Oliver!

 A

 By coincidence, the two finest musicals in New York right now are both set in the underbelly of 19^th-century London. My previous review was devoted to one of them, Sweeney Todd, which is essentially tragic with comic undertones. Oliver!, on the other hand, is basically good-natured with a touch of tragedy. Lionel Bart’s score has a super-abundance of delightful songs that, in this Encores! production, receive their due both from the orchestra and the actors. The voices, starting with 12-year-old Benjamin Pajak (The Music Man) in the title role, are superb. He stopped the show with “Where Is Love?”, as did the excellent Lilli Cooper (Mack & Mabel) as Nancy with “As Long As He Needs Me.” Raul Esparza (Company, Seared) creates an almost sympathetic Fagin, a far cry from Dickens’ creation. Tam Mutu (Moulin Rouge) is a properly menacing Bill Sikes. Julian Lerner’s Artful Dodger was more subdued than usual. Brad Oscar (The Producers) and Mary Testa (Oklahoma!) go well together as Mr. Bumble and Widow Corney. Thom Sesma (A Man of No Importance) and Rashidra Scott (Company) are fine as Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry. Michael Siberry (INK) is a sympathetic Mr. Brownlow. One of the show’s biggest treats is its young ensemble who are triple threats with first-rate singing, acting and, especially, dancing. Lorin Latarro’s (Into the Woods) ample choreography is inventive and makes the most of the stage’s shallow performing space. David Rockwell’s (She Loves Me) efficient set places the orchestra on a platform of rough wooden beams, with a backdrop of the London skyline at night, and two stairways that get lots of use. The score sounds wonderful under the baton of Encores! musical director Mary-Mitchell Campbell. Director Lear DeBessonet (Into the Woods) shows a real affinity for this material; The future of Encores! looks promising under her artistic direction. The production runs until May 14. Running time: two hours 20 minutes including intermission.

Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

A

Tooting Arts Club originated this innovative version of Sondheim and Wheeler’s dark musical at London’s oldest pie and mash shop where it had a sold-out run followed by another in the West End. Luckily for us, Harrington’s Pie and Mash Shop has been lovingly recreated at the Barrow Street Theatre so we are able to see this wonderful production, including the four leads from London. With his dead eyes, hollow cheeks and slicked-back hair, Jeremy Secomb is a very scary Todd. Any vocal shortcomings are more than made up for by his commanding presence. Siobhan McCarthy is as fine a Mrs. Lovett as I have seen. Duncan Smith is strong as Judge Turpin and Joseph Taylor is wonderful as Tobias. (Starting in April, these four will be replaced by American actors including Norm Lewis and Carolee Carmello). Brad Oscar is surprisingly subdued as the Beadle. Matt Doyle and Alex Finke make a fine pair of young lovers as Anthony and Johanna. Betsy Morgan plays two roles: she is fine as the beggar woman, but I am not sure that casting any woman as Pirelli was a good idea. Much of the action takes place near the counter at the front of the pie shop, but the actors occasionally hop up on the four long tables that are perpendicular to the counter and move around other parts of the shop as well. I was amazed that the music was provided by just three musicians — a pianist, a violinist and a clarinetist; they serve the score well. The stripped-down staging works fine throughout the first act, but falters slightly in the last minutes, when the action intensifies quickly. It’s not really a problem. Simon Kenny gets credit for the wonderful set and costumes. Georgina Lamb is listed as choreographer, but there is very little dance in the traditional sense. Fight director Bryce Bermingham does an effective job. Kudos to director Bill Buckhurst for holding everything together. It’s a unique theatrical experience that I highly recommend. I also suggesting ordering the pre-show pot pie and mash for $20 with beverage. The delicious chicken or vegetarian pies are the creation of former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses. Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes including intermission.

A few words about seating: All the seating is on benches that have upholstered seats but wooden backs and no arms. The seats in rows A through F are perpendicular to the front of the shop. If you are in rows B through E, be prepared to have actors performing on your table. Rows G and H are parallel to the front of the shop and provide a good overall view. Rows AA and BB are in the balcony.

Something Rotten! ***

Emerging out of the blue late in the season comes this dark horse of a musical that is clearly destined for lots of awards and a long run. The creators are an unlikely combo —  Karey Kirkpatrick, a Hollywood based screenwriter/director/songwriter with no theatrical credits; his brother Wayne Kirkpatrick, a Nashville-based songwriter; and John O’Farrell, a British satirist. The brothers are jointly credited with the music, lyrics and concept, while Karey and O’Farrell wrote the book. The only person on the creative side with name recognition is award-winning director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw  The topic and setting are equally unlikely — the invention of the musical in 1595 London. The Bottom brothers, Nick (Brian d’Arcy James) and Nigel (John Cariani) are struggling to keep their theatrical company afloat. To his regret, Nick had previously urged a certain actor whose initials are W.S. to leave the troupe and take up playwriting. Christian Borle plays The Bard as the rock star of his age with a nasty habit of stealing material. Nick, unable to come up with a plot that Shakespeare didn’t get to first, consults soothsayer Nostradamus (Brad Oscar) to find out what will be the “next big thing” and what will be Shakespeare’s best play. Unfortunately Nostradamus never gets things quite right, with the result that Nick sets out to write the world’s first musical — “Omelet.” Nick’s wife Bea (Heidi Blickenstaff) is a proto-feminist.  Nigel falls in love with Portia (Kate Reinders), daughter of leading Puritan Brother Jeremiah (Brad Ashmanskas) who thinks theater and music are the devil’s work. An uncharacteristically restrained Peter Bartlett appears in the dual roles of Lord Clapham and the Minister of Justice. The more familiar you are with the Shakespearean canon and the musicals of the last 60 years, the more you will enjoy the show. Running through the show are snippets from the bard and signature lines from virtually every musical you can think of, each received with delighted recognition by the audience. The music, in a variety of styles, works well within the context of the show. Midway through the first act there’s a show-stopping number (“A Musical”) that brought the loudest, longest applause I have ever witnessed in a theater. The uniformly strong cast seemed to be enjoying themselves.The scenic design by Scott Pask and the costumes by Gregg Barnes are top-notch. The show is entertaining, relentlessly so. I sometimes felt that it was trying too hard to amuse. For me, its clever conceits were stretched beyond their potential. As so often happens, the second act did not live up to the promise of the first. The dance numbers, while lively, were monotonously alike. Despite these reservations, I had a good time. The wildly enthusiastic audience portends a successful run. Running time: 2 hours 25 minutes including intermission.