“Xanadu”

Helen Hayes Theatre, New York • 21 July 2007 • 2pm
Book by Douglas Carter Beane. Music & Lyrics by Jeff Lynne & John Farrar. Based on the Universal Pictures Film Screenplay.

Directed by Christopher Ashley. With Kerry Butler (Clio/Kira), Curtis Holbrook (Sonny [understudy]), Tony Roberts (Danny Maguire/Zeus), Mary Testa (Melpomene/Medusa), Jackie Hoffman (Calliope/Aphrodite)…

Some movies, however bad, can hold a special status in our minds… and that, for me, is very much the case with Xanadu, one of the very first movie musicals I saw in the early 1980s. The film is generally considered as a dud, but it marked Gene Kelly’s last appearance on the silver screen and it boasted a glorious soundtrack which quickly became my most-often played LP. Then the soundtrack was released on CD, and I thought life couldn’t possibly smile more on me. Then the movie came out on DVD, and I thought I couldn’t be luckier. Well, as it turns out, I could. Somebody came up with the crazy idea of turning Xanadu into a Broadway musical… and the outcome is a wildly enjoyable show which seems to have gotten just about everything right.

While the score is virtually intact and reproduces the excitement of the movie’s soundtrack, the book has been infused with a lot of second- and third-degree humour. The short, intermissionless, 90-minute show thus becomes a sort of loving spoof of the movie.

Kerry Butler gives a wonderful performance as Clio, the part played in the movie by Olivia Newton-John. Butler’s portrayal comes complete with a mock Australian drawl and some of Newton-John’s trademark postures. There are also two irresistibly funny performances from Mary Testa and Jackie Hoffman. And it is always a treat to see Broadway veteran Tony Roberts (recreating, of course, the role originally played by Gene Kelly).

The leading male part of Sonny is officially played by James Carpinello, but he couldn’t open the show due to an injury during rehearsals. In his absence, the part of Sonny is usually played by Broadway heartthrob Cheyenne Jackson, but “due to a prior commitment,”Jackson is out of the show July 17–26, so the two understudies for the role play the part in turn. I caught Curtis Holbrook, who acquitted himself very nicely. I must admit I would have been curious to see the other understudy, André Ward, a black actor who gives one of the most outrageously outlandish performances in a series of roles that include Terpsicore and a Centaur…

“Mary Poppins”

New Amsterdam Theatre, New York • 19 July 2007 • 8pm
Based on the stories of P. L. Travers & the Walt Disney film. Original Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman. Book by Julian Fellowes. New Songs and Additional Music & Lyrics by George Stiles & Anthony Drewe. Co-created by Cameron Mackintosh.

Directed by Richard Eyre. Co-direction & Choreography: Matthew Bourne. With Megan Osterhaus (Mary Poppins [understudy]), Gavin Lee (Bert), Daniel Jenkins (George Banks), Rebecca Luker (Winifred Banks), Cass Morgan (Bird Woman), Janelle Anne Robinson (Mrs. Corry)…

I would be hard pressed to list all the differences between this version and the original London production, but it is obvious that the show has been made a lot less dark and a lot more cheerful… thus paradoxically making it remoter from the P. L. Travers stories.

Dark or not, I still have mixed feelings about this show, which fails to create the level of excitement that one would expect from such an ambitious venture. The score, in particular, doesn’t really convince, for a number of complex and related reasons: the new songs aren’t very inspired; the sound design struck me as unnatural and somewhat muddy… and the absence of violins (and violas) in the orchestra confirms a regrettable trend towards diminishing the number of instruments in the pits of Broadway shows, thus making the “live” sound of the theatre less and less pleasant and more and more dependant on the limited capacities of sophisticated synthesizers.

Visually, the show is quite impressive and it offers several highly enjoyable moments of theatrical wizardry. Bert’s walk around the proscenium is still a treat… as is Mary Poppins’ last flight across the auditorium (it must be quite a challenge to rush back to the stage in time to take her bow). The cast (which included quite a few understudies and swings) gives a warm performance, which strikes just the right chords and makes the overall experience pleasurable.

“Legally Blonde”

Palace Theatre, New York • 18 July 2007 • 8pm
Music & Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe & Nell Benjamin. Book by Heather Hach. Based on the novel by Amanda Brown & the MGM Motion Picture.

Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. With Laura Bell Bundy (Elle Woods), Richard H. Blake (Warner Huntington III), Christian Borle (Emmet Forrest), Orfeh (Paulette), Michael Rupert (Professor Callahan)…

Here’s a show that has no discernable music, dreadfully trite lyrics and a book that frequently embarrasses itself. I haven’t seen the movie (yet), but I’m sure there was better comedic material to work from than what emerges on stage. The whole “Gay or European” scene in the second act is simply appalling. Thank God, the show moves along quickly and the fantastic set gives something to marvel about.

“The Fantasticks”

The Jerry Orbach Theater, New York • 18 July 2007 • 2pm
Book & Lyrics by Tom Jones. Music by Harvey Schmidt.

Directed by Tom Jones. With Stuart Marland (El Gallo), Anthony Fedorov (Matt), Whitney Bashor (Luisa), John Deyle (The Boy’s Father), Martin Vidnovic (The Girl’s Father), Tom Jones (The Old Actor [as Thomas Bruce]), Robert R. Oliver (Mortimer), Nick Spangler (The Mute).

This show is still as fresh and charming as when I first saw it at the Sullivan Street Playhouse during my first-ever trip to New York in 1997, five years before the original 42 year long run ended. It has the right mixture of comedic flair from the older characters and of innocence and grace from the two young actors, who are delightful. And of course the score is non-stop bliss from the first to the last note.

While seeing the show, I was trying to figure what it must have been for the theatregoers of 1960 to see something so conceptual and probably so different from anything they had ever seen. Nobody can quite tell when the concept musical was born (Lady in the Dark? Company?), but The Fantasticks certainly belongs in that list somewhere.

“Gypsy”

City Center, New York • 17 July 2007 • 7pm
Book by Arthur Laurents. Music by Jule Styne. Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

Directed by Arthur Laurents. Music Director: Patrick Vaccariello. With Patti LuPone (Rose), Boyd Gaines (Herbie), Laura Benanti (Louise), Leigh Ann Larkin (June), Tony Yazbeck (Tulsa), Marilyn Caskey (Electra), Alison Fraser (Tessie Tura), Nancy Opel (Miss Cratchitt/Mazeppa)…

Interesting to see Patti LuPone go from a great performance as Rose last year under Lonny Price’s guidance at the Ravinia Festival to a substandard, at times mind-bogglingly bad portrayal in this misguided production, which is supposed to be a (way) out-of-town try-out for a forthcoming London run.

The pace and delivery feel so wrong at times it looks as if Arthur Laurents took a sort of perverse pleasure in harming his own material. And some pieces of stage business — like the amount of scenes played in front of the curtain — really look amateurish.

The paradox is that some of the actors give wonderful performances: Boyd Gaines is a sensitive, heartbreaking Herbie; Laura Benanti’s transformation from shy tomboy to star stripper is sensational; Nancy Opel steals every scene she’s in as Miss Cratchitt… and the three strippers are a hoot.

But Patti LuPone looks as if she left something in the oven and is in a hurry to get back home after the performance. Many subtleties of the book and lyrics are lost to an absent-minded or rushed delivery. And her famed botched enunciation is back. Beside, she ends an otherwise fine “Rose’s Turn” on an ugly scream which must be the most tasteless thing I’ve seen on a musical theatre stage in a long time.

But the audience didn’t seem to mind. They were all on their feet after “the scream.” Go figure…

“Seussical”

Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York • 17 July 2007 • 10:30am
Music by Stephen Flaherty. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Book by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty. Based on the works of Dr. Seuss.

Produced by Theatreworks USA. Directed & choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. With Shorey Walker (The Cat in the Hat), Michael Wartella (JoJo), Brian Michael Hoffman (Horton the Elephant), Karen Weinberg (Gertrude McFuzz), Kelly Felthous (Mayzie La Bird), Ebony Marshall-Oliver (Sour Kangaroo/Young Kangaroo)…

When I originally saw Seussical on Broadway in 2001, part of the fun came from being in the middle of an audience of kids who responded heartily to what happened on stage. Strangely enough, the audience at the Lortel, consisting almost entirely of groups of kids from various summer camps, failed to show the same level of enthusiasm to this version labelled “for Young Audiences,” which lasts about 75 minutes. (In the mezzanine, where I sat, it was obvious the kids who filled the three rows in front of me were utterly bored.)

