ALPHABET SOUP: EPISODE 15. "W"

ALPHABET SOUP
EPISODE 15 (15):

TODAY'S LETTER:

"W"

A musical where pies are a plot point. Dueling cosmetic queens. A child of Hollywood in a frank, hysterical discussion about life, love, mental illness, and addiction. A beautiful and stunning play about a horse named Joey. Joseph Fields, Jerome Chodorov, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Leonard Bernstein's 1953 Tony-winning homage to mid-30s New York City. Last, but certainly not least, an audience with Kate the Great. And they all begin with the letter "W."

Grab a cuppa. Let's begin.

WAITRESS – Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York

Even the show curtain was pie-inspired. The smell of baking pies infused the theatre, and pie was on sale at the concessions stands. The folks in front of us, when asked, said the pie was decent, but not spectacular, especially for the price.

October, 2017. I'll be honest. "Waitress" never especially appealed to me. I'd never seen the film the musical is based on, I wasn't familiar with composer Sara Bareilles, the Tony Awards selection didn't send me, and the brief Telecharge summary of the story didn't make me want to run off and buy tickets. But, Playbill Club had a great offer PLUS the show plays Sunday evenings, so we took the plunge. And we were pleasantly surprised. No, it's not a great show. Diction was sometimes iffy, the band was frequently over-amplified, the ensemble was often intrusive, the frequent 'celestial choir' vocal arrangements were annoying, and Ms. Bareilles' eleven o' clock number for her leading lady, the quite wonderful Betsy Wolfe, played out more like a ten-fifteen number. But the slender story was warm, often very funny, and, well, who doesn't like a happy, though improbably contrived, ending? The best thing about "Waitress" was its uniformly excellent cast. In addition to Betsy Wolfe, big kudos to Maia Nkenge Wilson and Caitlin Houlahan as her sassy co-workers, Drew Gehling as the hot adulterous doctor, Will Swenson as the hot abusive husband, Eric Anderson as an unbelievably easy boss, Christopher Fitzgerald as Ogie, who was probably the most endearing character in the show, and a true theatre icon, John Cullum, as Joe, who effortlessly demonstrated why he's been a star for nearly six decades. This is a "B" show, top to bottom. Everything is skillfully put together, but nothing is exceptional. But, it's an entertaining "B" show, and, in the end, one could do a lot worse. - at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York

WAR PAINT – Goodman Theatre, Chicago

July, 2016. Second preview. At one point during "War Paint's" interminable opening number, Christine Ebersole appeared at the top of a staircase like Mame, only without the costume or material. Co-star Patti LuPone's accent was so thick and unintelligible, you almost believed she was appearing in a Forbidden Broadway parody of her sometimes questionable diction. The creative team of Grey Gardens put together this train wreck of a musical, and it was a slog. The actors, bless their Equity hearts, all tried. Lord knows Misses LuPone and Ebersole used every trick in their considerable arsenals to make the weak material work, but except for the final song in Act One and a couple of pretty ballads in Act Two there wasn't much they could do. The final, fictional, scene where the two rivals meet was excellent, and an indication of what the show could have been. A riveting duet capped that scene and the curtain should have come down then, but, no, there was a coda that just dissipated the excitement of the previous scene. This had the potential of being a tasty morsel of bitchiness, rivalry and fun, but instead it was dull, uninvolving, and a waste of its talented cast, especially the intrepid leading ladies and sinfully underused John Dossett and Douglas Sills, who played the underwritten roles of the men in the ladies' lives. Back in the day, if this show had opened as a tryout in Boston, it would have closed at the end of the run. A major disappointment. - at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago

Chicago Critics: Surprisingly the Chicago critics and bloggers gave the show relatively high marks. Show business "bible" Variety called the Goodman production a "sophisticated and rewarding new musical." I'm wondering what show we saw? It certainly wasn't the same show the Chicago press praised. (Ponder: was the show by that point as good as they indicated or were the local critics and bloggers just too enamored with Misses LuPone and Ebersole?

