Reviewed by Judd Hollander
Illicit liquor flowing by the barrel, gangsters who won't
stay dead after being shot, high society folks with low moral standards, tap
dancing cops with machine guns, and where being thrown into Sing-Sing prison is
an excuse to break into song. These are but some of the elements present in the
long-forgotten 1930 musical The New
Yorkers. Painstakingly resurrected by the people at Encores! this product
of a bygone era proves to be both very delightful and also so very, very lacking
in substance a decent wind will blow it away.
Subtitled a Sociological
Musical Satire, the show gleefully takes aim at the New York upper crust,
as well as the widespread corruption that often afflicts those in authority. Also
coming in for a ribbing is the entire concept of prohibition. The show's
creators making the point that a ban ignored by enough people, ceases to be a
ban in all but name.
The overall plot involves Alice Wentworth (Scarlett
Streallen), a Park Avenue dilettante who's engaged to
fellow blue-blood Philip Booster (Todd Buonopane). even though she has fallen in
love with someone else. The person who stole her heart being Al Spanish (Tam
Mutu), a mobster who runs one of the hottest nightclubs in New
York . A place where the elite come to play and illegal
alcohol is freely available. Al, who's had a long-term relationship with singer
and club headliner Mona Low (Mylinda Hull), happily returns Alice 's
affections. Although he has no intention of giving up his life of ill-repute.
Nor would Alice want him to. It
being so much more fun than her accustomed lifestyle, and more dangerous to her
health. Especially since Al is trying to muscle in on the New
York caviar market. Something gangster Feet McGeegan
(Arnie Burton), who controls the flow of sturgeon into the city, is determined
to prevent.
What makes the show so interesting is the seemingly haphazard
way it's structured. The piece filled with comedic sketches - vehicles for actor/singer/comedian
Jimmy Durante, who was in the original cast - as well as various musical
numbers, all quite enjoyable and most of which stop the forward momentum of the
show cold while they play out. Something which would never go over in the
musicals of today. This is especially true with "Wood". An act one
finale so offbeat, that actor Kevin Chamblerlin, who plays the Durante role,
has to explain to the audience that this was how the first act actually ended
in 1930.
The show has a fascinating pedigree, it being the brainchild
of New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno. According to the show program, Arno
was someone loved taking down society's upper crust in his drawings, an effect
which translates quite well here. While much of the material was long thought lost,
most of it was pulled together though a painstaking restoration process, with
new material added to cover the gaps, Such as a sly reference to "Big
River", the previous production presented by Encores!
Acting
as the glue that holds the entire piece together is the often machine gun-like
dialogue from book writer Herbert Fields, much of which still packs a punch
today. Such as "There comes a time in every man's life when a woman needs
fifty dollars". The line spoken by Alice 's
mother, Gloria (Ruth Williamson) upon seeing her cheating husband (Byron
Jennings) on the town with a woman of easy virtue. Of course Gloria is also stepping
out on her husband, thus showing how the apple doesn't always fall far from the
tree. Also quite funny is a sequence where Philip is told how Prohibition was
enacted a decade earlier; to which he queries, with a drink in his hand when
said regulations would actually take effect. This being a not-so-subtle swipe
at how easy it was to obtain liquor at the time if one wanted it.
Fitting
quite nicely into all of this is Cole Porter's delightful score. While the two
standards that came out of the show were "Love For Sale" and "I
Happen To Like New York", other enjoyable tunes include "The Great
Indoors", which touts the virtue of staying at home on weekends. There's
also the hilarious "Say It With Gin", as well as the very funny
"Drinking Song". The last not a Porter contribution, but created for
the show by Chas. Henderson and Fred Waring. Members of Waring's group, The
Pennsylvanians, appearing in the original production.
Strallen is quite appealing as Alice .
She opening the show by running into a doctor's office and setting up a comedy
bit, which basically sets the tone for what is to follow. Mutu is appealing as
Mr. Spanish. He and Strallen's easy chemistry working well in their rich
girl/bad boy love story. Hull does very
well as Mona and delivers a wonderful rendition of "The Great
Indoors". She also has a nice comic duet with Buonopane in "I'm
Getting Myself Ready For You" - one of the more risqué numbers of the show.
Robyn Hurder is great fun as Lola McGee, a good time girl who goes through the
entire Sing-Sing chain gang, among others. Chamberlin does very well as
hoodlum/comic Jimmie Deegan. He having one of the more difficult jobs here. Delivering
material that was clearly written for someone else, but succeeding nicely. Burton
does a wonderful turn as McGeegan, especially in the number "Let's Not
Talk About Love", added here from Porter's 1941 musical "Let's Face
It". The cadence of the song calling to mind the style of "Tschaikowsky"
from "Lady in the Dark".
Adding to the ambiance of the piece are the wonderful period
costumes by Alejo Vietti and some very enjoyable dancing numbers choreographed
by Chris Bailey. John Rando's direction works well, he able to bring all these
different styles more or less together and still form an altogether satisfying
experience.
While the Encores! production of The New Yorkers is certainly not perfect, there was still a lot of
fund to be had. Besides, while the show was light and airy throughout, and
without much substance, not once did it feel bloated.
The New Yorkers: A
Sociological Musical Satire
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Book by Herbert Fields
Based on a Story by E. Ray Goetz and Peter Arno
Starring: Cyrille Aimée, Clyde Alves, Todd Buonopane, Arnie
Burton, Kevin Chamberlin, Mylinda Hull, Robyn Hurder, Byron Jennings, Eddie
Korbich, Tam Mutu, Jeffrey Schecter, Scarlett Strallen, Tyler Lansing Weaks,
Ruth Williamson, Matt Bauman, Sam Bolen, Christine DiGiallonardo, Brian Flores,
Tessa Grady, Matthew Griffin, Curtis Holland, Evan Kasprzak, Marina Lazzaretto,
Kathryn McCreary, Timothy McDevitt, Kristyn Pope, Mariah Reshea Reives, Lindsay
Roberts, Brendon Stimson, Joseph Wiggan, Cody Williams.
Scenic Design: Allen Moyer
Costume Design: Alejo Vietti
Lighting Design: Ken Billington
Sound Designer: Dan Moses Schreier
Concert Adaptation: Jack Viertel
Music Coordinator: Seymour
Red Press
Orchestrations: Josh Clayton and Larry More
Dance and Vocal Arrangement: Rob Berman
Production Stage Manager: Adam John Hunter
Casting: Binder Casting - Jay Binder, CSA /Justin
Bohon
Choreography by Chris Bailey
Featuring: The Encores! Orchestra
Music Director: Ron Berman
Directed by John Rando
Presented by New York City
Center
March 22 - March
26, 2017
