| I liked the show as a whole far more, but my problem with Sugar isn't characterization: it's her numbers. She needs something truly memorable, a showstopper on par with the best. And though she's been assigned showcases for the singing actor's superb vocals -- she's a marvel -- her numbers are expository of backstory or repetitive torch. To me it's the biggest hole in the show, the absence of a Sugar hit to balance the rest. "Sugar" had the same problem, but at least Styne gave Joyce the bubbly "Hey! Why Not?" Which is among the peppiest of tunes, with a swell hook, and even defines the overture. Sugar's ballads in "Hot" may be appropriate to the era, but as a musical comedy, the show needs something more from her and for her. |