Cosmetic Changes?: Receiving mixed, though modestly favorable notices, Marilyn Stasio's Variety review neatly, and rather brilliantly, summed up War Paint: "War Paint is a musical about Catherine Zuber’s fabulous costumes and magnificent hats, as modeled by the great Patti LuPone as Helena Rubenstein and her Highness, Christine Ebersole as Elizabeth Arden. And if those hallowed names mean nothing to you, this is not your show." It ran for only 236 performances, a relatively short run, considering the names involved, and closed early to accommodate hip surgery for LuPone. The show's box-office peaked early, then started a decline, a decline that I'm sure was unexpected. Let's face it. LuPone and Ebersole are musical theatre royalty in their own rights. Performing together, this should have been a sold-out smash. The Nederlander Theatre is a bit out of the way on 41st Street and not in the middle of things. Could that have played a factor? Or was it the show itself?

WISHFUL DRINKING – Studio 54, New York

WISHFUL DRINKING – Studio 54, New York

January, 2010. When you're the daughter of a beloved 50s film star, Debbie Reynolds, and a popular pop singer, Eddie Fisher, and whose step-mother for a time was one of the world's most famous and glamorous actresses, Elizabeth Taylor, well, you're bound to have an interesting life. In Carrie Fisher's case, "interesting" did not even scratch the surface. Like all good storytellers, Fisher had the knack for making you feel as though you were hanging out in her living room, enjoying some wine, and just having a good old-fashioned chin-wag. She also made the carefully planned and rehearsed material seem spontaneous, off-the-cuff. Toss in a wicked and sardonic sense of humor, an appreciation of the ridiculous, and a bracing honesty about your mental illnesses and addiction to drugs, and, you, lucky audience member, had a grand old time. Of course she talked about Star Wars and Princess Leia. Of course she talked about her family, even using a helpful family tree graphic to illustrate the rather convoluted six degrees of separation in the family. Of course she peppered the evening with some show biz gossip and fun facts. But what she did best of all was just show us Carrie Fisher, highs, lows, and in-betweens. Being bi-polar, a manic-depressive, and a drug addict does not need to define who you are, no more than being an iconic film character does, or being the child of famous parents does. Spending the evening with Carrie Fisher was inspiring, uplifting, and just damn funny. A tremendous talent gone far too soon. – at Studio 54, New York

Like Daughter, Like Mother or Vice Versa: Carrie Fisher wasn't the only one in the family who was a terrific storyteller, as Bob and I found out when we saw mom Debbie Reynolds in concert a few years after seeing Carrie's show. Reynolds was around 80 at the time and her dancing and singing days were, for the most part, behind her, but she could still tell a story, and, boy, did she ever! She did the figurative letting-her-hair-down, got the claws out and let it rip. Surprisingly gentle about Elizabeth Taylor, apparently they had made-up or something, she reserved her sharpest barbs for her ex-husbands, especially Eddie Fisher. According to Reynolds, Fisher was far from gifted in a certain area, a tasty tidbit that the largely elderly female audience ate up like candy. Who knew our Tammy had such a blue streak?

WAR HORSE – Cadillac Palace, Chicago

December, 2012. I've wanted to see this ever since Bob, Colleen and I went on a tour of the National Theatre complex in London and saw the cast of the National's production of "War Horse" warm up on the stage of the Olivier Theatre. Based on an acclaimed English children's novel (I had no idea until I did some "review" research upon its Chicago opening), this truly remarkable production touched me on many levels. At its most basic, it's a story about a boy and his horse. But though the story may be basic, its thrust is not. Yes, at its core, War Horse tells the story of Albert, a Devon farm boy, and Joey, his beloved horse. But there's much, much more. It's also the story of growing up, the horrors of war, the treasures of friendship, and these stories were told within the framework of a visually sumptuous production that was lit within an inch of its life to magnificent effect. I didn't expect to be so moved by this story, but curmudgeonly me actually got all misty-eyed at the show's conclusion when Albert and Joey reunited and returned safely home. Sentimental? Yes. Heartfelt? Most definitely. Deliberately tugging at the heartstrings? Absolutely. Effective? You bet. Beautifully performed by a cast of first-rate actors, singers, and at times, musicians, the 2.5 hours flew by. Kudos to the wonderful folks who brought the animals to vivid life and gave them all such distinct personalities. Some things that truly are worth mentioning: the rapport between Albert and Joey that made you truly believe how much this boy loved his horse; when Joey nuzzled his horse partner Topthorn in affection and concern just before Topthorn's death; the vivid scenes of human and animal carnage lit in stark white light contrasted with dark shadow; the comic relief of the goose; the very disturbing image of vultures picking at a dead soldier's eyes; the terror of the tank; the joyfulness of Albert and Joey's reunion. The Palace is not an ideal venue for plays and some of the dialogue was lost, but both are minor quibbles. This show was just pretty damn terrific. Full stop. – at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago

