 1981, the month it opened.  An illegal taping was confiscated and donated to the New York Public Library.  From either the balcony or mezzanine, someone captured this entire show.  The quality was obviously below average but I could see and hear clearly.  Was the original that bad?

In a word, yes.  Many productions after the first one corrected perhaps the fatal flaw of casting young actors in the show.  Merrily is the story of three fresh faced friends who arrive in New York in 1955.  By 1980, they are estranged and bitter, the joy of life long since buried.  The musical’s book (George Furth) goes backward in time.  When we first meet Mary she is an angry alcoholic.  With a young lady in the role, it felt like watching high school playacting.  That is not the case with Jessie Austrian’s take on the role.

In 1981, Mary’s hair band never changed through all 25 years.  The cheap set design reinforced the youth angle.  Bleachers (not kidding) moved around and were reconfigured.  The large ensemble frequently entered and distractedly remained onstage even during quieter, more reflective moments.  The costumes were bizarre.  The characters often wore sweatshirts with their names or descriptive slogans printed on their chests.  To make the story clearer?  How do you read that from the balcony?

Director Hal Prince’s misfires notwithstanding, I probably would have enjoyed myself as a relatively new theatergoer back in the day.  The score has so many terrific songs.  In Fiasco’s version, the songs are certainly the star.  Comparing the difference watching “Franklin Shepard, Inc.” then and now perfectly illustrates the improvements achieved here.

This particular song creates the major fissure between successful Broadway composers Frank (Ben Steinfeld) and Charley (Manu Narayan).  The scene is a television interview in which Charley heaves abuse on his partner’s selling out to Hollywood.  In the original, self-absorbed Frank is at the piano.  A chorus member unsteadily holds a long microphone overhead shifting it between seated Charley and the host.  When the song arrives, lights are dimmed while Charley gets a spotlight solo.  In this new staging, the three characters are always visually present and the rage Frank is experiencing has time to percolate in full view.  Instead of storming off the stage when the lights come back up, his discomfort escalates and the tension registers.  None of the three main characters are truly likable throughout this story arc which provides critical depth and clarity to the dissolution of their friendships.

Fiasco’s co-founder Noah Brody directed this revival with some nice touches cleverly embracing and winking at the reverse chronology.  Derek McLane’s set design hints at a backstage memory play which is really what the show is all about.  The entire cast is solid but admittedly not all are virtuoso singers.  (In the performance I saw, understudy Joe Joseph was excellent as Charley.)  This is first and foremost a storytelling production.  Since that was a major issue with the original, this revival has a real purpose to exist.

Notable adjustments made include altering the character who sings the heartbreaking “Not A Day Goes By.”  The change is smart.  Certain scenes were shortened and the bloat of the original, notably the transitions repeating the title song, has been effectively stripped away.  In the end, the still imperfect Merrily We Roll Along remains one of musical theater’s “Old Friends” worth your time.

Over the last decade, some stripped down versions of Sondheim shows have  been revelatory.  The thoughtful Fiasco Theatre troupe has given us a reason to enjoy this score once again and reconsider this continually evolving piece.  Of the three stagings I’ve now seen, this one is closest to a “Good Thing Going.”

www.roundabouttheatre.org

www.fiascotheater.com

In October 1950, Call Me Madam became the first Broadway show to surpass $1 million in ticket sales prior to opening.  The musical starred the already legendary Ethel Merman (Annie Get Your Gun, Girl Crazy) and was directed by George Abbott (On the Town, Pal Joey).  The choreography was pre-West Side Story Jerome Robbins.  Irving Berlin (1,500 songs!) composed the score with Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (Anything Goes, Life With Father) writing the book.  Big credentials created this vehicle which had been specifically designed for the Merm who won a Tony for her performance.

A brash Texas oil heiress is named as Ambassador to the fictional country of Lichtenburg, a place where they make babies and cheese.  As can be found in many old-school formulaic musicals, there is a love interest for the leads and another love interest for a pair of dewy eyed youngsters.  The Encores! series gives these shows a chance to be revisited for a week.  While Call Me Madam didn’t knock me out of my seat like Paint Your Wagon or Zorba! did a few years ago, I completely enjoyed myself watching the final performance of this revival.

The plot is simple.  As the new Ambassador from a bombastically wealthy America, Mrs. Sally Adams (Carmen Cusack) travels to and falls quickly for Cosmo Constantine, the Foreign Minister of financially struggling Lichtenburg.  The imaginary story was a  very thinly veiled reference to D.C. society doyenne Perle Mesta who had recently been appointed Ambassador to Luxemboug.  As Cosmo, Ben Davis was regal and in great voice.  He had a sexy chemistry with an amusing Ms. Cusack (Bright Star) who seemed slightly challenged by the booming vocal requirements of the role.  More a wise-cracking socialite than a boisterous Texan, she landed the jokes firmly.  “My mother always told me when in danger cross you legs.”  The kids, however, stole the show.

Lauren Worsham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) humorously played Princess Maria, the protected daughter of the realm.  She falls hard for Mrs. Adam’s assistant, Kenneth Gibson (Jason Gotay).  The role of Kenneth has the show’s two best songs, the duets “It’s A Lovely Day Today” with the Princess and “You’re Just in Love” with his boss.  In a musical nearly seventy years old, Mr. Gotay made the role sparklingly fresh and very funny.  His singing was even better, noticeably appreciated by the enraptured audience.  Last November, I saw this actor in Transport Group’s extraordinary Renascence.  While that turn was also excellent, this one should put him squarely in the category of New York’s top drawer musical theater performers.

Carol Kane (Taxi, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Darrell Hammond (SNL) added to the fun as the goofy royalty of this small country.  Ensemble numbers such as “The Ocarina” and “Lichtenburg” were pleasing with enjoyable choreography by Denis Jones.  A show like Call Me Madam requires a willingness to settle down in one’s seat and let old school wash over you.  The evening is not a revelation but instead an celebration of popular musical comedy entertainments from the past.

For the 75th anniversary of New York City Center, Encores! has produced its first repeat.  Call Me Madam starred Tyne Daly during the series’ second year in 1995.  The critics were mixed when this show first opened.  For this particular revival, they were largely negative.  I thought this production was charming nostalgia.  I soaked in the bath of old school and it was indeed a lovely day.

www.nycitycenter.org