NOTE: Swing! is mentioned in
this article under "The New Broadway,"
but the entire article should be of interest to theatregoers.
Beyond
criticism: Welcome to the
'new' Broadway
Monday,
December 13, 1999
By JEFFREY ERIC JENKINS
SPECIAL TO THE SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
NEW YORK -- Admiral David
Farragut would be proud of today's Broadway producers. With the now famous cry of
"Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead," the U.S. naval officer turned a decisive
battle in the Civil War.
These days, though, the
battle cry is "Damn the critics, full speed ahead" as Broadway producers search
for ways to avoid whatever harmful effects are created by negative (or lukewarm) reviews.
During the past several
years, producers and marketers of Broadway musicals have circumvented thumbs-down critical
opinions with campaigns that use expensive -- and occasionally sophisticated -- television
commercials and merchandising tie-ins.
For "Jekyll and
Hyde" and "The Scarlet Pimpernel," both critically dismissed Frank Wildhorn
musicals, producers created mini-films that emphasized the dramatic intensity of the
shows. "Jekyll and Hyde" lays claim to an intensely loyal fan base that includes
many people who have seen the production more than 100 times. "Scarlet
Pimpernel" will close Jan. 2 after two creative overhauls failed to turn the critical
tide.
Last season it was the
flaccid remake of the 1984 Kevin Bacon film, "Footloose," that drew critical
scorn. The reviews were so unanimously unflattering that the only "quote ad"
producers could create came courtesy of gossip columnist Liz Smith. Since
"Footloose" opened in October 1998, the most common TV message has featured a
snippet of what sounds like the film version of the title song accompanied by Smith's
predictions about the show's successful future. She seems to be correct:
"Footloose" regularly does decent business and, according to Variety, sold
nearly 91 percent of its tickets for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Even with the advent of
these promotional campaigns, though, there was nothing to prepare New Yorkers for the
shock of passing Bloomingdale's in a speeding taxi and catching a glimpse of a mannequin
-- in full disco pose -- wearing the white suit John Travolta made fashionable in the film
version of "Saturday Night Fever." The suit and other sartorial artifacts of the
1970s were featured by the retailer in a marketing tie-in with the current Broadway
production of the disco sensation. (It's not the first time Bloomingdale's has marketed
Broadway style. The great New York institution also featured a line of grungy urban wear
tied to "Rent" a few years ago, but the retro disco styles are quite a leap.)
Broad-based marketing
appears to be working for "Saturday Night Fever." Shortly after the show opened
-- and was promptly lambasted for its cheesy production values -- the producers announced
they had a $20 million advance. One producer told the Daily News that people were rushing
to "buy repeat tickets at intermission time so they can come back and see the show
all over again."
It's hard to imagine what
these audience members seek to relive. Is it their scintillating youths as cheap, trampy
girls who lust after dopey guys? Perhaps the men want to revel in a time when it was cool
to wear trousers that were three sizes too small in order to highlight their pelvic
regions. Maybe, though, they like their music so loud that their ears ring for days.
Whatever the reasons, "SNF" has too many flaws and too few charms to give it
much ink. If John Travolta were dead, he'd be spinning in his grave; and if he saw this
production, it'd probably kill him.
The 'new' Broadway
Critics are going to have
to get used to the idea that Broadway has forever changed -- and will go on changing.
After all, who among us can stand still and continue to function in the post-postmodern
world?
The "new"
Broadway isn't home merely to merchants of schlock, though. It is a dynamic, if
occasionally frustrating, marketplace where ideas and execution sometimes coalesce into
thrilling art. Other times we may be entertained, if not profoundly moved. And then there
are the times when the price of the ticket itself implies that a good time was had by all.
How often do people say, when asked how they liked a show, "Well, we had great
seats"?
Let's just hope that for
every "Saturday Night Fever" in future seasons there'll also be a "Kiss Me,
Kate." The current revival of Cole Porter's masterpiece, which received great
critical notices (and was reviewed by the P-I on Dec. 2), will hopefully run long enough
to inspire a new generation of artists to write tuneful scores and blend them with lively,
honest stories.
For now, though, we have
Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie lighting up the New York stage eight times a week.
If you're planning a trip to New York soon, forget about "The Lion King" (it'll
run until Y3K is a problem) and see this classic, beautifully fleshed out.
But "Saturday Night
Fever" and "Kiss Me, Kate" still represent models of the old Broadway
musical. Several new shows this season jettison the idea of the "book" musical
in favor of music presented around a central theme or with a loosely connected story line.
Music, dance and presentation are what drive these productions.
"Kat and the
Kings" is an innocuous evening of doo-wop as told by a South African man reminiscing
(without irony) about the "good old days" of apartheid when he and his singing
group tried to master their dreams of performance and stardom. The show mixes soaring
South African doo-wop harmonies -- which are similar to their American counterparts --
with several American songs and finishes in a glitzy musical celebration. After bouncing
along for months with half-filled houses that have paid discount prices, "Kat"
closes Jan. 2 for a European tour.
Stephen Sondheim's
"Putting It Together" has even less story line. Including nearly three dozen
Sondheim songs from a variety of his musicals, the show focuses on the composer's
lacerating approach to human relationships.
Carol Burnett stars as the
older female presence in the piece and she manages to warble pretty well. Although she
occasionally seems about to break into her trademark Tarzan yell, she never gives in to
what appears a powerful impulse. Four or five songs transcend the production's
cabaret-style shtick, but the two-hour show is less than the sum of its parts. For
Sondheim fans, it will have to do. His long-awaited (and delayed) new musical, "Wise
Guys," remains in a holding pattern after a recent, unhappy development process at
New York Theatre Workshop.
