‘OKLAHOMA!’: Ali Stroker. Photo: Teddy Wolff

OKLAHOMA!
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Music by Richard Rodgers
Based on Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs
Original choreography by Agnes DeMille
Choreographed by John Heginbotham
Directed by Daniel Fish
Circle In The Square
235 West 50th Street
212-239-6200
www.OklahomaBroadway.com

By David NouNou

There is a difference between reimagining a classic and just plain hubris from a director run amok. Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall brilliantly reimagined the 1997 and 2014 Cabaret revivals, but director Daniel Fish totally annihilates Oklahoma!

Earlier this month, director Sam Gold desecrated Shakespeare’s King Lear with pretentious overindulgence. Now director Daniel Fish has managed to obliterate and underwhelm the legendary Oklahoma! with pretentious minimalization. What was once a glorious, melodic milestone in musical history has become a barren dustbowl of Oklahoma! Agnes DeMille and Rogers and Hammerstein are rolling over in their graves. What is supposed to be reimagined is just another way of saying it is being done cheaply, gimmicky and experimentally, hoping something in it will stick.

As you walk into the auditorium of Circle in the Square, there are guns all over the walls of the theater. If this is a metaphor for the times we live in, then give me the escapism of the Oklahoma! of 1943. A revival of any musical from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s is meant as pure escapism and entertainment. Hence the term “revival,” an escape to times that were gentler and to give us a chance to enjoy a beloved musical as it was created.

Mr. Fish has stripped Oklahoma! of any breath, color, insight, delicacy, intimacy, choreography, costumes, subtle acting, and beautiful singing. Instead, our senses are assaulted with characters either over acting and screaming their parts or being lackadaisically laid back. Lackluster voices are substituted for beautiful harmonizing. The theater is lit brightly throughout the show, but for some inexplicable reason there are two scenes that are performed in total darkness, both of them involving Jud Fry, the villain (Patrick Vaill): one in the smokehouse with Curly, the hero (Damon Daunno) in the first act; the other with Laurey, the leading lady (Rebecca Naomi Jones) in the second act, and both scenes using microphones for over amplification, again done in pitch black darkness. All that aside, the biggest offense comes at the beginning of Act II where Agnes DeMille’s beautiful ballet (the dream sequence where Laurey is torn between Curly and Jud) has been totally eliminated and substituted with a vulgar, modern dance replete with running around the stage, writhing across the stage, aerobic moves throughout the stage, all of which last for what seems an eternity.

Ironically, the folks you should be rooting for aren’t the people as written in the original version. The person you end up rooting for is Jud Fry, the villain. Patrick Vaill imbues Jud with all the qualities of a bad guy but also gives him a touch of humanity that the rest of the cast lacks. You actually feel sorry for his circumstances that have driven him to this point. Curly, who is supposed to be a strapping horseman, is nothing but a wastrel who yodels. There is nothing really redeeming about him as portrayed by Damon Daunno. As for this Laurey, as played by Rebecca Naomi Jones, she is a strapping gal who claims she is afraid of Jud, but in reality, she can out lick him with one hand tied behind her back. Casting should have been more exacting here.

After last year’s abysmal reimagined revival of Carousel, this year’s desecration of Oklahoma!, what next? Have another avant-garde director reimagine a revival of The Sound Of Music with the Von Trapp children doubling up as Hitler’s SS storm troopers?

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 10, 2019
Reviewed at April 9, 2019 press performance.