And yet the show is very professionally done, with an outstanding contribution from director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge, who really keeps things going in a fluid and energetic manner. But maybe the smaller format of this production puts more emphasis on the show’s faults. Sometimes the big dollars of a Broadway production come in handy when the material is not 100% perfect. There is no time for the audience to really identify or empathise with the characters on stage. Beside, the actress who plays The Cat in the Hat really looks and acts too much like a school teacher, which creates a serious lack of magic exactly where it should come from.

“Avenue Q”

John Golden Theatre, New York • 16 July 2007 • 8pm
Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx. Book by Jeff Whitty. Based on an Original Concept by Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx.

Directed by Jason Moore. With Howie Michael Smith (Princeton, Rod), Aymee Garcia (Kate Monster, Lucy et al.), David Benoit (Nicky, Trekkie Monster, Bear et al.), Jennifer Barnhart (Mrs. T., Bear et al.), Evan Harrington (Brian), Ann Sanders (Christmas Eve), Haneefah Wood (Gary Coleman), Jonathan Root, Matt Schreiber.

There are shows that I could see again and again. And again. Avenue Q certainly is one of them. I already said how great I think this show is when I saw the London production four months ago. Although most of the cast has changed since I first saw the show when it opened in 2003 (except for Jennifer Barnhart), the experience is still as fresh as it was then. The score might be uneven, but there are several songs that deal with issues that had never been tackled on a Broadway stage before… and in ways that are quite ground-breaking.

The show has been running for four years now. Here’s hoping that it runs for at least four more.

“The Witches of Eastwick”

Signature Theatre, Arlington VA • 15 July 2007 • 2pm
Book and Lyrics by John Dempsey. Based on the novel by John Updike & the Warner Bros. Motion Picture. Music by Dana P. Rowe.

Directed by Eric Schaeffer. Musical Director: John Kalbfleisch. With Marc Kudisch (Darryl Van Horne), Emily Skinner (Alexandra Spofford), Christiane Noll (Jane Smart), Jacquelyn Piro Donovan (Sukie Rougemont), Karlah Hamilton (Felicia Gabriel), Harry A. Winter (Clyde Gabriel), James Gardiner (Michael Spofford), Erin Driscoll (Jennifer Gabriel)…

I saw the original London production of The Witches of Eastwick twice and never quite understood why it failed to find its audience. Why is it that a show so filled with laughs and which is the ideal showcase for four strong comedians has, to this day, failed to survive? Sure, it may not have the greatest score ever, and not the greatest book either… but neither has The Phantom of the Opera, which is a lot less funny!

Kudos to the Signature Theatre for giving the show its American première. Eric Schaeffer has infused the show with tons of extra wit. Beside, he’s done what the London production had failed to do: give the show four impeccable leads. I am not usually a big fan of Marc Kudisch, but he is giving the performance of a lifetime. He never misses a beat, lands his lines perfectly… and has both the perfect looks and the perfect voice to play Darryl Van Horne — who happens to have the best songs in the score.

Now if somebody would please fix the few faults in the show, it would make perfect Broadway material… provided of course nobody felts the show’s lewdness factor has to be brought down, because that lewdness is exactly what makes it funny. And I was not the only one to think so during that performance.

“110 in the Shade”

Studio 54, New York • 14 July 2007 • 2pm
Book by N. Richard Nash, based on his play, The Rainmaker. Music by Harvey Schmidt. Lyrics by Tom Jones.

Directed by Lonny Price. Music Direction by Paul Gemignani. With Audra McDonald (Lizzie Curry), Steve Kazee (Starbuck), Christopher Innvar (File), John Cullum (H. C. Curry), Chris Butler (Noah Curry), Bobby Steggert (Jimmy Curry), Carla Duren (Snookie)…

I’d already seen a production of 110 in the Shade at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA a few years ago and I’d enjoyed it tremendously. The show has a strong book (adapted from his own play by the original author, which always bodes well) and an enchanting Schmidt & Jones score.