Among the new-style
Broadway musicals this season, two that seem destined for success enjoy remarkable
similarities. "Swing!" and "Contact" both count swingy, jazzy music
and superb, athletic dancers among their many charms.
But "Swing!" --
which is led by Spokane-based bandleader Casey MacGill and four other fine singers --
doesn't even pretend to have a story line. There are recurring relationships between
performers who are paired for musical numbers, but "Swing!" essentially stands
and delivers classic songs by artists such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Bob Wills.
MacGill, who appears to have stepped from a 1940s bandstand into our time, also
contributes several tunes to the show.
The many pleasures of
"Swing!" also include rich performances by singers Ann Hampton Callaway and
Laura Benanti. Among the perfectly tuned dancers, Caitlin Carter is a special favorite for
her sexy, vibrant work in "Harlem Nocturne."
"Contact"
consists of three compelling scenes that tell different stories, although the thread that
ties them is the need humans have for emotional connection. Director/choreographer Susan
Stroman and writer John Weidman tell funny, poignant stories of lust, loneliness and
longing in the two-hour production.
The final scene, titled
"Contact," charts an ad executive's march through despair and into a magical
place where dance leads to connection. Boyd Gaines charms as the executive and Deborah
Yates is exquisitely cast as the elusive, balletic girl of his dreams. "Contact"
sold out its brief run at Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse Theater, but will move to the
center's larger Vivian Beaumont Theater on March 9.
Old fashion
Although plays essentially
have abdicated from Broadway, there is always room for an old chestnut -- and it doesn't
hurt if there's a star attached. "The Rainmaker," reviewed in the P-I on Nov.
22, continues to sell well with Woody Harrelson atop the marquee. The limited-run romance,
which closes Feb. 6, has as fine an acting ensemble as the recently departed (and
celebrated) production of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman." Film star
Harrelson seems a bit out of his depth, but ultimately holds his own.
"Salesman" was
scarcely out of the theater district when Miller's "The Price" opened. Revolving
around the settlement of a parent's estate, the 1968 play features two brothers (Jeffrey
DeMunn and Harris Yulin) who dredge up the past and then muck about in familial
recriminations. It's as if Biff and Hap, the brothers in "Salesman," have grown
up and returned home to face the truth about their lives and one another. Bob Dishy plays
an ancient, philosophical junk dealer who provides much of the play's considerable humor.
But DeMunn and Yulin never relent in their middle-age search for answers, and we are
content to probe along with them.
The big non-musical hit so
far this season actually has a bit of song and dance in it. "Dame Edna: The Royal
Tour" is an achingly funny trip through the addled head of "Edna Everage,"
the alter ego of theater artist Barry Humphries.
Dame Edna, who treats her
audience as if we are her beloved subjects, takes cutting aim ("but only in the most
lovely way, possums") at class, sexuality and fashion. Talking directly to the
audience, she invites a couple to dine onstage (they do), makes a phone call to check on a
baby sitter in Ohio and provides makeovers to the fashion-challenged. "Dame
Edna" is unquestionably the funniest show on Broadway.
Seattle connection
As always, Seattle
connections abound in New York theater. This season, though, there have been two big
disappointments. "Scent of the Roses," which began life under the guidance of
Gordon Edelstein at A Contemporary Theatre, was slated to open on Broadway in December.
Due to apparent financing difficulties, the production has been put on hold.
"Voices in the
Dark," which premiered at ACT when the company was still in its old Queen Anne home,
got the season rolling back in August. Judith Ivey played the role of a radio psychologist
with relationship problems and a menacing stalker. Although there once was a place for
thrillers on Broadway, they just don't draw audiences these days. "Voices" fell
silent after 12 previews and 68 performances.
There's good news on the
horizon, though, as director Dan Sullivan -- formerly of the Seattle Rep -- prepares a
production of Eugene O'Neill's "Moon for the Misbegotten." Starring the superb
Cherry Jones and film actor Gabriel Byrne, the production will bow at Chicago's Goodman
Theatre in January before heading to New York.
Sullivan has been on a roll
as a New York stage director since departing the Rep. In 1998, he directed a sublime
production of O'Neill's gentle comedy "Ah, Wilderness!" at Lincoln Center.
Earlier this season, he staged a fine off-Broadway production of Donald Margulies'
"Dinner with Friends." A must-see for any theater lover, the Margulies play is
still running strongly at the Variety Arts Theatre.
Holiday Crush
The Broadway season got an
early, but slow, start this year. As the holiday season reaches its peak, openings abound.
Between now and New Year's, there's a dark musical based on the Medea myth ("Marie
Christine"), a daughter celebrating her father and his art ("Minnelli on
Minnelli"), a dark comedy about art and artists ("Wrong Mountain"), a play
revival ("Amadeus"), an American premiere (Noel Coward's "Waiting in the
Wings") and another solo comedy ("Jackie Mason: Much Ado About
Everything").
The new year will bring
Disney's troubled Elton John/Tim Rice musical spectacle, "Aida," to Broadway.
Cameron Mackintosh's latest musical, "Martin Guerre," which has had its own
difficulties, will bow in the spring.
It remains to be seen
whether critics are now irrelevant as some theater folk claim. However, it is a very good
thing that a rotten review from The New York Times cannot automatically kill a show, as it
once could.
When the business cycle
turns, consumers may not be quite as flush with disposable income as they are now. At that
point, we will all be a bit more careful about how we spend our money. Where, then, will a
family of four turn when deciding which show gets their $300 for orchestra seats?
Hopefully, right here.
