‘FLYING OVER SUNSET’: (Left to right) Tony Yazbeck, Harry Hadden-Paton & Carmen Cusack. Photo: Joan Marcus.

FLYING OVER SUNSET
Music by Tom Kitt
Lyrics by Michael Korie
Book & direction by James Lapine
Through February 6, 2022
Vivian Beaumont Theater
150 West 65th Street
(212-239-6200), www.FlyingOverSunset.com

By David NouNou

Flying Over Sunset is a musical that is both intriguing and manipulating. It is intriguing due to the subject matter, the use of LSD, and it is manipulating because of the subjects who are using LSD. Had it been you, me, and a random third person, there would be no intrigue, plot or point. However, Cary Grant (Tony Yazbeck), a movie star from 1932 to 1966; Clare Boothe Luce (Carmen Cusack), a playwright who wrote The Women, a Republican Congresswoman from Connecticut, and a U.S. Ambassador to Italy; and Aldous Huxley (Harry Hadden-Paton), author of the 1932 dystopian classic novel Brave New World—all using LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)— manipulates us to care about who and what is going on.

All three used LSD at low points of their lives. Cary Grant was trying to connect his movie-star persona to his childhood poverty-stricken self, Archie Leech; Clare Boothe Luce, after the death of her daughter, Ann, in a car accident; Aldous Huxley wanted to experiment and get in touch with his inner self, and after the death of his wife, Maria. They all needed to come to their point of self-realization. Their mentor who helped them through their journeys was Gerald Heard (Robert Sella), the grandfather of the “new age.”

The book by James Lapine is provocative in a manipulating way. Although the three subjects never had a collective session, it is interesting how Mr. Lapine wove together these three brilliant lives into a cohesive narrative.

As a musical, Flying Over Sunset at best is a very iffy proposition. As a drama, it would have been superior with all the insights thrown into these characters. The characters are compelling and do hold our interest. As a musical, the songs and the musical numbers tend to interrupt the proceedings. That being said, the music by Tom Kitt is beautiful and haunting, while the lyrics by Michael Korie are often pedestrian and forgettable.

Never having known Cary Grant, Clare Boothe Luce, or Aldous Huxley personally, of the three, most of us are familiar with the movies of Cary Grant. Thankfully, Mr. Yazbeck doesn’t impersonate Mr. Grant; he gives us the flavor of the self-doubting, dashing leading man, Ms. Cusack imbues a lot of tragedy to her Ms. Boothe Luce, and Mr. Hadden-Patton delves into Mr. Huxley’s persona with passion. They all have their moments to shine, but Ms. Cusack stands out for the beauty of her voice, and her vocals are gorgeously melodic, particularly when singing the show’s title song “Flying Over Sunset” in act one.

The major drawback to all the proceedings is the cavernous Vivian Beaumont Theater; not even Mr. Lapine’s expert direction and the great assistance of Beowulf Boritt’s beautiful and often hallucinogenic scenery can overcome this drawback. What will keep you in your seats and help you overcome this hollowness are the gifts of Carmen Cusack, Harry Hadden-Paton and Tony Yazbeck.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 20, 2021
Reviewed at December 19, 2021 press performance.

‘FLYING OVER SUNSET’: (Left to right) Michele Ragusa, Carmen Cusack & Kanisha Marie Feliciano. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘FLYING OVER SUNSET’: (Left to right) Michele Ragusa, Harry Hadden-Paton, & Kanisha Marie Feliciano. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘FLYING OVER SUNSET”: Carmen Cusack (center) & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘FLYING OVER SUNSET’: Robert Sella & Carmen Cusack. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘FLYING OVER SUNSET’: Tony Yazbeck. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘PRINCE OF BROADWAY’: Emily Skinner in a scene from ‘Follies.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

PRINCE OF BROADWAY
Written by David Thompson
New Songs, Arrangements, Orchestration & Music Supervision by Robert Jason Brown
Co-Directed & Choreographed by Susan Stroman
Directed by Hal Prince
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street
(212) 239-6200, www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com

By David NouNou

Any theatergoer knows that Harold S. Prince is a world-renowned producer/director and has had his hand in theatrical productions for almost 65 years. He has worked with the greatest of creative talents from Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Kander & Ebb to Andrew Lloyd Webber; from Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse to Susan Stroman, and the actors he’s brought to the stage are endless: Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, Liza Minnelli, Barbara Cook, Elaine Stritch, Zero Mostel, Joel Grey, Mandy Patinkin, Michael Crawford, and on and on.

