The Music Man

Meredith Willson’s The Music Man

Winter Garden Theatre

February 9, 2022

Opening Night!

Photo Courtesy of The Music Man

The revival of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man opened on Broadway, spreading joy and delight to a full house at the Winter Garden Theatre.  Director Jerry Zaks did what he does best.  He took a Broadway classic, shined it up, injected it with life, and gave us a chance to look at it with fresh eyes.  Warren Carlyle’s choreography is exuberant.  It will get your heart beating faster.  The cast of forty-five skilled performers brilliantly works as one.  Their energy lifts the sprits and opens the hearts of every member of the audience.

When Professor Henry Hill (played by Hugh Jackman) gets off the train at River City, Iowa, his main goal is to swindle money out of the locals, then move on.  He sells marching band uniforms and instruments, with a promise to organize a boys band.  His plan is to get out of town as soon as the uniforms and instruments arrive, leaving them with no ability to play a single note.  One obstacle Professor Hill does not expect to face in River City is librarian and music teacher, Marion Paroo (played by Sutton Foster).  When Professor Hill’s connection with Marion’s younger brother, Winthrop (played by Benjamin Pajak), causes him to open up and start talking for the first time in two years, she realizes that, although Professor Hill does not intend to fulfill his promise to deliver a boys band, he does deliver on her dream. 

Hugh Jackman, Benjamin Pajak, & Sutton Foster
Photo courtesy of The Music Man

Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster are amazing together.  Sparks fly as their strengths play off one
another.  The tension and attraction never stops building.  Ms. Foster’s Marion is tough and stoic.  She does not go in for games or day dreaming.  As she looks at her brother changing when he is with Professor Hill, you can feel her heart open.  She does not lose her toughness when she allows herself to be charmed by the Professor.  She thinks through her plan and remains committed to her beliefs.  Mr. Jackman’s Harold Hill is shifty, cunning, and glib.  He is pure swindler, with charm and a golden tongue.  He has no doubt in his main objective, to take the locals for as much money as possible.  The moment it hits him that Marion sees more in him than he ever saw in himself is a genuine transformation.   

The entire cast is superb, building unique characters and creating a small, uptight town that allows themselves to blossom.  The orchestrations, by Jonathan Tunick, keep Meredith Willson’s score running full steam ahead from the minute the curtain goes up.  The dance numbers feature the younger cast members.  Their skills are astonishing.  Their energy is vibrant.  

Get a ticket for The Music Man and be prepared to have your spirits lifted! 

Domenick Danza

Kiss Me, Kate!

Kiss Me, Kate!

Roundabout Theatre Company

Studio 54

February 16, 2019

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

The Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Kiss Me, Kate! is vibrant, jovial, and vivacious.  Kelli O’Hara and Will Chase make the well-known lead roles their own with a chemistry and style that rock the house.  Warren Carlyle’s choreography is sheer perfection.  Director Scott Ellis finds the right pace to keep the laughter flowing and the romantic moments touching and sentimental.

The story revolves around the out of town preview of a new musical version of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.  Actor/Director Fred Graham (played by Will Chase) is starring as Petruchio opposite his ex-wife and diva, Lilli Vanessi (played by Kelli O’Hara), as Kate.  The sparks fly between the two actors backstage as well as onstage when Lilli receives an opening night bouquet from Fred by mistake.  The flowers are meant for Lois (played by Stephanie Styles), who is playing Bianca.  When Bill Calhoun (played by Corbin Bleu) signs Fred Graham’s name to an IOU for a gambling debt, two gangsters (played by John Pankow and Lance Coadie Williams) come to the theatre to collect.  Fred turns this around in his favor by using these two hit men to keep Lilli from walking off the show.

Kelli O'Hara, Corbin Bleu, Stephanie Styles, & Will Chase
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Kelli O’Hara has an elegant and commanding presence.  Her rendition of “So in Love” is beautifully delivered.  Will Chase sings “Were Thine That Special Face,” and “Where is the Life that Late I Lead” with robust vigor.  Stephanie Styles brings down the house with “Always True to You in My Fashion,” including the well-deserved encores.  James T. Lane and the company open the second act with a magnificent “Too Darn Hot” that exuberantly lives up to its title.

This is the best of Cole Porter’s scores.  There are cuts and additions to the book and lyrics, made by Amanda Green, that keep the show running smoothly.  The addition of “From This Moment On” in the second act adds a new motivation for Lilli’s decision to return to Fred.  Changes in lyrics to the finale (both Shakespeare’s and Cole Porter’s) ring truthfully to the theme of the show, and add a message of gender equality.