WONDERFUL TOWN

– Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York

 December, 2003. Joseph Fields, Jerome Chodorov, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Leonard Bernstein's 1953 Tony-winning homage to mid-30s New York City and I have a connection that has spanned over fifty years. (!!) Wonderful Town was the first show I was in way, waaaaay back in 1967 at Waukegan Township High School. I was sixteen and played Speedy Valenti. So I was excited to see an old friend again. 

Sixteen. Was I ever that young?

This production originated in 2000 as an Encores presentation, so retaining its Encores roots, the show at the Hirschfeld had a bit of a spare, but entirely functional look, with spot-on period costumes, and its lush, jazzy twenty-four piece orchestra on stage. The show itself, fifty years old in 2003, showed its age and creaked at times, but the quips and jokes were funny as ever, and the ageless Comden/Green/Bernstein score was bright as ever. Wonderful Town's score, though, often seems lost in the Bernstein canon, overshadowed, unfairly in my opinion, by West Side Story and On the Town. Kathleen Marshall's direction and choreography was fresh and crisp and Rob Fisher's musical direction kept the beat moving. Supporting players David Margulies, Michael McGrath, Nancy Anderson, Peter Benson, Raymond Jaramillo McLeod were all excellent. Ditto Matthew Shephard as male lead Robert Baker, filling in for absent Gregg Edelman. But Wonderful Town is really about the Sherwood sisters, Ruth and Eileen. As Eileen, Jennifer Westfeldt had a sweet cluelessness that never grated and often enchanted. Older sister Ruth was originated by the inimitable Rosalind Russell back in 1953. At the Hirschfeld, the equally inimitable Donna Murphy took the part captive, shook off the Roz shadows, and gave a performance that was pretty damn freaking awesome. Her wrestling with a sofa bed was an object lesson in comic timing and audience capturing. We loved her; she loved us; it was a love-in. Vocally, she's a far superior singer to Russell, but, like Russell, she has the wiseacre, madcap soul of a 30s comedienne. She was a marvel. So was the show. – at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York

At This Performance…: Flu felled Donna Murphy during previews, cancelling several and putting the entire project at risk. During the run, she missed numerous performances, and then while on "vocal rest," with the P.R. folks advertising her final weeks, she didn't show up at all. I read somewhere that she missed over 100 performances. That's something like 13 weeks. That's a lot for a scheduled 10-month contract. Articles were written excoriating her behavior and, by association, a perceived lackadaisical worth ethic on Broadway. Murphy, perhaps wisely, never addressed the situation until a few years later when she revealed she had severely hemorrhaged a vocal cord, came back to the show too soon, eventually reinjured it again, and was in danger of completely destroying her voice. Since Wonderful Town, she's appeared in two limited-run musicals and was an ecstatically-received Dolly Levi in the Bette Midler-led Hello, Dolly!, where she filled in for Midler on Tuesday evenings and when Midler was on vacation. I feel she got a bad rap for Wonderful Town, but I also feel the situation could have been handled with more honesty and less speculation on everyone's part. Just my opinion.

