‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Brian D’Arcy James & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Joan Marcus

DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES
Book by Craig Lucas
Music & lyrics by Adam Guettel
Directed by Michael Greif
Through March 31, 2024
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
(212-719-1300), https://daysofwineandrosesbroadway.com/

By David NouNou

Having seen newcomers Kelli O’Hara and Brian D’Arcy James perform together in 2002 in the musical adaptation of Sweet Smell of Success, it is hard to imagine that was 22 years ago, and they are now Broadway veterans. Between the two of them they have performed in such shows as Hamilton, The King and I, Into the Woods, and The Pajama Game, just to name a few. After all these years and all the shows they’ve been in, they are now at the top of their game in this musical adaptation of Days of Wine and Roses.

If one is familiar with the 1962 movie of the same name with Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon, now it is set as a musical. The setting is still New York City in the 1960s, Kirsten Arnesen (Kelli O’Hara) and Joe Clay (Brian D’Arcy James) are an ideal couple: they are young, beautiful, career-oriented, and in love. They get married and have a daughter. Seemingly they are the perfect couple. However, their idyllic world is shattered by an addiction called alcoholism. Starting out as social drinkers, they quickly descend into their hellish lives with Joe losing his job, and they both turn to Kristen’s father, Arnesen (Byron Jennings) for financial assistance, only to get themselves in another destructive bender that does irretrievable damage.

Joe tries multiple times to get himself help and climb out of his hell, if for no other reason but to be there for their daughter but Kristen refuses to let go of her demons. It’s a formidable tale of addiction at its most gripping.

Did the show need to be musicalized? Probably not. The book by Craig Lucas is flawless in following the original script of the movie and could have stood by itself. The score by Adam Guettel is so listless and forgettable that the show could have done without this banal score. However, if one wouldn’t have had the score, one would miss the glorious operatic voice of Kelli O’Hara.

Days of Wine and Roses, The Musical survives due to the magnificent performances of its two leads. Kelli O’Hara has never shown such a range of character, emotion and vulnerability in her performances as she is demonstrating here. The term incandescent is so appropriate and her vocalizing is glorious.

Brian D’Arcy James has given numerous wonderful performances. He is a quintessential musical leading man and here, as Ms. O’Hara hits all the emotional notes,  is also demonstrating his vulnerability.

Michael Greif, director of such hits as Dear Evan Hansen, Rent and Next to Normal has hit another high point in his career by extracting and pacing his two leads and having them give the performances of their careers.

Coming out you will miss the beautiful melodic and haunting 1962 Oscar winning song “The Days of Wine and Roses” by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, but you will also come out remembering the performances of Kelli O’Hara and Brian D’Arcy James.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 21, 2024
Reviewed at February 20, 2024 performance.

‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Brian D’Arcy James & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Brian D’Arcy James & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Kelli O’Hara & Brian D’Arcy James. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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BEST MUSICAL SINCE ‘BOOK OF MORMON’: Michael James Scott (center) & cast of ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

SOMETHING ROTTEN!
Conceived by Karey Kirkpatrick and Wayne Kirkpatrick
Book by Karey Kirkpatrick & John O’Farrell
Music & lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick & Karey Kirkpatrick
Direction & choreography by Casey Nicholaw
St. James Theatre
246 West 44th Street
(212-239-6200), www.RottenBroadway.com

By David NouNou

As a critic, I have been waiting since March 30, 2011 to write the words “The best original new musical since The Book of Mormon.”

In the past 10 days, we have been bombarded by lugubrious, serious, dour, epically boring and not fun musicals that have left audiences begging for a riotous show that is funny, intelligent, clever, witty, splashy, and simply a joy to sit through, and this is what you will get with Something Rotten!. This is due to the hysterical book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell and a sublimely hummable score by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick. From the opening song “Welcome to the Renaissance,” to the likes of “God, I Hate Shakespeare,” “A Musical”, “Will Power,” “Hard to Be the Bard,” to “To Thine Own Self,” the melodies are still ringing in my head. I will concede the book is not irreverent as The Book of Mormon, but then what is? However, it pokes clever jabs at Shakespeare, his works, and almost every milestone musical of the 20th Century.

