A LITTLE BIT OF THIS, A LITTLE BIT OF THAT – Part I - Some Potpourri

A LITTLE BIT OF THIS, A LITTLE BIT OF THAT – Part I

Some Potpourri

This will be a little different than usual. I'm far behind on filing recent programs, so I thought I'd do a potpourri of programs…no special letter of the alphabet, a range of shows from a Tony-winning play, to an underrated and under-patronized musical, to a flashy and entertaining popular Disney musical, to a star-studded revival of a former Tony-winning play, to a musical version of a classic film musical, and finally to a musical celebrating the work of an iconic American musical voice.

Comfy? Let's start

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS – Palace Theatre, New York

September, 2015. If there's a better way to spend the afternoon of your 65th birthday than at a Broadway show, especially if that Broadway show is a critically-acclaimed musical, well, I simply have no clue what that better way is. Perhaps unbelievably, I have never seen the iconic film of An American in Paris. Not being a Gene Kelly fan, I never saw the need. But I do love the Gershwin score and I am a big Max von Essen fan, so this was high on my list of must-sees. Elegant and beautifully designed, this was a feast for the eyes and the ears. All that unforgettable Gershwin music played by a big, fat, gorgeous orchestra. Yum! Stunning, breathtaking dancing. There's just something about seeing men lift ladies with such grace and beauty. With a wonderfully talented cast featuring Garen Scribner (the matinee alternate for the role of Jerry Mulligan), Leanne Cope, Broadway favorites Jill Paice and Veanne Cox, and Brandon Uranowitz, and the aforementioned Mr. von Essen, this was sung, danced, and acted with sincerity, playfulness, and ease. The capacity audience purred with delight. Did I mention the outrageously divine dancing? - at the Palace Theatre, New York

Sidebar: At the time, our niece Colleen, a dresser on some of Broadway's biggest hits, was working as a stitcher at An American in Paris and we were able to get a backstage tour of this legendary house. The backstage area isn't as big as one would think. Much of AAIP's scenery was flown and hanging from the fly loft. Got to see all the costumes, the quick changing areas downstairs, and, for me at least, the highlight, a stupendous birthday gift from Colleen, the opportunity to stand on the Palace stage…the same stage that Judy Garland, yes that Judy Garland, once stood on. It was a totally cosmic gay moment.

 A lone piano on stage at the Palace before the overture begins.

Move over, Judy Garland! I'm on the short side. So with crew-length socks and below the knees shorts and at my weight, I look like I'm getting ready to replace Chris Sieber as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda.

BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL = Stephen Sondheim Theatre, New York

February, 2015. The classic songs of Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil were the stars of this entertaining jukebox musical and pretty much made me forget about the paper-thin, and-now-we-did-this book that got far better than it deserved from the talented cast at the Stephen Sondheim. Too often folks overlook the ensemble, so I want to give a special shout-out to those remarkable men and women in the Beautiful ensemble who added so much spice and flavor to the show. Bravo, brava!  The production values were spot-on and helped the show flow seamlessly from one scene/song to the next. Scott J. Campbell (Gerry Goffin), Liz Larsen (Genie Klein), Anika Larsen (Cynthia Weil), Jarrod Spector (Barry Mann), and Paul Anthony Stewart (Don Kirshner) were all very good in their parts, but, with all due respect and admiration to the talented folks just mentioned,  it was Tony-winner Jessie Mueller as Carole King that the audience came to see and Mueller did not disappoint. Like a hostess entertaining her favorite guests at a party at her house, she charmed, she seduced, and she truly connected with the audience. She was effortless in performance. The material, however, did not allow Mueller or any of her castmates delve into any depth of character, so this show was played on the surface. Mind you, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I didn't leave the theatre thinking I knew anything about Carole King that I wouldn't find out about in a well-written press bio. Overall, a tuneful, fun evening. This was everything Motown was not. - at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, NYC

Sidebar: Jessie Mueller, a talented, vibrant actress, is a Broadway darling and has been ever since she first appeared in 2011's criminally misguided revival/revision/whatever-the-hell-it-was production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. She won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical over some pretty heady competition. Yes, Mueller was good. In fact, she was very good, but the Tony that year should have gone, hands down, to Kelli O'Hara for her luminous portrayal of an Iowa housewife in the beautiful The Bridges of Madison County. O'Hara would win her Bridges Tony the following year for The King and I, an award that that year should have gone to Fun Home's Beth Malone. As I type this, Ms. Mueller is up for another Tony for Waitress. Again she's with a strong slate of talented women. Who will win?