– Goodman Theatre, Chicago

September, 2016. Preview performance.The star of Goodman Theatre's largely enjoyable "Wonderful Town" may well truly have been the glorious 17-piece pit orchestra under the baton of Ben Johnson. Those eighteen men and women make Leonard Bernstein's fabulous score sizzle. That Overture! Sigh! Not far behind in the kudos department were Bri Sudia as a wry Ruth, Lauren Molina as a sweet Eileen, and Karl Hamilton's somewhat thankless, but beautifully sung, Robert Baker. Not all of it worked. As mentioned in the previous entry, the show has its creaks and groans. The show curtain looked unfinished (apparently it wasn't) and was butt-ugly. The scenic design, while clever, often left far too much empty space on the Goodman stage, which gave the show a cold, unwelcoming look. Lighting was meh. While the show for the most part was competently directed by Mary Zimmerman (sorry, I just don't get why everyone faints over her), there were parts that were muddy. "Conversation Piece," which should be a comic delight, was a hot mess. It just didn't work. The secondary characters were played more like cartoons than real people. This was especially true of Jordan Brown's Wreck. Mr. Brown apparently played Spike in Goodman's Vanya, etc and it felt like he was still playing that part. His performance was so forced, it was almost painful, and, sadly, not helped by going up on lyrics and melody in a big way during his solo number. "Conga" could have used some heat. One the plus side, "One Hundred Easy Ways" gave Sudia a chance to eat up the stage and stop the show. "My Darlin' Eileen" and the entire scene before it were pure charm and great fun. I'm personally a big fan of "Swing!" and Sudia and the ensemble did it proud. Far better than "War Paint," the previous occupant, this was a tonic for these crazy times. - at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago

THE WEST SIDE WALTZ – Shubert Theatre, Chicago

May, 1982. Katharine Hepburn, aka Kate the Great, played a feisty senior who is a concert pianist. Dorothy Loudon was a prim spinster who plays the violin. There were other characters and a plot in this fairly funny and sometimes touching piece of cantankerous senior citizen drivel by Ernest (On Golden Pond) Thompson, but let's be serious here. Hepburn AND Loudon? Together? Dudes! They could've read the phone book and the audience would have been deliriously happy. But, instead, they played their rather broadly-written parts in this modest and somewhat twee play with seasoned professionalism, dignity, and stopwatch-perfect comic timing, and the audience, including yours truly, was in theatre heaven. Katharine Hepburn. Dorothy Loudon. That's all anyone needs to know. – at the Shubert Theatre, Chicago

And that's it for now. Until later….

© 2018 Jeffrey Geddes

ALPHABET SOUP (8) - FEATURING A RANDOM LETTER OF THE ALPHABET AND SOME SHOWS THAT BEGIN WITH THAT LETTER

ALPHABET SOUP (8)

FEATURING A RANDOM LETTER OF THE ALPHABET AND SOME SHOWS THAT BEGIN WITH THAT LETTER

M

Misfiles happen. And in the box that contains programs with titles beginning with the first half of the alphabet, I found a small stack of programs that belonged in the box containing programs with titles beginning with the last half of alphabet. Happily, they all start with the same letter, so we'll give our blue London mug a rest, and feature these varied shows that all start with the letter "M."

MOON OVER BUFFALO – Martin Beck Theatre, New York

October, 1995. Heralding Carol Burnett's return to Broadway after an absence of thirty years, Moon Over Buffalo was one of the 1995-1996 season's most eagerly anticipated plays. To say the reviewers were greatly disappointed at what they saw at the Martin Beck is somewhat of an understatement. Reviews notwithstanding, I, along with the audience that pretty much packed the Martin Beck on a Wednesday night, were there to see Carol Burnett. Full stop. Period. And, she didn't disappoint. The vehicle she was trapped in, however, did. It just wasn't very funny, unless you find inane jokes and juvenile, stupid stage business funny. But, lordy lord, did Burnett try. She used every trick and every weapon in her arsenal to make this slight, confusing, wannabe farce work, even at times, and successfully, I might add, reverting back to some The Carol Burnett Show shtick. I'm surprised she didn't turn up the lights and take questions from the audience. Now don't get me wrong. I didn't hate the evening. I laughed often and smiled frequently, but it was definitely sub-grade comedy. Ms. Burnett's costar, the remarkable Philip Bosco was also very good and did his best and then some to inject some life into the proceedings. The supporting cast, including Tony-winner Randy Graff, all did yeoman's work, but when either Burnett or Bosco were offstage, you didn't really care what anyone else did. Most disappointing was Jane Connell, the original Gooch in Mame, whose portrayal as Burnett's nearly-deaf mother Ethel, started with a bang, but as the evening progressed,  grew tiresome and annoying. The show was lovely to look at, had two glorious underused and misused stars, and provided a pleasant, if ultimately disappointing evening. – at the Martin Beck Theatre, New York

