Harry Potter turns it in! Daniel Radcliffe may forever be known as J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard, but he’s been branching out on Broadway––first in the drama EQUUS in 2008 and now in the Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert classic musical. Nothing up until now has prepared us for a singing and dancing Daniel Radcliffe, but sing he does with a suitable voice and dance he does with surprising skill and athleticism. The original J. Pierrpont Finch was the elfin embodiment of Robert Morse, filled with odd quirky business that had no explanation except for hilarity. On the other hand, for all of Morse’s clowning, he found the right moments to be real in an otherwise cartoon world. Matthew Broderick found his own unique brand of comic business along with surprising the world with his singing and dancing talents in the same way that makes Radcliffe a delight, but only thanks to the wit of the Pulitzer Prize winning book of this musical is Mr. Radcliffe funny. He is cute, he is ernest, he is a good sport to be tossed around by the much taller dancers of the company, but he has not found in Finch that strange and quirky character that Morse and Broderick unleashed and that makes the illogical nerve of the character seem plausible. Here we are to believe Finch is capable of propelling to the top of the ladder simply from the voice of Anderson Cooper giving him advise as the guide book of the show’s title. I have before always felt that Finch was somehow insane, causing that lack of judgment that would stop any sane man from actually trying the steps outlined in Shepherd Mead’s satire on big business circa 1960. Although Mr. Radcliffe may not be particularly distinctive as Finch, he comes with a kind of distinction by being the star of the most popular film franchise of the decade––we like him immediately and we want him to succeed. In the end he succeeds most admirably.
Rob Ashford is both director and choreographer, but is most confident when staging the numbers. However, inbetween the numbers the book scenes are muddy and the actors seem to meander. Jokes that high school students have pulled off don’t land and the general delivery of the book does not have that one-two-punch of the “New Yorker” style cartoons that is part of the territory of this show. We are early in previews now, so it is completely possible that the book scenes will clean up a bit. What won’t be improved is the general lack of character in this production’s cast. Luckily we know something of the original production because most of the Broadway talent also did the film (a decent film even if half the score was cut) and what we know is that the characters were CHARACTERS. They were big, they had bits, they had double takes, they could give a slow burn, and in that blown up world they were still credible. This was also the case with the last revival. With few exceptions the current cast does not compare. Is this Rob Ashford being afraid to truly take on the style of the show? I don’t think so because he manages it expertly during the numbers. It can only be the actors’ lack of know how in a kind of performance that may have been lost in the past twenty years or so. The folks that shine include Tammy Blanchard as Hedy La Rue who gives an original take on the dizzy dame sexpot. Rob Bartlett as both Mr. Twimble and Wally Womper pops as that old time character man that the show requires, making the other principal men seem quite dull. There is nothing in Nick Mayo’s Mr. Gatch or Michael Park’s Mr. Bratt to match the delight of Rob Bartlett’s performance––in fact their comic potential has been ignored.
John Larroquette makes his Broadway debut as J. B. Biggley and is appropriate, though he adds nothing special to the role, letting only the book do the very good job of supplying him with all the humor he really needs to succeed. When you consider the Bud Frumps of the past, Christopher J. Hanke isn’t the first person in the Broadway circle that comes to mind and although he is not offensive in the role, he has done nothing for it but accept the Sally Jesse Rafael glasses that costume designer Catherine Zuber has given him to wear. The red glasses are his character definition and he gets only half the comedy out of a character who is usually comic gold. Hanke’s Frump is a spoiled Ivy League golden boy and far too normal and bland to properly inhabit the world of the play. We are better off with the ladies. Rose Hemmingway makes a lovely Rosemary––she is just right and sings brightly. Mary Faber is an ideal Smitty, offering a nice contrast of character to Rosemary. Ellen Harvey has the right stature to succeed as Mrs. Jones and takes us back to the original production’s opera style break out solo during “Brotherhood of Man.”
For the most part, Rob Ashford’s musical numbers are what really hold the show together. Staged around a cubical wall of levels reminiscent of Gower Champion’s BYE BYE BIRDIE, Mr. Ashford manages some inventive surprises. There are times when he has over choreographed, such as the opening sequence of mid-century modern jazz dance set to the title song with Radcliffe in the middle of it all looking bewildered. Then there is the shock of tap dancing added to “Cinderella Darling,” which is glaringly out of place. On the other hand he develops “Grand Old Ivy” into a fantasy football game with the male chorus, who tosses Radcliffe tumbling in slow motion over their heads to great effect. There is the staging of “Been A Long Day” inside the elevator that becomes more crowded with every floor. “The Company Way” is choreographed to the routines of a mailroom and rises to the level of genius. Best of all there is the perfect staging of “Brotherhood of Man” with Radcliffe causing various groups to fall in line to an infectious dance that is precise and intricate and asks the young star to perform as well as the seasoned chorus behind him, which he does with perfection. The number is as rousing as Mr. Radcliffe is astonishing in it.
This revival is welcome and so is its star. It may not be perfectly directed, but it is great fun all the same. The youngsters might not get it and they certainly won’t hold any nostalgia for it––which is inevitably a part of its potential success. The young man sitting next to me said, “I think I saw this show recently and it was called PROMISES, PROMISES.” Yes the two shows cover some of the same ground (certainly similar wardrobes), but this one came first and it is a bona fied musical comedy classic of the first order. The material itself along with the capable star makes up for any other shortcomings the production may have.
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