‘OKLAHOMA!’: Mary Testa. Photo: Teddy Wolff

‘OKLAHOMA’!: Rebecca Naomi Jones. Photo: Teddy Wolff

‘OKLAHOMA!’: The cast. Photo: Teddy Wolff

‘OKLAHOMA!’: Damon Daunno & Rebecca Naomi Jones. Photo: Little Fang Photo

‘OKLAHOMA!’: Ali Stroker & Will Brill. Photo: Little Fang Photo

‘OKLAHOMA!’: Ali Stroker & James Davis. Photo: Little Fang Photo

‘OKLAHOMA!’: Damon Daunno & Mary Testa. Photo: Little Fang Photo

‘OKLAHOMA!’: Gabrielle Hamilton. Photo: Little Fang Photo

‘OKLAHOMA!’: Damon Daunno & cast. Photo: Little Fang Photo

‘OKLAHOMA!’: Patrick Vaill & Will Brill. Photo: Little Fang Photo

‘OKLAHOMA!’: Mallory Portnoy & Damon Daunno. Photo: Little Fang Photo

‘OKLAHOMA!’: Mallory Portnoy & Patrick Vaill. Photo: Teddy Wolff

‘OKLAHOMA!’: The cast. Photo: Little Fang Photo

The post Reimagined ‘Oklahoma!’ revival is not OK appeared first on StageZine.

CAROUSEL
Book & lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Music by Richard Rodgers
Based on the play Liliom by Ferenc Molnar
Choreographed by Justin Peck
Directed by Jack O’Brien
Imperial Theatre
249 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.CarouselBroadway.com

By David NouNou

If you don’t have a real carousel on stage, how can you still call the show Carousel?

The definitive revival of Carousel was presented by Lincoln Center in 1994. So how can you improve on that production? You can’t; it is virtually impossible. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel was a treat for sight, mind and sound. It is still a treat for sound because no matter how bad the production, nothing can ever dim the brilliance of the score. It was impeccably directed by Nicholas Hytner and choreographed to perfection by Sir Harold McMillan. The sets and costumes by Bob Crowley were a feast for the sight and mind that transported us to Maine for the turn of the 20^th century and what a magnificent carousel was created right on stage before our eyes. The lighting by Paul Pyant just added to the enchantment. It was a marvel to behold.

I guess by now you have figured out how I felt about the 1994 revival. I wish I could say the same about this version. Of all the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Carousel by contrast seems the most dated and sluggish of their shows. Other than the brilliant score, there really is very little cause to revive this show unless you have a revelatory vision, which this version totally lacks.

This is a delicate piece about a lovely, gentle factory worker, Julie Jordan (Jessie Mueller) falling in love for the good-looking brutish carnival/carousel barker, Billy Bigelow (Joshua Henry).  Billy gets fired from his job because he pays too much attention to Julie. This is not an easy love. They truly do love each other, but the difficulties of life and the difficulty of Billy trying to find a job all make him abuse Julie, precipitating his ultimate demise and never getting to see his unborn daughter. He is given a second chance to plead his case to come down to Earth and do right by Julie and his daughter, Louise, who is 15 now and is having a hard time finding her place in the world.

In order for this gentle piece to work there has to be real chemistry between Julie and Billy to be able to sell this fantasy Although both Ms. Mueller and Mr. Henry are incredible talents in their own right, their chemistry here is below the charts. Mr. Henry possesses a great singing voice, but here he is a one-note charmless brute as Billy and Ms. Mueller, who is also in great voice, adds no spark or life into her Julie. Considering how much life and charm Ms. Mueller injected into Beautiful and Waitress and Mr. Henry in The Scottsboro Boys and Violet, together they totally flatline as a couple.

The joys of the show are Renee Fleming as Julie’s Aunt Nettie, whose rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” brought the house down; and Alexander Gemignani as Enoch Snow, Julie’s best friend Carrie Pipperidge’s fiancé, singing “When the Children Are Asleep” is an absolute joy. The two of them just fill the stage and we wish the show could have been more about them.

The creative team does little to eliminate the datedness of the show. Jack O’Brien’s listless direction makes the proceedings even more ponderous. Justin Peck, resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet, scraped all the revolutionary choreography that Agnes DeMille and Harold McMillan created for “The Carousel Waltz,” “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over,” “Louise’s Ballet” to name a few, and instead inserts his banal choreography that slows the proceedings even further. The brilliant Santo Loquasto–who won a Tony last year for Hello, Dolly!–has created some of his dullest designs. There isn’t even a carousel in this version, just a lone horse among dancers; and the lighting by Brian MacDevitt is so dim, you can hardly see the stage.

Other than the brilliant score, this version of Carousel is totally unhinged, never gets to spin and stalls.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 12, 2018
Reviewed at performance on April 8, 2018

Image: Carousel on Broadway/Facebook

The post ‘Carousel’: Unhinged revival never gets to spin appeared first on StageZine.