Sidebar: Author Ken Ludwig's greatest successes were the hilarious Lend Me a Tenor and the book for the Gershwin-scored Crazy For You. His plays are performed everywhere and I'm sure he's amassed quite a fortune. Now I'm a huge fan of Tenor. It's funny to read, even funnier in performance, but I find his other plays just another version of Tenor: different characters, different locales, but the same basic plot structure. Moon Over Buffalo was compared unfavorably to Ludwig's own Lend Me a Tenor and especially to what is possibly the greatest backstage farce of all time, Noises Off. But that didn't stop audiences from flocking to the Martin Beck during Carol Burnett and Philip Bosco's tenure. Box office plunged, however, when Robert Goulet and Lynn Redgrave took over the leading roles. Never a sell-out (I snagged a ticket at the TKTS booth), it did well enough to not be an embarrassment, but didn't recoup. It's a huge, huge favorite among amateur theatre groups. I haven't a clue why. There's an excellent documentary about the Broadway production called Moon Over Broadway. Watch what happens during a technical hold during, I believe, previews. Apparently, this was not an especially happy experience for those involved.

MISS ABIGAIL'S GUIDE TO DATING, MATING, & MARRIAGE – Sofia's Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, New York

Spring, 2011. As theatre literature, Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage, well, isn't. As stimulating theatre, Miss Abigail's Guide… isn't either. What Miss Abigail's Guide… is, however, is a bit of sassy fun served up with a cheerful, cheesy professionalism, all perfect for a Sunday evening in New York. Eve Plumb, aka Jan from the annoying The Brady Bunch, played Miss Abigail with a breezy disregard towards anything resembling acting, which made her performance oddly rather endearing. A rather hot Mauricio Perez played the loyal Man Friday, Paco. He worked tirelessly and often hysterically and, frankly, rather stole the show from Ms. Plumb. Lots of audience participation, some of it worked, some of it didn't. It was enjoyable; it was silly. The somewhat sparse audience seemed to have a good time. But, I think we should have gone to The Fantasticks instead. – at Sofia's Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, New York

THE MATCHMAKER – Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C.

September, 2004. Midway through the seemingly interminable fourth (!!) act of the otherwise fine and beautifully designed production of The Matchmaker at the historic Ford's Theatre, you could sense the audience mentally leaving the theatre. This problematic fourth act seemed under-rehearsed. Perhaps it was. It seemed underwritten. Perhaps it was. It seemed unfocused. Perhaps it was. It seemed totally unconnected from anything that had occurred previously. Who is this Miss Flora Van Huysen? What does she have to do with anything? I'm not saying that Lola Pashalinski gave a bad performance in the role, but nothing she did landed with anything other than a thud. I blame Thornton Wilder's writing here more than the actor. By this time in the evening Dolly Levi and her compatriots had overstayed their welcome. This odd fourth act that I don't remember at all from reading the play decades earlier brought the evening to a unsatisfying close. A shame, too, because for most of the evening The Matchmaker sparkled with a leisurely, nostalgic throwback when comedies took their time and allowed their characters to develop. And further a shame because Andrea Martin, not surprisingly, was a vibrant Dolly Levi, wise and funny, and Jonathan Hadary made a nicely gruff Vandergelder, and a young Christopher J. Hanke was an adorable Barnaby. Full disclosure, at times I longed for the play to morph into the musical, and I kept inserting the musical numbers into the appropriate spots in the action. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. And who wouldn't want to see Andrea Martin as a musical Dolly? – at the Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C.

Sidebar: A layover in Washington gave me the opportunity to see this American classic at this most historic of American theatres. Far from being a relic, the interior of the auditorium is a modern, well-equipped auditorium seating close to 700 people. The stage left box is draped with an American flag to honor and commemorate the place where President Abraham Lincoln was shot. Downstairs is the Ford's Theatre Museum, a tidy and somber exhibition of artifacts and interactive displays that tell the story and legacy of the 16th President. It alone is well worth a visit. What's most remarkable to me, however, is that, despite the tragic occurrence of April 14, 1865, the theatre continues to function as an active, flourishing theatre, always remembering and honoring the past, but also always moving forward.