ALADDIN – New Amsterdam Theatre, New York

February, 2015. James Monroe Iglehart won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor in a musical. Why, you ask? Well, just watch the Act One scene, or rather tour-de-force, in the Cave of Wonders, which includes the bring-down-the house-and-then-some number "Friend Like Me," which, incidentally, is worth the price of admission, and you'll see what I mean. It's good, old-fashioned, scenery-chewing, show biz pizzazz at its finest and Mr. Iglehart is simply amazing in it. Tore. Up. The. Place. With sensational scenery, incredible lights, gorgeous costumes, talented folks, and lots of eye candy, this was a dandy way to spend some time in the theatre. In addition to Mr. Iglehart, props go to Courtney Reed, who manages to give the underwritten role of Jasmine some brio and sass. Big applause also to Brian Gonzales, Jonathan Schwarz, and Steel Burkhardt as Aladdin's faithful friends, Merwin Foard as a gleeful Disney villain, Don Darryl Rivera as a this-close-to-being-over-the-top-but-still-very-funny Iago, and, blast from the past, 1971's Two Gentlemen of Verona's Tony-nominated leading man, Clifton Davis, in a return to the Broadway stage after an absence of forty-plus years, as the Sultan, and still showing off some impressive vocal chops.  And last, but most certainly not least, it was the handsome and thoroughly likeable Adam Jacobs, as the eponymous Aladdin, who had the bulk of the heavy lifting and he did it with true leading man aplomb. This may not be landmark musical theatre, but Disney put a lot of money into this solid piece of professional entertainment and it shows…and shows…and shows. As an added bonus, the show plays at the gorgeous New Amsterdam. The score is a classic with the highlight being the beautiful "Proud of Your Boy." This will continue to make buckets of money for Disney for years to come. - at the legendary New Amsterdam Theatre, New York

Sidebar: Disney came under some heavy-duty flak for the lack of actors of Middle Eastern descent in the cast of Aladdin. And, admittedly, though this cast was ethnically diverse, I couldn't spot a Middle Eastern surname among the performers. Did Disney deserve the flak? Or is it an overreaction in an over-cautious time? Whatever the case, it does raise some questions about diversity in the theatre and the purpose of color-blind casting. Aladdin is a fairy tale which takes place in a mythical and, one assumes, Arabian desert nation. But, with some rewriting, it could really take place anywhere. Oh, you might not get the flowing costumes and the bevy of shirtless or nearly shirtless men, but the story is kind of universal. So, since this is a fairy tale, what exactly is racially appropriate casting? This isn't The King and I or A Raisin in the Sun that has specific racial expectations. And if one takes as a basic tenet of color-blind casting that one's race or national origin should have nothing to do with the casting of most roles, and that the best person for the role should get the job, then expecting a certain percentage of whatever ethnic group sort of defeats the purpose of color-blind casting, doesn't it? Or does it? I certainly don't have an answer, but I applaud shows like Hamilton that, frankly, break with the obvious choices and introduce us to superb talents we may never have seen had their roles been cast along traditional racial/ethnic lines. I also firmly believe that directors, producers, creatives, casting agents, etc. should promote more diversity in all areas of the theatre. There are so many men and women out there whose work and talents may be undiscovered because they don't fit a traditional mold. It's important we all do our part to make sure theatre is a safe, creative, diverse haven for everyone. (This issue recently made local Chicago and national theatre news when a Chicago-based actor challenged the casting of Eva Peron in a regional production of Evita. I couldn't determine if this actor's concern was genuine or whether it was grandstanding or whether it was a sour-grapes thing because the actor isn't cast much in Chicago. It made a big splash for a few days, then made way for other news.)