The Bottom Brothers, Nick (Brian d’Arcy James) and Nigel (John Cariani), haven’t been able to write a hit because they have been in the shadow of the Bard, William Shakespeare (Christian Borle). Nick, in dire straits and as a last resort, goes to a soothsayer, Nostradamus (Brad Oscar), and begs him to foresee what the next big thing is to write about. Nostradamus looks into the future and advises him to write “A Musical”; that’s what people will want to see in the future. Needless to say, this number is a showstopper to end all showstoppers, magnificently done by Mr. Oscar and the ensemble, and every song after that is one showstopper after another. If excess is a sin, then no one can do it better than Casey Nicholaw, from his deft and dazzling direction to his astounding dance routines. He lavishes us with these joyous excesses.

The performances are superior in every way: Brian d’Arcy James, as the down-on-his-luck older brother Nick Bottom in search of a new idea for a play, is a robust leading man who has full command of the stage and does a razor-sharp routine in “Bottom’s Gonna Be on Top” that brings the house down as well as the Act I curtain. John Cariani, as the younger brother Nigel, is the timid one with the brains that has to write the words for Nick’s plays and is in a less glorified role. Mr. Cariani acts and sings with solid conviction.

Now, to the show-stopping hams of the show: Christian Borle, as the preening and overly confident Shakespeare, gives another one of those Borlian scene-stealing, sinfully delicious performances as in the songs “Will Power,” a jazzed-up, hip, swinging rock star Will and his posse, and “Hard To Be the Bard” is full of double entendres. The trump card of the night is Brad Oscar’s performance as Nostradamus, the soothsayer. His predicting “A Musical” as the next big thing was a true crowd-pleaser. The rest of the comedic group were Brooks Ashmanskas, as a confused Puritan, with a lovely daughter Portia (Kate Reinders), the young lady who loves Nigel Bottom. There’s also Gerry Vichi, as Shylock the Jew, who wants to be a producer (and you know which Shakespeare play these two characters will end up in); Peter Bartlett as Lord Clapham who plays a benefactor of the arts; and Heidi Blickenstaff as Nick’s wife. All are giving wonderfully zany ensemble performances. The dancing ensemble are all first-rate, synchronized perfectionists.

The designers have outdone themselves—from the beautiful Elizabethan sets by Scott Pask, to the over-the-top costumes by Gregg Barnes and the mood-provoking lighting by Jeff Coitier—all set and anchor the scenes perfectly. You don’t have to be a Shakespearian pro to get all the goings on; you just have to be able to laugh at the misplaced famous Shakespearean quotes and recognize the brilliant placement of moments from iconic musicals to fully appreciate the magnificent job Casey Nicholaw has done. Forget about the doom and gloom of the pretentious musicals that have just opened. Instead, go to Something Rotten! and see “Something Wonderful.”

THE FUTURE IS ‘A MUSICAL’: Brad Oscar & Brian d’Arcy James in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

WILL POWER: Christian Borle as Shakespeare & the cast of ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

SPOOFING THE BROADWAY MUSICAL: Brian d’Arcy James & Brad Oscar (center, left to right) & cast of ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

ANOTHER SHOWSTOPPER: The cast of ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

THE BARD: Christian Borle in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

THE BOTTOM BROTHERS: John Cariani & Brian d’Arcy James in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

NICK BOTTOM & HIS TRUE LOVE, PORTIA: John Cariani & Kate Reinders in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

BROTHER JEREMIAH & PORTIA: Brooks Ashmankas & Kate Reinders in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

AT NICK & BEA’S HOUSE: (left to right) John Cariani, Brian d’Arcy James & Heidi Blickenstaff in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

BOTTOM’S ON TOP: Brian d’Arcy James in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 1, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on April 30, 2015

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