Moulin Rouge

A-

Baz Lurhrmann’s 2001 cult film musical has been adapted for Broadway with a book by John Logan (Red) and a jukebox score curated, orchestrated and arranged by Justin Levine (Here Lies Love) into a production that is relentlessly entertaining. The opulent scenic design by Derek McLane (The Parisian Woman) transforms the Al Hirschfeld Theater into a wonderland of gold and red, featuring a windmill above one side of the proscenium and a blue elephant above the other. Catherine Zuber’s (My Fair Lady) wonderful costumes present heightened versions of 1899 Parisian attire. Everything is perfectly lit by Justin Townsend (The Humans). Karen Olivo (West Side Story, In the Heights) combines earthiness, vulnerability and charisma as Satine, the nightclub’s star who has no illusion that “courtesan” is anything more than a polite word for “whore.” She is well-balanced by Aaron Tveit’s (Catch Me If You Can, Next to Normal) Christian, an innocent from Lima, Ohio just arrived in Paris to make his mark as a songwriter. He fortuitously meets bohemian writer Toulouse-Lautrec (Sahr Ngaujah; Fela!) and tango dancer Santiago (Ricky Rojas; Burn the Floor), who enlist him to write the music for the show they hope to present at the Moulin Rouge. Danny Burstein (My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof) gives a multilayered portrayal of Harold Zidler, the club’s impresario, who is eager to give Satine to the Duke of Monroth (Tam Mutu; Doctor Zhivago) in return for his providing financial backing for the failing nightclub. Satine and Christian are forced to hide their budding romance from the Duke. Satine also hides from Christian the fact that she has consumption. Logan’s book captures all the melodrama, but does not have much chance for nuance since it must make room for so many songs plus spectacular dance numbers with choreography by Sonya Tayeh (Hundred Days, “Rent: Live”). What makes this the ultimate jukebox musical is that the score is comprised of over 70 songs or fragments of songs from a cross-section of recent pop composers. Levine has cleverly built a musical collage that presents familiar material in unexpected contexts. Throughout the evening, there were chuckles from the audience as they recognized familiar songs. How much pleasure you derive from this added dimension depends on how familiar you are with pop music (In my case, not very). The cast is uniformly strong, the dancers are amazing, and the entire production, ably directed by Alex Timbers (Beetlejuice, Here Lies Love), is dazzling. If you just sit back and let all the over-the-top spectacle roll over you, you will enjoy yourself immensely. One quibble: the extended curtain call number, although terrific, undercuts the mood of the show’s actual ending. Running time: two hours 45 minutes including intermission.)

My Fair Lady (revisited)

A+

When Lincoln Center Theater offered members the chance to see My Fair Lady a second time at member prices, I jumped at the opportunity. In my review a year ago (https://gotham-playgoer.blogspot.com/2018/04/my-fair-lady.html), I said “It’s a near-perfect production of what many have called the perfect musical.” Since then, there have been several cast changes which, without exception, have improved the production. I can now say that the show is even nearer perfection than before. To no one’s surprise, Laura Benanti (She Loves Me, Gypsy) is superb as Eliza. Likewise, Rosemary Harris (A Delicate Balance, The Royal Family) makes a wonderful Mrs. Higgins. Danny Burstein (South Pacific, Follies) is a natural as Alfred P. Doolittle. Christian Dante White (Hello, Dolly, Shuffle Along…) not only has a fine voice, but also manages to breathe some life into the role of Freddy Eynsford-Hill. Lastly, Clarke Thorell (The Front Page, Annie) has eliminated the offensively effete portrayal of Zoltan Karpathy. Happily, Harry Hadden-Paton and Allan Corduner are back as Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering, respectively, and have deepened their portrayals. Everything else is still there — the amazing set, the gorgeous costumes, the lively choreography, the large orchestra and, of course, the masterful score and book. I liked it even better the second time around. Running time: two hours 45 minutes including intermission.