SHALL WE DANCE? Kelli O’Hara & Ken Watanabe in ‘The King and I.’ Photo: Paul Kolnik

THE KING AND I
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Based on the novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret London
Choreography by Christopher Gattelli
Based on the original choreography by Jerome Robbins
Directed by Bartlett Sher
Vivian Beaumont Theatre
150 West 65th Street
(212-239-6200), www.KingandIBroadway.com

By David NouNou

I’m not going to beat around the bush. The King and I is simply the best musical of the year. Each year in April, it has become customary for a crush of shows that open almost every night of the month and this year is no exception. What is an exception is the phenomenal revival that Lincoln Center is presenting and it is, by far, the best revival ever done of this classic 1951 musical. When most shows are being pared down to skimpy and tacky revivals, Lincoln Center and the formidable director Bartlett Sher have kept The King and I in its original sumptuous size and the result is simply breathtaking.

From the moment you enter the theater, Michael Yeargan’s magnificent Siamese set frame and curtain is in full view and already the mood is set for the magnificence and story to unfold. The same creative team and designers who did the outstanding 2008 revival of Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific have outdone themselves here. As in South Pacific, there is the incomparable Kelli O’Hara as Anna Leonowens, giving an incandescent and what may be her best performance to date.

Going to Siam to teach the children of the King of Siam (Ken Watanabe) English, Anna gets exposed to a whole new way of life, culture, standards, rules and the role of women as slaves or concubines of the king. This is against anything she has known as an Englishwoman, widow and a mother of a young boy. At the palace, she gets to know the king and his demands, his wife, Lady Thiang (Ruthie Ann Miles), the Crown Prince Chulalongkorn (Jon Viktor Corpuz) and his 60-plus children as well as befriending the king’s latest present/slave from Burma, the lovely Tuptim (Ashley Park) and her lover, Lun Tha (Conrad Ricamora).

Intertwined with all these characters is the sumptuous score that actually propels the story forward; from the tuneful opening song of “I Whistle A Happy Tune” and “Getting to Know You” to the heartbreaking “Hello, Young Lovers” “We Kiss in a Shadow,” “Something Wonderful” and “I Have Dreamed” and to the heart-pounding rendition of “Shall We Dance,” each song is a story unto itself and each one is done to perfection.

I extolled Kelli O’Hara already; two more ladies are due their kudos: Ruthie Ann Miles nails Lady Thiang. As head wife of the king and future Queen Mother, Ms. Miles is flawless in her rendition of “Something Wonderful,” it is a showstopper; and Ashley Park as Tuptin is both lovely and vibrant. Ms. Park’s rendition of “The Small House of Uncle Thomas (Ballet)” is exhilarating.

I honestly wish I could end my review here, but how can one write a review about a show entitled The King and I and not mention the king? In South Pacific, Kelli O’Hara played against Paulo Szot who was outstanding and won the Tony as best actor as Emile de Becque. I’m afraid the same cannot be said here. Like the king in the show, Mr. Watanabe does try his best to be the best he can be, but his performance is a puzzlement. Who is to blame for it? On the surface, it seems that he just clenches his words so tightly, which render them totally incomprehensible. However, that is not the only problem. In trying not to do a carbon copy of Yul Brynner, the strength and the personality of the king become totally lost and he is no match for Anna. I wish more attention was paid to him to have improved the king’s diction and demeanor.

Despite this shortcoming, the show is still the best of the year, with the best score, best book from the days when they knew how to write one and tell a story, and the best creative team of sets, costumes, lighting, sound, musical direction and the crowning touch of Kelli O’Hara as the leading “I.”