However, trying to musicalize a producer/director’s career is much more difficult to present on stage than, let’s say, the musicals Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, based on recreating Jerome Robbins’ choreography from On The Town, West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof or Fosse, based on Bob Fosse’s choreography for Damn Yankees, Sweet Charity and Pippin. Those are tangible works of artists recreating their creations. Dances are intrinsically more satisfying than actors trotting on stage, singing songs from a particular producer’s shows.

The nine actors consisting of Chuck Cooper, Janet Dacal, Bryonha Marie Parham, Emily Skinner, Brandon Uranowitz, Kaley Ann Voorhees, Michael Xavier, Tony Yasbeck and Karen Ziemba succeed to various degrees. They all come out on stage as Hal Prince at various times, with his signature glasses on their forehead, narrating his career. Honestly, I would have preferred having Mr. Prince narrate his own life, introducing his own productions at various stages in his career projected on a screen. This would have been more productive; it would have given us an introduction to the man himself, been less lame and more effective.

The major problem here is how do you connect all these phenomenal shows? Damn Yankees, West Side Story, Fiddler On the Roof, Cabaret, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Evita, The Phantom of the Opera as well as A Family Affair, Flora the Red Menace, A Doll’s Life, Zorba, Roza, Merrily We Roll Along (mostly hits and a fair number of flops)? It’s very difficult to chose the songs and scenes from all these shows to fit cohesively in an entertaining manner. Some are extremely entertaining standing alone, as the scenes from West Side Story, Cabaret and Company. Some are visually entertaining like Follies and Phantom of the Opera, The songs from She Loves Me, It’s a Bird, It’s A Plane, It’s Superman, Parade, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Sweeney Todd, although good, make no sense. What helps make the scenes work better is mostly due to set designer Beowulf Boritt, costume designer William Ivey Long, and lighting designer Howell Binkley. They try to capture the essences of the original productions and that helps the visualization process immensely. They attempt to recapture that particular moment of each show and it does envelop us for the most part.

Two standout performers for me were Tony Yazbeck for his great phraseology of the songs from West Side Story and “The Right Girl” from Follies. His tap dancing in that song is phenomenal. The other standout is Chuck Cooper. His rendition of “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler is better than what I’ve seen in recent years. He also does a superb “Ol’ Man River” from Showboat. Both these men get better and better with each successive show.

It’s great to see Brandon Uranowitz’s career blossoming. His “Willkommen” from Cabaret was chilling, and teaming up with the wonderful Karen Ziemba in “If You Could See Her ” and her solo “So What” is memorable. A treat to see Emily Skinner back on Broadway doing “Ladies Who Lunch” from Company and “Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music.

All in all, it is an entertaining, if not wholly satisfying or fulfilling evening. If you were fortunate enough to have seen some of the original versions, most of the scenes will evoke a fond memory or at least give you a taste of the past experience.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published August 27, 2017
Reviewed at August 26, 2017 press performance.

‘PRINCE OF BROADWAY’: Michael Xavier & cast perform a number from ‘Company.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘PRINCE OF BROADWAY’: Brandon Uranowitz sings a song from ‘Cabaret.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘PRINCE OF BROADWAY’: Janet Dacal in ‘Evita’ scene. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘PRINCE OF BROADWAY’: Bryonha Marie Parham & Kaley Ann Voorhees sing a classic from ‘Showboat.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘PRINCE OF BROADWAY’: Tony Yazbeck performs a number from ‘Follies.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘PRINCE OF BROADWAY’: Tony Yazbeck & Kaley Ann Voorhees perform a scene from ‘West Side Story.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘PRINCE OF BROADWAY’: Chuck Cooper performs a classic song from ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

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SAILORS’ DELIGHT: (left to right) Jay Armstrong Johnson, Tony Yazbeck & Clyde Alves. Photo: Joan Marcus