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME – at the Barrymore Theatre, New York

The technicals were a complete, smack-your-head WOW!

February, 2015. OH. MY. GOD. Every now and then a play comes along that simply takes one's breath away, renews your faith in humanity, and reaffirms your love of the theatre. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of those plays. Alex Sharp's Christopher….OH. MY. GOD. Absolutely thrilling performance, mesmerizing in scope, flawless in nuance and detail.  Brilliantly directed and designed, and acted by a sterling ensemble, this is essential viewing for everyone who cares anything about theatre. This was one of the most exciting and memorable two hours and thirty minutes I have ever experienced in the theatre. I repeat... OH. MY. GOD!!! – at the Barrymore Theatre, New York

THE ELEPHANT MAN – at the Booth Theatre, New York

Mr. Cooper truly has his name up in lights!

February, 2015. Originally we were supposed to see this in October during the first week of previews, but conflicts pushed back the start of performances and this was our rescheduled date. I wish I could say it was worth the wait, but... Don't get me wrong; Bradley Cooper was wonderful in a very difficult role, both vocally and physically, and he never misstepped, and Alessandro Nivola was excellent as Treves, but Patricia Clarkson's Mrs. Kendal was surprisingly disappointing, making a meaty role almost a throwaway. Far too casual in posture, diction and attitude, I didn't believe that she was a celebrated actress of class and sophistication, and even though her final scene with John Merrick was well-done, it was a case of too little, too late. Diction was sometimes lacking and the play just seemed dated and taIky. The running time was a brisk two hours, but it somehow seemed longer and, somewhat contradictory, the revival's shortened length gave the play an unfinished feeling and seemed to rush details that would have given this production the richness that I remember from the original. (The most noticeable cut was a nightmare scene involving Treves and Merrick that I vividly remembered and greatly missed.) I enjoyed it, but I wish I'd enjoyed it more. - at the Booth Theatre, New York

Sidebar: The Elephant Man was nominated for four Tony Awards in 2015 and won none. Interestingly and somewhat bafflingly, Carole Shelley, the original Mrs. Kendal, won the Best Actress Tony when the play debuted in 1979, but in 2015, Patricia Clarkson was nominated for the same role, but in the Best Actress in a Featured Role category. How can a part be leading one time around and then featured the next?

HONEYMOON IN VEGAS – Nederlander Theatre, New York

February, 2015. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Honeymoon in Vegas was one of the freshest and funniest musicals I've seen in years. Well-executed and designed, with a fabulously bouncy and tuneful score by Jason Robert Brown, and who knew the masterful Mr. Brown could do "bouncy," a terrific onstage orchestra, and a sparkling cast headed by a suave and mellow Tony Danza, an appropriately perky and appropriately feisty Brynn O' Malley, very, very funny turns from David Josefsberg as a lounge singer, in the worst sense of the word, and Matthew Saldiver as an hysterical and clueless Danza right-hand-man, a take-no-prisoners comic gem of a performance from Nancy Opel, and an amazing star turn from Rob McClure, this was just, in a word, wonderful. There's nothing serious in it, no hidden subtext, no scenes of social conscience. Instead, it's exactly what a musical comedy, emphasis on comedy, should be…tuneful with great choreography, a cast that's talented, attractive and likeable, and loaded with big laughs. Being a retired flight attendant, I howled with delight at the second act's "Airport Song." We both loved it. Sadly, despite very favorable reviews, it struggled at the box office from its first preview onward. It had a two-month preview period, unusually long for a show that had a previously well-received incarnation at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ, and ran less than one hundred performances. Baffling and, really, quite criminal. The show is a gleeful treasure that clearly delighted the audience. – at the Nederlander Theatre, New York

Sidebar: Surprisingly for me, Honeymoon in Vegas did not receive a single Tony nomination. Now granted, it's no Fun Home, which won the Tony, but it was certainly on a par with the nominated Something Rotten! and even though I'm a huge fan of The Visit, this was a superior show. Honeymoon in Vegas could, however, have a long and profitable life in regional and amateur/community theatre.

That's it for now. More later!!

© 2016 Jeffrey Geddes