| Sunday Night's Performance | |
| Posted by: robert_j 11:20 pm EST 11/19/17 | |
| In reply to: BRIGADOON Tonight - sergius 12:02 am EST 11/19/17 | |
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| I just got back from the final performance. It’s a lovely production, and, really, what a gift from City Center to mount the show with such an outstanding cast. This is what City Center does so well, mounting first-class revivals of classic shows that will not make it commercially. I have been thinking for years that we need a Theater of the American Musical, comparable to the Metropolitan Opera, that can perform classic works in repertory. But until then, I very much welcome limited runs like this, and I am grateful to everyone who made it happen. At the same time, I do not see Brigadoon as being viable for a longer run. It’s a fantastic score but there is no drama. The first act is too long and the second too short, with nothing really happening even though a lot is going on. The structure of the show is very old-fashioned, with some standards for the romantic leads, a few set pieces for the dancers, a couple of comic numbers, and then, before the final curtain, a reprise of all the hit tunes to send the audience out the door. It makes for a lot of nice moments, but they do not add up to much, and the lack of dramatic momentum can make the evening seem longer than it is (tonight it ran 2:15). Maybe different leads would have given the show more urgency. I agree with those who found Patrick Wilson to be a bit flat. It’s funny because I remember what an exciting presence he was in Oklahoma fifteen years ago, but here he seemed to be walking through it. I guess it served the character, to a point, because you believed his indecision in Act Two about whether to stay or go. But I wonder what sort of heat Steven Pasquale would have brought to the role. Wilson sings gloriously, though, and he is a good vocal match for Kelli O’Hara. But, with so little to play off of, Kelli comes across as a bit flat as well. Not that Kelli has ever been an effusive performer, but she can have real chemistry with the right partner—like Steven Pasquale in Bridges or, especially, Harry Connick Jr. in the Pajama Game. Here there was less to be excited about, but Kelli is such an important interpreter of the American songbook that I am always happy to attend her performances and I hope there are more renditions of classic scores to come. I had no reservations whatsoever about her in the vocal department. The rest was luxury casting, especially Robert Fairchild, who almost singlehandedly raised the quality of the dancing to the highest level. Stephanie Block, Ross Lekites, and Aasif Mandvi were wonderful too. And, really, for such a short run the production values were astonishingly high. So I am glad I got to see this, and I hope there will be a recording, but I would be surprised if it turns up on Broadway. I could be wrong -- I didn’t expect Finian’s Rainbow to transfer either. But I think it is the sort of piece that can only sustain a limited run before going back into the vault, or receding into the mists. |
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