This production boasts two more assets: the strong directorial touch of Lonny Price and a star turn if ever there was one by the irresistible and obscenely talented Audra McDonald. Not that the rest of the cast aren’t great; everybody gives a first-class performance.

Starbuck’s “Rain Song” has always been a favourite of mine — one of those songs that I turn to when I need to be cheered up. To hear it in such ideal conditions was a superlative thrill.

“Curtains”

Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York • 12 July 2007 • 8pm
Book by Rupert Holmes. Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Original Book & Concept by Peter Stone. Additional Lyrics by John Kander & Rupert Holmes.

Directed by Scott Ellis. Choreography by Rob Ashford. Music Director: David Loud. With David Hyde Pierce (Lieutenant Frank Cioffi), Debra Monk (Carmen Bernstein), Karen Ziemba (Georgia Hendricks), Jason Danieley (Aaron Fox), Edward Hibbert (Christopher Belling), Jill Paice (Niki Harris), Megan Sikora (Bambi Bernét), Ernie Sabella (Sidney Bernstein)…

I’d seen Curtains in Los Angeles in August of 2006 and had failed to enjoy it very much in spite of some strong points. Strangely enough, I found the show a lot more convincing this time around, although I don’t think it has changed much since LA.

Sure, the repetitious score isn’t top-drawer Kander and the book relies heavily on not-too-subtle jokes. But it’s difficult to resist what is after all a love song to the Broadway musical. I occasionally couldn’t resist shedding a tear, first during “Show People,” and later during “A Tough Act to Follow,” a rather wonderful tribute to the movie musicals of yesteryears — and a title that, as Ben Brantley noticed, aptly describes the legacy of Kander & Ebb.

David Hyde Pierce is perfect as the theatre-stricken detective who solves the murder mystery while fixing the show-within-the-show. His fellow cast members all give great performances, with special mentions for Debra Monk as the dry, foul-mouthed producer, Jason Danieley and his delightful singing voice and Edward Hibbert as the stiff director who gracefully accepts the ideas thrown his way by the policeman.

There is a general feeling of good-heartedness and dedication that contributes to the show’s appeal, as well as some crisp and clever directorial touches. I had been critical of Scott Ellis & Rob Ashford’s work when I first saw the show, but either they’ve managed to tighten everything or the huge Ahmanson Theatre was not the ideal place to appreciate their efforts.

In any case, Curtains comes across as a good and enjoyable musical comedy, which could have the potential to delight audiences for some time.

“Around the World”

Lilian Baylis Theatre, London • 8 July 2007 • 4pm
Cole Porter (1946). Book by Orson Welles.

“Lost Musicals” series. Directed by Ian Marshall Fisher. Musical Direction & Piano : Steven Edis. With Jack Klaff (Orson Welles, Inspector Fix), Peter Gale (Phileas Fogg), Valerie Cutko (Aouda), Bryan Torfeh (Passepartout), Valda Aviks (Molly Muggins), Michael Roberts, Richard Stemp & Peter Kenworthy (all other roles!)

As usual, the “Lost Musicals” series allows us to see works that have had very little, if any, stage life since they were originally performed. Such is the case of Cole Porter’s Around the World, which ran for 75 performances on Broadway in 1946 and marked Orson Welles’ only foray into writing the book for a musical.

The work, a stage spectacular based on the Jules Verne novel, is little more than a curio today, and it doesn’t boast any unappreciated, underperformed Porter gem. Giving a concert version of a work that requires so many scene changes, 40 minutes of silent film footage and such a large cast (the original cast included many circus artists) is quite a challenge. Ian Marshall Fisher’s troupe, as usual, rises to it with brio. Much of the fun derives from seeing some of the actors change roles every two minutes. It made me wonder if Porter & Welles meant their work as the sort of broad comedy that was shown to us… or if that was only the unavoidable side-effect of the many limitations of the concert staging.

In any case, one can only be grateful for the opportunity to see this rarity of rarities. And for the pleasure of hearing Herbert Kretzmer, the lyricist of Les Misérables, give a delightful introductory speech.

My VIP streak is continuing. Kim Criswell was sitting in front of me.

Sad news: the Leicester Square Starbucks outlet is now closed. The human race is all the poorer for it.

