| re: Saw "Some Like It Hot" the other night - thinking about what works and what doesn't (LONG) | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 06:18 pm EST 12/10/22 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 06:08 pm EST 12/10/22 | |
| In reply to: Saw "Some Like It Hot" the other night - thinking about what works and what doesn't (LONG) - PlayWiz 02:12 pm EST 12/10/22 | |
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| The character of Sugar -- who even earned the title in 1972's iteration of the material -- has had trouble shaking off the shadow, if not the ghost, of Monroe. I saw Sugar at the tender age of 20, one of my first Broadway musicals actually on B'way, a Wednesday matinee at the Majestic. The show -- which pushed and pushed, also loudly, I could see the hard work drilled into the company, even at 20 -- gave Sugar plenty to do. And yet Elaine Joyce, game, charming, lithe, simply couldn't pop as its centerpiece. When I listen to the score now, her gushing "Hey, Why Not?" act 2 opener is still a favorite romp, best Styne melody in the overture to boot. But Morse and even Ritchard by extension walked away with the show. What Monroe brought was that mysterious synergy of movie star charisma and niche characterization, Sugar a Monroe specialty: self-deprecatory awareness without shame or apology. She seems to float through the improbable plot on a wave of sheer star power. That seemingly effortless float -- watch "Runnin' Wild" again -- ignited the rest. That may have zero to do with this new take, but I'd argue that the character post-Monroe -- penned and played in any era -- is stuck in an uncomfortable place: whether Morse in '72 or Ghee in '22, the other players invite more investment. As Elaine Joyce discovered (she received no Tony nomination, telling, and wasn't particularly launched in the industry), this particular piece of gender fluid storytelling was tethered to one of Hollywood's iconic casting successes. Perhaps with all of the comments on power ballads not landing, the Sugar dilemma may be in the DNA of the material. A friend who shared most of the reservations in this thread yet liked Hicks wondered: would it have helped if the new musical showcased a star, rather than made one? I looked up the Times' reception in 1972, which isn't far from what many are saying here. Walter Kerr: "In general? If you're not expecting a smash and are willing to shake 'Some Like It Hot' out of your heads, you'll find 'Sugar' a decently agreeable evening. Its per formers must make it for you, but they do know how."* *Kerr wrote 8 paragraphs on Morse, 2.5 sentences on Joyce, albeit all complementary: "If I spoke of Miss Joyce as a curiosity, it is because she kept reminding me, inexplicably, of a Charles Schultz character named Woodstock, though I don't think Woodstock ever wore red. Perhaps it's the way she does her hair, like a crown that might blow off." |
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