ANNA & THE KING: Kelli O’Hara & Ken Watanabe. Photo: Paul Kolnik

GETTING TO KNOW YOU: The royal children with Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

GORGEOUS COSTUMES: Kelli O’Hara in one of Catherine Zuber’s exquisite costumes. Photo: Paul Kolnik

LADY THIANG, WOMEN OF THE COURT & ANNA: Ruthie Ann Miles & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

THE KING OF SIAM: Ken Watanabe. Photo: Paul Kolnik

‘THE SMALL HOUSE OF UNCLE THOMAS’ (BALLET): Christopher Gattelli beautifully recreates Jerome Robbins’ original choreography. Photo: Paul Kolnik

‘THE SMALL HOUSE OF UNCLE THOMAS’ (BALLET): Another glorious scene. Photo: Paul Kolnik

PROPER ENGLISH EDUCATION: Kelli O’Hara with her royal pupils. Photo: Paul Kolnik

LADY THIANG & ANNA: Ruthie Ann Miles & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

PERFORMANCE OF HER CAREER: Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

ANNA & THE KING: Kelli O’Hara, Ken Watanabe & the cast. Photo: Paul Kolnik

ANNA & SON: Jake Lucas & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

ANNA MEETS BRITISH DIPLOMAT: (left to right) Ken Watanabe, Edward Baker-Duly & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Paul Kolnik

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 20, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on April 19, 2015

The post ‘The King and I’: Revival of classic is the best ever appeared first on StageZine.

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
New book by Douglas Carter Beane
Original book by Oscar Hammerstein II
Directed by Marc Brokaw
The Broadway Theatre
1681 Broadway
(212-239-6200), http://www.cinderellaonbroadway.com

By David NouNou

Whenever a sweet, good-natured peasant girl marries a prince, normally one would say it’s a typical Cinderella story. However, this is Cinderella, and the parameters are rather narrow. Never having seen any of the TV versions of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, be it the 1957 original version with Julie Andrews, or the 1965 version with Lesley Ann Warren, or the 1997 version with Brandy, it is hard to draw any perspectives. However, having only seen the glorious 1950 animated Disney version, I was totally enchanted with it as a child and as an adult. It still has the magical power to captivate at only 72 minutes. This version is two hours and 20 minutes, so you can imagine how padded it is.

Douglas Carter Beane, a master of infusing zingers into musicals such as Sister Act, Xanadu and even the winsome flop Lysistrata Jones, has done his best here to try to update the book and the heroine by having her believing in herself and anything would be possible, but has still left a fairy-tale feel about it. The story is so universal that there is very little room to tinker with it. Every girl (and even some boys) has grown up wanting to be a princess and meet Prince Charming. I reiterate, there is very little elbow room here to tinker with this iconic story. Comparisons are drawn to Cinderella, not the other way round. Adding filler does not necessarily mean making it better; it becomes stuffing to fill the space of a storyline for over two hours.

Laura Osnes as Cinderella is lovely and in perfect voice. Santino Fontana is charming as Prince Topher, who has far more talent than this flimsy role offers. Victoria Clark, as usual, has that enchanting voice that carries us on air, and Harriet Harris is “Bebe Glazer in crinolines,” her character from the hit TV sitcom “Frasier.” What happened to the mean stepmother she could play in her sleep? It is a shame her role as a wicked stepmother was only hinted at and not actually realized in print or in the acting.

It is great to hear an actual overture. Unfortunately, the tunes being played are so unmemorable and sub-par Rodgers and Hammerstein, I guess they didn’t have to try so hard for it was only for a TV show. Also don’t expect to hear any of the magnificent mellifluous melodies from the Disney version, with the infectious lyrics.

The show is handsomely mounted by three perfectionists: Anna Louizos’ sets, William Ivey Long’s costumes and Kenneth Posner’s lighting. Don’t be surprised that, while you’re watching Cinderella, your mind will drift and draw comparisons to similar musicals like Beauty and the Beast, Once Upon a Mattress, and the Cinderella portion of Into the Woods. As a matter of fact, I found myself drifting a lot and wishing it had more of a transfixing Disney feel for no one does this sort of show as well as Disney.

FAIRY GODMOTHER & CINDERELLA: Victoria Clark & Laura Osnes. Photo: Carol Rosegg

ROYAL REVELRY: Laura Osnes & company. Photo: Carol Rosegg

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 6, 2013
Reviewed at press performance on March 5, 2013

The post Updated ‘Cinderella’ on a mission appeared first on StageZine.