I saw it last Wednesday and had a marvelous time, especially the tap numbers. The ensemble is tirelessly superb.
While I was glad to see the book solved many of the problems with Wilder and Diamond's original, it created a few of its own, though none enough to detract from the overall festivities.
The main thing that struck -- if not astonished -- me was how Shaiman was able to write a score that is tuneful, peppy, period-appropriate, perfect in the moment, and yet filled with tunes that went out of my head immediately after hearing them. The exception is the title number, which stayed with me, perhaps because I had already heard it. With enough exposure, the others might, too, but they were gone within moments. |