MY ONE AND ONLY

– St. James Theatre, New York

December, 1983. As bubbly and effervescent as a glass of fine champagne, My One and Only burst onto the St. James stage awash in glorious dancing, extravagant production values, and those unforgettable Gershwin songs. The frankly ridiculous plot had something to do with an aviator (the very tall Tommy Tune) and an English Channel swimmer (the iconic Twiggy in her Broadway debut and, unfortunately, only Broadway appearance to date), but if you were trying to make sense of the plot, you were missing out on the fun. The legendary Charles "Honi" Coles, the distinguished Roscoe Lee Browne (who knew he was a song-and-dance man at heart?), scenery-chewing comic relief by Bruce McGill and Denny Dillon, and a formidable, talented ensemble all ably supported the above-the-title stars, but when all was said and done, Tommy Tune and Twiggy were the ones who made the show the lighter-than-air confection it was. Tommy Tune was personality personified, all legs and so eager to please; Twiggy, who, arguably, was the best thing about the film The Boy Friend, was a discovery, an embodiment of the 20s flapper who brought true warmth to her part. I was crazy about her. Leaving the St. James on a cold December night, I just felt happy. It was that kind of show. – at the St. James Theatre, New York

– Civic Opera House, Chicago

February, 1986. Breezing into the Civic Opera House to bring some warmth to a wintery February evening in Chicago, the First National Company of My One and Only enjoyed a high-grossing three weeks in the Windy City. Once again starring Tommy Tune as the world's tallest aviator, his English Channel-swimming co-star for the tour was Lucie Arnaz, all smiles and talent, and hitting all the spots, but I rather missed Twiggy's singularity and deceptive tentativeness. Arnaz was pure show biz pizzazz, polished and confident. "Honi" Coles continued to amaze and Tiger Haynes, the original Tinman in The Wiz, was now playing with great success the Roscoe Lee Browne role. In the beautiful Civic Opera House, this elegant Art Deco-inspired show looked absolutely stunning. The audience ate it up. This was a terrific production, but the 20s-era verisimilitude that Twiggy somehow brought to the original production was missing here. – at the Civic Opera House, Chicago

A MATTER OF GRAVITY – Blackstone Theatre, Chicago

March, 1977. According to Samuel French, the licensor of A Matter of Gravity, the play involves an eccentric and feisty old lady, a lesbian servant who levitates, the old lady's grandson and his companions, including another lesbian and her bi-racial girlfriend, and a climax that somehow has the eccentric and feisty old lady and her lesbian, levitating servant checking themselves into the nearby asylum. If that's what Sam French says, then that must have been what I witnessed. I honestly don’t recall the evening at all, except for the leading lady, Katharine Hepburn, swanning about the stage in a wheelchair, courtesy of a fractured ankle obtained during an earlier stop in Los Angeles, with great star authority and garnering laughs and heavy applause along the way. Even with Kate the Great, however, it was a thoroughly unmemorable evening. – at the Blackstone Theatre, Chicago

Sidebar: Playwright Enid Bagnold, not exactly a familiar name, actually was a fairly prolific writer, whose most well-known title is the play The Chalk Garden. In its professional debut, A Matter of Gravity met with critical indifference, if not downright dislike, for the play, but high praise for its star, Katharine Hepburn. It would make back its original investment after only a twelve-week out-of-town tryout and a 79-performance Broadway run, a solid indication of Hepburn's box-office draw. Yet even a star of Hepburn's magnitude can't keep a bad play from being a bad play, and this was the case with Gravity. Hepburn would play another eccentric, feisty old lady in the better-written, more involving West Side Waltz, her final stage endeavor.