ON THE TOWN
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Book & lyrics by Betty Comden & Adolph Green
Based on an idea by Jerome Robbins
Directed by John Rando
Choreography by Joshua Bergasse
Lyric Theatre
213 West 42nd Street
(877-250-2929), www.OnTheTownBroadway.com/

By David NouNou

On The Town is a tribute to a New York of yesteryear. Based on Jerome Robbins’ ballet Fancy Free, about three sailors on a 24-hour shore leave and the adventures they encounter on this one memorable day. To say this is the best revival of the dated musical would not seem much of a compliment, considering the two that preceded it. The 1971 version had Phyllis Newman, Bernadette Peters and Donna McKechnie as the female leads; Claire De Loone, the anthropologist; Hildy, the taxi driver; and Ivy Smith, the dancer, respectively.  The males/sailors were forgettable and negligible.  It was somewhat cute and barely ran three months at the Imperial. Then came the hubristic George C. Wolfe 1998 fiasco with Lea DeLaria as Hildy and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (pre “Modern Family” fame) as Chip, one of the sailors; now that was an odd pairing. It lasted less than a month at the Uris Theatre, now named the Gershwin. I am sure the theater has recovered from that ill-fated bomb since Wicked has landed there.

This version has been magnificently orchestrated and makes the score come alive; it is fresh, vibrant and nostalgic. Musical aficionados will recognize the sharp musical notes that later appeared in Leonard Bernstein’s 1957 masterpiece, West Side Story. The same can be said of Jerome Robbins’ choreography and ballet.  You will be able to recognize his signature moves of the leaping dancers, with their arms in the air and ballet steps that were electrifyingly used in West Side Story. Joshua Bergasse has splendidly captured and recreated Robbins’ movements, none better than in the ballet sequences.

We have the three sailors: Gabey (Tony Yazbeck), the shy dreamer; Ozzie (Clyde Alves) the ladies’ man; and Chip (Jay Armstrong Johnson), the tourist who wants to see all of New York in 24 hours. Let me say all three are charmers with great voices and certainly can dance. Their female interests ultimately will be Ivy Smith/Miss Turnstiles for June and Gabey’s Miss Ideal, the beautiful Megan Fairchild, making her Broadway debut.  Elizabeth Stanley is the anthropologist, Clair, who forgets she has a fiancée and goes ape for her Neanderthal man, Ozzie. Last but not least is Hildy, the man-hungry cab driver (Alysha Umphress), who has found her bait in Chip. The three women are lovely, enchanting and know how to belt a song. My favorite couple has to be Gabey and Ivy; their ballet together is simply sublime.

John Rando, the director, and his team have certainly taken a dated dodo of a musical and remastered it to be enjoyed for its dancing and singing merits by contemporary audiences and overlook its wobbly book. He fine-tuned most of his cast except for one. I must question his taste and sense of humor when it comes to Jackie Hoffman and giving her all that free rein on that stage. Ms. Hoffman, in various roles, doesn’t just chew up the scenery; she inhales the wings as well. She has been doing this “hit and miss” shtick since Xanadu and The Addams Family and lately it’s more of a huge, annoying miss than shtick.

Beowulf Borritt, the scenic and projection designer who was such a sensation earlier this year in anchoring LCT’s Act One, for which he won a Tony for its magnificence and intricacy, here has a set that is just representational. Although he uses names and places of the 1944 era by way of projection designs, the time represented might be 1944 but the projections we see are 2014. For this cavernous theater, the show needed a more grounded set to anchor this show instead of just to represent it. However On the Town is represented, it still shows New York as being “One Helluva Town.”

MISS TURNSTILES: Megan Fairchild (center) & the cast of ‘On the Town.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

LADY CAB DRIVER: (left to right) Jay Armstrong Johnson & Alysha Umphress in ‘On the Town.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

GUY ‘ON THE TOWN’: Tony Yazbeck. Photo: Joan Marcus

THEY’LL TAKE MANHATTAN: The cast of ‘On the Town.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

GIRL MAGNETS: (left to right) Clyde Alves, Tony Yazbeck & Jay Armstrong Johnson & the ladies of ‘On the Town.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 22, 2014
Reviewed at press performance on October 21, 2014

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