Caught an early preview of the Alliance Theatre's production of the new musical version of Ron Shelton's BULL DURHAM. Shelton is very involved in the show and was in the audience tonight. The production involves several seasoned stage pros (on stage) and some promising talent behind the scenes. Despite some really strong elements (I'll elaborate below), this really needs work.
Let's start with the best: Melissa Errico (as Annie, the Susan Sarandon role in the film) and Will Swenson (as Crash Davis, the Kevin Costner role) are wonderful. They sing it well, act it sensitively (and sensuously), and successfully replace the image of their screen prototypes.
John Behlmann (new to me; he plays Nuke Laloosh, the Tim Robbins role) is a little alll over the place but is going to grow into the role in a really wonderful way. They saddle him with a showstopping dance number too early in the show-- the kind of show-off number that would get a standing O if we were already rooting for the guy. Joshua Bergasse's choreography is lively and crowd pleasing, though not particularly inventive.
Some Broadway vets do great work here: Derek McLane hits a home run with a really impressive baseball stadium set that frames the action (and some great projections) beautifully. It serves the show (and the Alliance stage) really well. Lighting design by Jeff Croiter is outstanding. Toni-Leslie James costumes are perfect.
OK, now for everything else: The overall pacing of the show is pretty deadly at times (esp that first act) and the supporting characters are even given distracting "bits" (like a cartoonish tobacco chewing bit the overwhelms an otherwise really really nice performance by one of the team managers). The eradication of any kind of topicality makes the whole thing seem like it's a fable rather than a wonderfully observed look at sex and romance in the world of minor league baseball (I guess it's set in the 1980s but given that there is no reference to the larger world it's hard to tell, except that nobody has any kind of mobile device or a computer in sight).
And the music....obviously there have been many, many numbers inserted, deleted, 'fixed', transformed and jostled around. The printed insert seemed incomplete in listing songs and who sang them. They were all fine-- nice energy in a lot of them-- but nothing that stood out or was particularly evocative (it pales next to the HANDS ON A HARDBODY score, for example, on that front). There are a few fun numbers (one called "Pensacola" on the insert was a nice little novelty number that the audience adored; the crowd pleasing "Winning" got reprised at the finale-- it's catchy, but the lyrics are really pedestrian). One particularly nice duet is called I've Got a Heaven for You, and it's sung by two supporting characters sung by Lora Lee Gayer and Jake Boyd, and it's a keeper. too many numbers dont lead anywhere, and many of the songs sound the same. Susan Werner is clearly capable of writing great stuff-- she needs an experienced Broadway hand helping her fashion these songs into something much more powerful.
One urgent note: PLEASE drop that Second Act opener (title can't be repeated here). It's a half-an-idea and it's terrible.
Audience seemed to love Errico, Swenson and Behlman, greatly appreciated the rest of the cast for their energy and spirit, and was trying to be encouraging. I do believe this show can work, and that it can have its success with these same people involved. But they are really going to have to work it.
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