THE MUSIC MAN

 – Neil Simon Theatre, New York

June, 2001. TV's very own Will from Will & Grace, Eric McCormack, in his Broadway debut, brought a sheen, stage presence, and a surprisingly fine voice to the role forever and always associated with late, great Robert Preston. He smiled, he danced, he ingratiated himself with the audience and the sizable cast onstage at the Neil Simon. He was really very, very good. Rebecca Luker, as River City's favorite could-become-a-spinster librarian, was more than very, very good. She was…sublime. Tender, feisty, resplendent in William Ivey Long's stunning costumes, she gave a very human performance as Marian, and when she did us the honor of singing "My White Knight," generally believed to have been ghost-written by Frank Loesser, you could have heard a pin drop in the theatre's reverential silence as she caressed every note with love and care. It was truly the high point in the evening. Joel Blum, Kenneth Kimmins, Ruth Gottschall, and Katherine McGrath all provided able support, with Gottschall mining every laugh as the pretentious Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn. Pretty to look at and directed and choreographed with flair by Susan Stroman, this was a solid, thoroughly entertaining production of an American classic. Here's the deal, however. I don't much like The Music Man. I like bits and pieces of it, but overall the show just rubs me the wrong way. I don't like the character of Harold Hill. No matter how well the character is played, he still comes off as a first-rate creep. I want to drop-kick the annoying Winthrop to the other side of Gary, Indiana. What saves the show for me is the score, loaded with songs that range from lovely ballads to toe-tapping showstoppers. In this revival, it all hummed along like a well-oiled machine. – at the Neil Simon Theatre, New York

Sidebar: What do you mean Frank Loesser ghost-wrote "My While Knight"? According to researchers,  there are musical themes common to "Knight" and songs in Loesser's The Most Happy Fella. Also, the song is totally unlike anything else in the Willson catalog. In the end it doesn't matter who wrote it; it's still an incredible song. And speaking of Meredith Willson… The Music Man was Willson's one enduring success. His The Unsinkable Molly Brown was a moderate success fueled by lead Tammy Grimes' performance, and later turned into a tiresome film featuring an over-the-top performance by Debbie Reynolds. Here's Love didn't receive much love when it opened in 1963 and remains pretty much unloved today, though it's now re-titled Miracle on 34th Street to reflect the show's iconic origins. His final show, 1491, closed during its pre-Broadway tryout. Having said all this, however, his estate is laughing all the way to the bank with The Music Man royalties.

– Fichandler Theatre (Arena Stage), Washington, D.C.

June, 2012. As I said earlier, I'm not a huge fan of The Music Man. So why would I schlep out to Washinton, D.C. to see a production of it? Two words. Kate Baldwin. This divine red-headed wonder can do little wrong in my book. But, sadly, it was not smooth sailing for this talented lass. (Sorry…thinking back to her wonderful performance in Finian's Rainbow.) Arena Stage's Artistic Director and the show's director, Molly Smith, decided it was time to re-imagine this 1957 warhorse. In and of itself, that's not a bad idea. The male lead is a con man. The female lead has a murky past involving possible intimate relations with a her benefactor. With care, a few shades of dark could be added to this show to give it a welcome jolt of depth. However, this didn't happen. For time and place, the program states "River City, Iowa. Set in a vision of America's past, with echoes of today." (italics mine) Uh-oh! I should have sensed danger right there. What Smith did was move the show to the 1930s. Bad move. It didn't work for Carousel in Chicago (see a previous post) and it didn't work here. This particular decade, gripped with the Depression and the threat of war, doesn't really lend itself to The Music Man's breezy innocence. It made the sweetness of the story cloying and, most offensively, was really hard on the eyes. The costumes? Oy! Tony Lawson, as Harold Hill, had the requisite charm and stage presence, but, no surprise here, Kate Baldwin's luminous Marian took home the evening's honors, with a slightly edgy performance and a lush singing voice. I loved Baldwin, admired Lawson, and pretty much didn't like the rest. It was all very professional, but cold and uninvolving. And I still wanted to drop-kick Winthrop to the other side of Gary, Indiana. – at the Fichandler Theatre, Arena Stage, Washington, D.C.

Sidebar: I just read a broadwayworld.com thread from a while back that suggested that Winthrop is really the love child of Marian and her benefactor, the miser Madison. Now that would be a reimagining worth looking into!

That's all for now. Until next time…

© 2016 Jeffrey Geddes