Describe the Night

B+

Atlantic Theater Company is presenting the New York premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s (Guards at the Taj, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) play that blends fact and fiction, realism and surrealism in an intricate story covering the period between 1920 and 2010 in Russia, Poland and East Germany. With only eight characters, it may not qualify as an epic but it is certainly an ambitious and complex work. Four of the leading characters are based on historical figures: famed Russian writer Isaac Babel (Danny Burstein), Soviet Secret Police chief Nikolai Yezhov (Zach Grenier), Yezhov’s wife Yevgenia (Tina Benko) and an ambitious young KGB agent nicknamed Vova (Max Gordon Moore). Babel and Yezhov meet in Poland in 1920 and become unlikely friends. Sparks fly when Babel meets Yevgenia. We also meet Feliks (Stephen Stocking), a car rental agent, and Mariya (Nadia Bowers; The Farnsworth Invention), a journalist, who are witnesses to the mysterious plane crash in 2010 that wiped out most of the Polish government. Mrs. Petrovna (Bowers again) is Mariya’s landlady. Urzula (Rebecca Naomi Jones; Marie and Rosetta, Big Love) is a young East German singer who wants to escape to the West in 1989. The playwright follows the basic facts of the relationship between Babel and the Yezhovs fairly closely up to 1940, but puts his own fantastical spin on the Yezhovs’ fate. The story jumps around in time and place and challenges the audience to follow along. There are scenes that are quite dramatic, others that are very funny and a few that don’t have much impact but are necessary to connect the dots. The title of the play comes from Babel’s direction to himself in his writing journal. The travels of this journal over 90 years form the backbone of the play. To say more about the plot would risk spoiling the pleasure of discovery. Zach Grenier (33 Variations, Storefront Church), Tina Benko (The Crucible, Scenes from a Marriage) and Max Gordon Moore (Indecent, Man from Nebraska) are a pleasure to watch. While I admire Danny Burstein (Fiddler on the Roof, Golden Boy) for his willingness to take risks, he seems miscast here. The main design feature of the set by Tim Mackabee (The Penitent, Guards at the Taj) remains unused for most of the play. The period costumes by Amy Clark (Chaplin) are excellent. Giovanna Sardelli (Animals out of Paper) directs with a sure hand. While I found the play intellectually satisfying, it did not engage me fully at the emotional level. The characters seem more like pieces of a puzzle than individuals worthy of empathy. Nevertheless, it offers a stimulating theatrical experience. Running time: two hours 55 minutes including two intermissions.

Fiddler on the Roof ****

My theater-going year got off to a very satisfying start with the excellent revival of this beloved 1964 musical now on Broadway. With its wonderful music and lyrics by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick and excellent book by Joseph Stein, the show is virtually indestructible. Not even the absence of Jerome Robbins’s direction and choreography threatens its almost inevitable success. Bartlett Sher, who has so adeptly directed revivals of classic musicals at Lincoln Center, does not disappoint. Except for a brief framing device that I found somewhat ineffective, he is entirely respectful to the material. Hofesh Sheather’s choreography is true to the spirit of Robbins. Ultimately, the show’s success rests on its Tevye. Danny Burstein is superb, offering more humanity and less shtick than some of his predecessors. I was skeptical of casting Jessica Hecht, an actress I often find too mannered, as Golde, but she surprised me with a thoughtful, understated performance. Alexandra Silber, Samantha Massell and Melanie Moore are all fine as daughters Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava. Adam Kantor as Motel and Ben Rappaport as Perchik are also strong. Alix Korey as Yente seemed a bit too broad in her first scene, but calmed down a bit later. The other actors, too numerous to list here, were generally strong. The set by Michael Yeargan, through its use of floating buildings that grow smaller as the story progresses, reinforces the play’s theme. Catherine Zuber's costumes are fine too. Ted Sperling’s musical direction is exemplary. The show’s emotional highlights worked their usual magic on me. It’s good to have this stellar example of the golden age of American musicals back in town. Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes.

