Some Like It Hot

A-

How brave the creative team of this musical adaptation of the classic Billy Wilder film were to tinker with a movie that enjoys cult status, especially since it had already been adapted as Sugar, a musical that ran on Broadway for over a year 50 years ago. Luckily for us, Mark Shaiman (music and lyrics; Hairspray), Scott Whitman (lyrics; Hairspray), Matthew Lopez (book; The Inheritance, Amber Ruffin (book), Casey Nicholaw (director/choreographer; The Prom), Scott Pask (scenic design; The Book of Mormon)) and Gregg Barnes (costume design; Mean Girls) have assembled a show that is not only relentlessly entertaining but adds a few interesting new twists to the story. The casting is superb: the ever enjoyable Christian Borle (Something Rotten!) hits all the right notes as Joe; J. Harrison Ghee (Mrs. Doubtfire) perfectly captures the duality of Jerry/Daphne; Adrianna Hicks (Six) makes the most of the less-developed role of Sugar; Kevin Del Aguila (Frozen) is hilarious in the expanded role of Osgood, and Natasha Yvette Williams (Tina) is a force of nature as Sweet Sue. The music is catchy, the choreography which includes lots of tap dancing is terrific, the deco sets are wonderful and the period costumes are splendid. By portraying Sweet Sue, Jerry/Daphne and Sugar as black, the authors have added a new dimension to the plot. By giving Osgood a back story, they strengthen the theme of identity fluidity personified by Jerry/Daphne. By not slavishly following the details of the film, they have created something that both honors the original and opens new doors. The result is a sure crowd-pleaser that should have a very long run. My only complaint is that the sound level at times became uncomfortably loud. Running time: two hours 35 minutes including intermission. 

The Inheritance

B+ (A- for Part I, B for Part II)

After its ecstatic London reviews and the large commitment of time and money required to see it, Matthew Lopez’s (The Whipping Man, The Legend of Georgia McBride) two-part drama about a circle of contemporary gay men in NYC and their debt to their predecessors arrives on Broadway with a lot to prove. The fact that Lopez has taken inspiration from Howard’s End in creating his characters and themes adds to its interest for E.M. Forster fans. However, Howard’s End is not the only ingredient in Lopez’s recipe. Add large dashes of Angels in America, The Normal Heart and Boys in the Band. Does this recipe work? Mostly yes. The decision to include Morgan (the M. in E.M. Forster) as a character in the play pays off brilliantly, especially since he is played by the excellent Paul Hilton (“A Very English Scandal,” “The Crown”). Hilton also plays Walter, the kindly older man and life partner of Henry Wilcox who befriends and inspires Eric. The other male leads, all carryovers from London, are also very good. As Eric Glass, the play’s core, Kyle Soller (The Government Inspector) radiates goodness. As budding playwright Toby Darling, Eric’s lover of seven years at the play’s opening, Andrew Burnap (This Day Forward) nails his charm, insecurity and self-loathing. Samuel H. Levine (Kill Floor) is superb both as Adam, the actor who captures but does not reciprocate Toby’s interest, and as Leo, the young hustler who reminds Toby of Adam. In one remarkable scene, he plays both simultaneously. As Henry Wilcox, the hard-nosed conservative billionaire who is drawn to Eric, the reliable John Benjamin Hickey (Six Degrees of Separation, Love! Valour! Compassion!) once again proves his worth. The supporting cast playing Eric’s circle of friends make the most of their moments. The only principal role recast for Broadway is that of Margaret, an old woman Eric meets late in Part II. Replacing Vanessa Redgrave with Lois Smith (Marjorie Prime, John) is going from strength to strength. However I did feel that her long, touching soliloquy (and indeed the inclusion of her character) came across as an audience-pleasing interpolation that was not really organic to the plot. What would a New York story be without talk of real estate? Here we have two topics, the legendary $575 three-bedroom rent-controlled apartment on West End Avenue which Eric’s grandmother lived in and which he is struggling to hang onto, as well as Henry's upstate country home which Walter made a refuge for AIDS patients and which he wanted Eric to have. Scenes that advance the story are interpolated by extended discussions, the topics of which include the downside of gay assimilation, Forster’s cowardice in not publishing Maurice during his lifetime, proper attribution of credit for accelerated introduction of AIDS drugs, and the challenges brought on by the 2016 election. Bob Crowley’s (The History Boys, Carousel) minimalist set— a large beige rectangle surrounding a smaller rectangle that raises and lowers and a back wall that opens occasionally to reveal specific settings — serves the production well, as do his costumes. Stephen Daldry’s (Machinal, Billy Elliot) direction is impeccable. How you respond to all this may well depend on your level of interest in the lifestyles of privileged gay men and in the works of Forster. I strongly recommend that you watch the film of Howard’s End before seeing the play so you will appreciate Lopez’s appropriations. If you have time, watch Maurice too. Some of the New York references are so specific that I am surprised London responded with such enthusiasm. You should be cautioned that there are graphic — very graphic — descriptions of gay sex. I wonder who the target audience is. A totally unscientific look at yesterday’s audience suggested that 75% of the orchestra and 95% of the mezzanine were gay men. I would normally suggest that you see both parts on the same day. However, the investment of time and money is so large that you might want to see Part I before deciding whether you want to invest in Part II. I thought Part I was the better half and could stand alone. The end of Part I is definitely the emotional high point of the play. Running times: Part I — three hours 20 minutes including an intermission and a pause; Part II — three hours 15 minutes including an intermission and a pause.

