I must admit to not feeling well when I met a friend to see this show. I ended up leaving at intermission, and fortunately, I felt much better by the time my friend walked me back to the hotel where I’m staying. So, this report will be brief.
This is a big show in lots of ways. Set in the New York that was crowded with new arrivals after World War II ended, it makes the mistake of trying to tell too many stories at once, making it somewhat difficult to keep track of them (or to care about them). The lead story is about Jimmy Doyle (Colton Ryan) who meets up with Francine Evans (Anna Uzele). Big cast: the only name I recognized was Emily Skinner, who plays a hard-bitten violin teacher, and who was also out last night. She was replaced by Wendi Bergamini, her understudy (lots of people covering roles in this cast - worries about COVID maybe?). Big orchestra, some interesting effects, like dancing on the beams of a high rise that was going up. The score is not a compendium of past Kander & Ebb hits, though I heard an occasional recognizable riff from early work pass by. Best part about the production was Susan Stroman’s direction and choreography.
Mostly, I needed to care more.
Bill Eadie |
