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Regional Reviews: Cincinnati
Nice Work if You Can Get It tells the story of rich womanizer Jimmy and his romantic entanglements with a female bootlegger named Billie during Prohibition. Jimmy is about to be married for the fourth time, but gets mixed up with Billie and her cohorts when they store their moonshine in the cellar of his mansion. The pair start to fall in love, but Jimmy's uptight fiancée, bootleggers, the police, a Senator, and a pious prohibitionist interrupt—and chaos ensues. The show's book is by Joe DiPietro (All Shook Up, Memphis) and is inspired by previous material by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse. It features madcap antics, mistaken identities, broadly devised characters, and lots of silliness. Still, the story is clearly told and solidly crafted, has many effective one-liners, and never takes itself too seriously. Also, the songs don't feel quite as shoehorned in as you often find in jukebox musicals (though one doubts that Gershwin was ever a mainstay of jukeboxes). There are a few minor plot holes (how do these common criminals know how to aptly perform the duties of a butler and maid while posing as them?), but overall it's a successful creation. The impressive and large catalogue of songs by George (music) and Ira (lyrics) Gershwin includes both familiar and lesser known numbers and, though there is certainly overlap with the other "new" Gershwin shows, there's some variation from them as well. Song highlights include "'S Wonderful," "Fascinating Rhythm," "Delicious," "By Strauss," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," and "Sweet and Low-Down." "Someone To Watch Over Me," probably the most famous song in the show, is playfully sung by Billie while she brandishes a shotgun, creating quite the humorous ironic juxtaposition. As Jimmy, Alex Enterline conveys the likable and easygoing charm well-suited to the pampered playboy character and possesses a bright and clear singing voice. Mariah MacFarlane is extremely effective as Billie. She displays the tomboy, rough exterior of a female 1920s criminal while also capturing the burgeoning feelings of someone falling in love for the first time. Ms. MacFarlane scores laughs with her fish-out-of-water seduction moves during "Treat Me Rough" and supplies rich, colorful, and beautiful vocals throughout. Reed Campbell mines comic gold with his delivery of many of the show's best jokes and with his physicality as Cookie Magee. Stephanie Harter Gilmore (Duchess Estonia Dulworth) is a bit uneven, struggling somewhat with her first song, but providing extremely impressive work in act two, both vocally and acting-wise. As Jimmy's fiancée Eileen Evergreen, Rachael Scarr skillfully manages to be both endearing and annoying, as the role calls for, and showcases strong comedic and singing abilities. Worthwhile performances are turned in by all in the cast, with wonderful dancing by the ten member chorus, and solid work in the remaining supporting roles—Benjamin Perez (Sen. Evergreen), Stephanie Gandolfo (Jeannie Muldoon), Aaron Fried (Duke Mahoney), Thomas Schario (Chief Berry), and Barbara Weetman (Millicent Winter). Director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall (revivals of Wonderful Town, The Pajama Game) provides apt dancing throughout (though the absence of any tap numbers seems odd). She provides a quick pace, smooth transitions, and a number of effective directorial inventions, including especially cute staging of "Delicious," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," and "Looking for a Boy." This production features some exquisite orchestrations by Bill Elliott (the inclusion of snippets of other Gershwin tunes such as "Rhapsody In Blue" is genius), here performed by a top-notch seven-piece band led by Charlie Reuter. The attractive and appropriately high-brow set, provided here by Derek McLane and Shoko Kambara, is surprisingly adaptable and functional, and the layered use of curtains is in line with the old-fashioned feel of the show. The costumes by Martin Pakledinaz, coordinated for the tour by Amy Clark, are beautiful and period-appropriate, and the lighting by Peter Kaczorowski and Paul Toben is colorful, atmospheric, and professionally rendered. Nice Work if You Can Get It is a throwback show to another era and doesn't require much thought, but with effective comedy, a solid story, and these excellent Gershwin songs, who could ask for anything more? The national tour features great performances all around and the show is a welcome addition to the modern musical theater canon. The show continues at the Schuster Center in Dayton through February 15, 2015. Tickets can be ordered by calling 937-228-3630. Information on the tour can be found at www.niceworkontour.com .
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