Summer Shorts: Series A ***

59E59 Theater is once again hosting the Summer Shorts Festival of New American Short Plays. Series A features works by Neil LaBute (most recently The Way We Get By), Vickie Ramirez and Matthew Lopez (The Whipping Man). 

LaBute’s 10K  presents two joggers, a woman (Clea Alsip) and a man (J.J. Kandel), who are certainly among the fittest actors on a New York stage. Although they are jogging for almost the entire play, their bodies and their voices show no signs of fatigue. They meet on their daily run in a nature reserve and carry on a conversation that gradually grows more personal and leads them to reveal their fantasies. It’s a minor work that is superbly realized. The playwright directed.

Glenburn 12 WP by Ramirez is the evening’s weak point. Troy (Tre Davis), a young black man who has been at an anti-racism protest at Grand Central Terminal, enters a nearby Irish pub to have a beer. The bartender is unaccountably absent. He is soon joined by Roberta (Tanis Parenteau), a woman in her 30s who is a regular at the bar and who turns out to be part Native American. She tries to persuade him to have a drink, but he is reluctant to without the bartender there. She provokes him into a conversation and offers to pay for his drinks. When she goes down to the cellar allegedly to see if the bartender is there, she returns with a bottle of the very expensive Scotch for which the play is named. After a couple of drinks, she reveals a dark secret, which seemed completely implausible. The actors did their best with poorly written characters. Mel Haney directed.

The Sentinels by Lopez introduces us to three 9/11 widows whose husbands worked for the same firm and who meet at a coffee shop near ground zero every year. Alice’s (Meg Gibson) husband was the company’s founder. The acerbic Christa (Kellie Overbey) was married to an important executive there. Kelly’s (Michelle Beck) husband was a recent hire. Zuzanna Szadkowski is the waitress. The gimmick is that the story is told backwards starting in 2011 and proceeding in short scenes back to 2000. The concept is better than the execution. The short scenes don’t really build in intensity. The cast was good. The flatness seemed more in the writing than in Stephen Brackett’s direction.

Rebecca Lord-Surratt’s set design transformed nicely between locations. Dede Ayite’s costumes were apt. The evening was pleasant but not memorable. Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes, no intermission.

The Whipping Man ***

Manhattan Theatre Club is presenting the New York premiere of Matthew Lopez's historical drama on its City Center stage. The premise that Lopez asks us to accept -- that the household slaves in a Jewish household in Richmond practiced Judaism -- is not totally implausible: in Biblical times, Jews encouraged their slaves to convert and circumcised the males whether or not they converted. Lopez takes the coincidence that the Confederate surrender occurred one day before the beginning of Passover and runs with it to spin an interesting tale of deceit, betrayal and mutual dependence that culminates in a seder. Caleb DeLeon (Jay Wilkinson), the Jewish family's son, is a seriously wounded Confederate officer who returns from the war to find  his home looted, partially destroyed and deserted except for the family's longtime servant Simon (Andre Braugher). The two are soon joined by John (Andre Holland), a former slave Caleb's age with a knack for trouble. At Simon's suggestion, they hold a seder, during which they read and discuss verses about the nature of slavery and freedom.  At the seder, secrets are revealed that forever alter their ties. The play has some awkward moments, but was consistently interesting. The acting was good and Doug Hughes's direction was smooth. John Lee Beatty's set and Ben Stanton's lighting were grimly effective, although I could have done without the symbolic lightning, thunder and rain that never cease.Warning: the first scene is extremely grisly.