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Kiss Me, Kate! is playing at Studio 54 through June 2.  Don’t miss this outstanding production of a classic musical.

Domenick Danza

Hello Dolly!

Hello Dolly!

Sam S. Shubert Theatre

July 18, 2017

  

Photo courtesy of Hello Dolly!

Before you read on, I did not see Bette Midler in Hello Dolly!  Donna Murphy performs on Tuesday nights, and tickets are available at the TKTS booth.  I wanted to see the production and the cast of Tony winners and nominees, so I grabbed a ticket.  And, oh yes, my life is definitely better for it!  This is a stellar production that far exceeds any one name. The sets, the choreography, the direction, the orchestrations, the voices, and the full cast and chorus are incomparable.  Donna Murphy is spectacular.  This is classic musical theatre revived to perfection.

Matchmaker, Dolly Levi (played by Donna Murphy), has her eyes set on marrying Yonkers businessman Horace Vandergelder (played by David Hyde Pierce).  He, however, is ready to propose to Irene Molloy (played by Kate Baldwin).  Dolly also plans to get Horace to accept that his niece Ermengarde (played by Melanie Moore) is going to marry struggling artist Ambrose Kemper (played by Will Bolton).  Dolly has her hands full, so when Horace’s store clerk, Cornelius (played by Gavin Creel), and his coworker, Barnaby (played by Taylor Trensch), decide to play hooky from work and travel to New York City to find adventure, she is able to get everything in motion to achieve her goals.

Beanie Feldstein, Taylor Trensch, Kate Baldwin, & Gavin Creel
Photo courtesy of Hello Dolly!

Donna Murphy is joyous in the role of Dolly Levi.  Her voice is powerful and she makes the character her own.  David Hyde Pierce is a curmudgeon you root for.  You know he has a heart under his crusty exterior, and you rejoice when it is finally exposed.  In the song “Penny in My Pocket” he makes the most out of a momentary pause that give an insightful glimpse into his inner world.  Kate Baldwin creates an Irene Molloy with zest and gumption.  Her rendition of “Ribbons Down My Back” is fun and touching, light and revealing.  Gavin Creel’s Cornelius is innocent and eager.  The action of every one of his scenes is propelled forward by his energy.  Taylor Trensch and Beanie Feldstein are perfect together as Barnaby and Minnie Fay.  Their energy connects from the first moment they are seen together, and their naiveté is splendid.

Photo courtesy of Hello Dolly!

The scenic and costume design by Santo Loquasto is a bright and bold spectacle.  They set the mood and tone of each scene with the proper balance of reality and nostalgia.  Choreography by Warren Carlyle is crisp and alive.  The style is sharp and consistent.  It is the genius of director Jerry Zacks that brings it all together to deliver a musical theatre experience that feeds your soul and makes your spirit soar.

If you need to remember how great life can be, go see Hello Dolly!  It will hopefully be playing at the Shubert Theatre, showcasing one big name star after another, for years to come.

Domenick Danza

On the 20th Century

On the 20^th Century

Roundabout Theatre Company

American Airlines Theatre

July 2, 2015

Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

RoundaboutTheatre Company has outdone itself with their production of On the 20^th Century.  The cast, the sets, the costumes, the direction, the choreography – all brilliant!  It makes you remember what Broadway is all about.

The musical comically entwines the desperate need of a failing Broadway producer with a glamourous Hollywood starlet as they travel aboard the Twentieth CenturyLimited, the high speed train of 1937, which sped its passengers from Chicago to New York in just sixteen hours.  The score, by Cy Coleman, drives the play with rhythm and speed of the famous steam engine.  The book and lyrics, by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, provide the hilarity and screwball comedy that keeps the plot alive on the journey.  Director Scott Ellis finds every second of comic timing.  Together with choreographer Warren Carlyle, they create a stylistic work of genius.

Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

The cast of Kristin Chenoweth, Peter Gallagher, Andy Karl, Mark Lin-Baker, Michael McGrath, and Mary Louise Wilson is strong and funny, vocally tremendous, and engaging on every level.  The entire ensemble moves vigorously and smoothly throughout the show with extraordinary vocal expertise.  The four porters steal every moment they are in, and perform the best tap dancing on Broadway. 

The sets, by David Rockwell, fill the moderately sized stage of the American Airlines Theatre with sharp, mesmerizing art deco designs.  William Ivey long’s costumes capture the time period and exude a richness that sets the characters apart on this luxurious mode of transportation.

Kristin Chenoweth & Peter Gallagher
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

On the 20^th Century is scheduled to close on July 19.  Treat yourself to this monumental production while you still can!

Domenick Danza