Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: Albuquerque/Santa Fe


Regional Reviews

My Favorite Year
The Adobe Theater

Also see Wally's review of Rapture, Blister, Burn


Brynlyn Loomis, Bryan Daniels, Tim MacAlpine and Kiersten Johnson
Albuquerque owes a debt of gratitude to Cy and Jane Hoffman. For several years now, they have been digging up almost-forgotten musicals, staging them with creativity (usually at the Adobe Theater), and Albuquerque is richer for their efforts. Here, they have rescued the musical version of My Favorite Year from the brink of oblivion.

This production is so wonderfully enjoyable that I'm almost willing to pass over certain dramaturgical and musical ineptitudes in the show itself. Almost, but not totally. It might help explain why this was such a flop on Broadway in 1992.

In the book of the show (written by Joseph Dougherty, based on the movie), there are three main plot points. Is Benjy Stone, a young comedy writer for "The King Kaiser Show" (i.e., Sid Caesar), going to be able to keep the fading movie star Alan Swann (i.e., Errol Flynn) sober enough to guest star on the live broadcast Saturday night, and will the Three Musketeers skit he has written be funny? Will Benjy make it with the comely production assistant K.C.? Will Swann reconcile with his teenage daughter, with whom he has not had contact for three years?

The only one of these that is answered satisfactorily is the Benjy—K.C. connection. The other two are handled in a matter of seconds, and the ending feels rushed and abrupt. We barely get to see the skit that everything has been building toward for the previous couple hours. Instead, precious time in the second act is consumed by a lame musical number (with clowns) with the equally lame title "Professional Showbizness Comedy." The only good thing about this is that it gives Carolyn Hogan as Alice (i.e., Rose Marie from "The Dick Van Dyke Show") a chance to shine.

Speaking of the musical numbers: the success of the team of Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) remains a mystery to me. They have written at least seven musicals (Ragtime, Seussical, Once on this Island, etc.) and an animated movie (Anastasia), and I challenge you to recall even one song from any of their works.

In My Favorite Year, there are a few songs that I thought were good, if not memorable. My favorites were sung by Swann: "If the World Were Like the Movies" and "Exits." The latter sounds, both musically and lyrically, as if it fell out of Stephen Sondheim's filing cabinet, and consequently is the best thing in the show. At the other extreme, there are some real clunkers. I think any high school thespian club could come up with something better than the "Manhattan" production number—and the "noive" of them stealing a title from Rodgers and Hart!

Despite these shortcomings, this is a most charming show, and the credit must go to the cast, directors, and crew who transcend the sometimes iffy material. As the directors point out in a program note, this show almost certainly works better in a small theater than on a big stage, and the Adobe is a great place for it.

Barbara Bock has designed a colorful Art Deco/Russian Constructivist mural and floor that sets a big-city but playful mood. Scene changes are handled cleverly just by changing the sign on one door. The props by Katie Hassi, costumes by Judi Buehler, and lighting by Michael Girlamo are all excellent. The band comprised of Loretta Robinson, Carol Mayberry Sanchez, and Robin Barber, sounds fine.

Bryan Daniels finally gets a lead role, as Benjy, and he knocks it out of the park, not by doing anything showy, just by being real. He's got a good voice, he looks the part, and he's great at registering exasperation. Tim MacAlpine has the potentially flamboyant role of Swann, but he tones it down and I think that's a good choice. He brings some pathos to the characterization, which gives the whole show some added depth.

Carolyn Hogan, as mentioned above, gets to strut her stuff a bit, and has good comic delivery. Jane Hoffman is the classic Jewish mother. At first, she seemed physically fragile, but I was worried unnecessarily, because she pulls it off just fine. Warren Asa Wilgus is bullying and blustery as King Kaiser, as he's supposed to be; he has a very good singing voice, and it's a shame he doesn't have a vehicle here to demonstrate it. K.C., the love interest, is played by Brynlyn Loomis, and she's excellent in the smart ingénue role.

The rest of the cast give it all they've got in their smaller roles and in the production numbers, and the whole thing comes off with great enthusiasm and energy. Jane and Cy Hoffman keep it moving fast, and the show is over too soon. This is one of those times where I was in no hurry to leave the theater.

My Favorite Year, a musical by Joseph Dougherty, Stephen Flaherty, and Lynn Ahrens, is being presented at the Adobe Theater in Albuquerque. Through March 16, 2014. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00, Sundays at 2:00. Information at www.adobetheater.org or 505-898-9222.

--Dean Yannias