Cabaret ***

Roundabout’s revival of the revival of this classic musical is mostly successful. The Sam Mendes/Rob Marshall production has lost little of its bite. Alan Cumming’s Emcee is as compelling a presence as ever. Bill Heck makes a fine Clifford Bradshaw. The ever-reliable Danny Burstein is a natural for Herr Schultz. Linda Emond is a revelation as Fraulein Schneider — who knew she had the vocal chops to go with her fine acting? Gayle Rankin and Aaron Krohn do right by the roles of Fraulein Kost and Ernst Ludwig. The talented (and beautiful!) Kit Kat Band once again plays Kander & Ebb's terrific score sensationally and the Kit Kat Girls and Boys are easy on the eyes and light on their feet. And then, alas, there’s Michelle Williams as Sally Bowles. I can’t explain precisely why she fails — her voice is not bad — but the role somehow seems beyond her expressive range. It doesn’t sink the show, but it definitely weakens its impact. Robert Brill’s set successfully turns Studio 54 into the Kit Kat Klub. The audience was wildly enthusiastic. Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including intermission.

Snow Geese *

(Please click on the title to see the complete review.)
Somewhere inside the shapeless drama now in previews at MTC's Friedman Theatre, there's a play struggling to get out. There are plenty of plot points that could be interesting -- a family's suddenly diminished fortunes, the effects of parental favoritism on character, sibling rivalry in two generations, the treatment of German-Americans in 1917, the horrors of war, the plight of a war refugee, the difficulty of overcoming grief and a few nods to Chekhov. Why then don't they come together to form a rewarding, involving whole? It's not the acting -- the cast (Mary-Louise Parker, Danny Burstein, Victoria Clark, Evan Jonigkeit, Brian Cross, Christopher Innvar and Jessica Love) is mostly strong. It's certainly not the set -- once again Jon Lee Beatty has outdone himself with an attractive, flexible design. I think those most blame-worthy are playwright Sharr White ("The Other Place") for not locating and emphasizing the play's emotional center, the director (Daniel Sullivan) for overlooking serious problems (including a second act scene and character that should be excised), and Manhattan Theatre Club, for presenting a play before it was ready. Let's hope for a miracle -- maybe they'll whip it into shape before opening night. Running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes including intermission.

Talley's Folly **

(Please click on the title to see the complete review.)
Roundabout Theatre's revival of Lanford Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play about an unlikely romance in small-town Missouri in 1944 is now in previews at the Laura Pels. The good news is that it much more successful than their recent revival of "Picnic." The not-so-good news is that the casting is less than ideal. If I had not seen the original production with Judd Hirsch as Matt Friedman, I might not have had as much difficulty accepting Danny Burstein in the part. Although I have admired Burstein in other plays, I thought he was miscast here. He seems too old, too unattractive, too given to shtick and too devoid of charm to be a plausible love interest for Sally Talley. Sarah Paulson also looked a bit old for her part, but handled the role well. Jeff Cowie's enormous set, so big that they had to remove two rows of seats to make room for it, calls too much attention to itself and subverts the intimacy of the play. David C. Woolard's costumes are fine.   Michael Wilson's direction lacked nuance. Nevertheless, even a flawed production of this fine play is welcome. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes without intermission.

Golden Boy ***

(Please click on the title to see the complete review.)
Lincoln Center Theater's lavish 75th anniversary production of this Clifford Odets classic is now in previews at the Belasco Theatre. The cast of 19, directed by Bartlett Sher, features such stalwarts as Tony Shalhoub, Danny Burstein and Jonathan Hadary, whose topnotch performances were, for me,  the main reason to see the play. Lucas Caleb Rooney, Dagmara Dominczyk and Michael Aronov are fine as Joe Bonaparte's brother, sister and brother-in-law respectively. Anthony Crivello is appropriately menacing as Eddie Fuselli. Yvonne Strahovski (Hanna on Dexter) makes an impressive debut as Lorna Moon. Danny Mastrogiorgio seemed a bit shaky as Joe's manager. And then there's Seth Numrich as Joe. Let me just say that he is not an obvious choice for the part. He is too big to be plausible as a welterweight, he doesn't look remotely Italian and his acting is outclassed by his fellow cast members. It is a tribute to the overall excellence of the production that this weakness does not seriously harm it. Michael Yeargan's multiple sets are excellent and Catherine Zuber's costumes are superb. I was surprised that the play did not seem as dated as I had expected and that Odets had managed to keep his usual sermonizing mostly in check until the third act. The ending is rather flat. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the evening more than I expected to. Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes, including two intermissions.