“Sweeney Todd”

Royal Festival Hall, London • 7 July 2007 • 7:30pm
Music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by Hugh Wheeler.

Semi-staged concert. London Philharmonic Orchestra, Stephen Barlow. Director: David Freeman. With Bryn Terfel (Sweeney Todd), Maria Friedman (Mrs. Lovett), Daniel Evans (Tobias), Daniel Boys (Anthony), Emma Williams (Johanna), Philip Quast (Judge Turpin), Steve Elias (The Beadle), Rosemary Ashe (The Beggar Woman)…

I had been lucky to see Bryn Terfel’s masterful take on Sweeney Todd at Chicago’s Lyric Theatre in December of 2002… so I had great expectations for this semi-staged presentation, and rightly so because it turned out to be a hugely enjoyable experience.

Terfel brought a rare intensity to the part. Most of the time he sounded like each syllable could have cut through steel. He was outstanding throughout. Maria Friedman was a very good surprise, as her voice was fuller and more powerful than usual. She went 200% for the laughs and didn’t miss one. (She’ll be forgiven for her blank halfway through “A Little Priest” — thank God Terfel knew her lyrics, too — and for offering Tobias his bonbon far too early during “While I’m Around.”)

The rest of the cast was equally excellent, with the always reliable Philip Quast impersonating a fine Judge Turpin and a new face to me, Daniel Boys, as one of the very best Anthony’s I’ve seen.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra gave a fine rendition of Sondheim’s beguiling score. There were a lot less musicians than at the New York Philharmonic concert a few years ago, but the magic worked perfectly in the fine new acoustics of the hall.

Interesting how they spent over £90 million on renovating the Festival Hall, and it looks exactly the same as before. During the interval, I saw three VIPs within five minutes: Trevor Nunn, Gareth Valentine and Joanna Lumley (who looked stunning and was sitting exactly two rows behind me).

“Kismet”

English National Opera (Coliseum), London • 7 July 2007 • 2:30pm
(1953.) Music & lyrics by Robert Wright & George Forrest from themes of Alexander Borodin. Book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis founded on a play by Edward Knoblock.

Conductor: Richard Hickox. Director: Gary Griffin. With Michael Ball (A Poet), Graeme Danby (The Wazir), Faith Prince (Lalume), Alfie Boe (The Caliph), Sarah Tynan (Marsinah), Rodney Clarke (Chief Policeman)…

Once more, the English National Opera has managed to transform a fantastic show into a mediocre experience, which is exactly what had happened already with On the Town and with The Gondoliers.

And yet, on paper, it was difficult to get it wrong, especially with such a gorgeous score and with such a talented cast (the superb Graeme Danby as the Wazir, the irresistible Faith Prince as the conniving Lalume and the amazing Michael Ball, who carries the show with breathtaking assuredness, charm and charisma).

But the creative team have joined forces to bring the production down on every conceivable level: uninspired musical direction, ugly scenic design, the poorest sound design I’ve heard in any country including France… and a dull, pedestrian staging.

It is a testimony to the quality of the show and cast that the performance still managed to be enjoyable at times. In its way, the much smaller production at the Arcola Theatre in December 2003 was a lot more professional.

“Cabaret”

Folies-Bergère, Paris • 3 July 2007 • 8pm
Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb, adapted into French by Éric Taraud. Book by Joe Masteroff, based on John Van Druten & Christopher Isherwood, adapted into French by Jacques Collard.

Directed by BT McNicholl, after Sam Mendes & Rob Marshall’s original staging. With Fabian Richard (the Master of Ceremonies), Claire Pérot (Sally Bowles), Sylvie Neyraut (Fraulein Schneider), Pierre Reggiani (Herr Schultz), Geoffroy Guerrier (Clifford Bradshaw), Patrick Mazet (Ernst Ludwig), Delphine Grandsart (Fraulein Kost)…

At last Sam Mendes’ brilliant staging of Cabaret has come to Paris, to the perfectly wonderful Folies-Bergère, which couldn’t be more appropriate. Although it has a few weaknesses, this production is mostly a fine recreation of a thrilling concept. The end result is exhilarating and shows that the dire fate of musicals in Paris is by no means unavoidable.