Saw this last week, and I wish I could say it made more of an impression on me. It's a perfectly entertaining evening without being, in any way, a must-see. Well, I guess it's a must-see for those of us in the community (because we have to see everything), but it's not something I would tell out-of-towners they'd have to rush to.
Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope are, of course, superb dancers, so it's a great pleasure to sit back, relax and watch them do their thing. The problem comes when they open their mouths. Despite lovely, light singing voices, they're not the kind of triple threats strong enough to carry an entire evening's entertainment. Bottom line, they really can't act. And as written, she spends most of her time whining about how she can't allow herself to fall for Fairchild's character and he's so much of a cipher you end up wanting her to marry the charming, handsome Max von Essen instead.
I wasn't crazy about the additional music choices, all of which seemed either expected and cliche ("The Man I Love,""But Not for Me,""They Can't Take That Away from Me") or 2nd tier Gershwin (For You, For Me, For Evermore"). And in endeavoring to bulk up the story and make everyone more three dimensional, book writer Craig Lucas only darkens what should be frothy fun. Yes, of course, the plight of the Jews during WWII fits naturally into the storyline, but everyone is so damned unhappy for the bulk of Act II that I found such plot points additional, unnecessary downers.
Visually the show is one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen. Bob Crowley has absolutely outdone himself. His set design, in conjunction with the projections of 59 Productions, is almost certain to win him another Tony Award, and rightly so. And kudos to first-time director Christopher Wheeldon for using the set and set pieces in such imaginative ways. The fluidity of movement -- the way the whole show is choreographed, if you will -- is very impressive. As is the actual choreography, of course. And yet...
Watching "On the Town" yesterday afternoon -- for the third time -- I was struck by how brilliantly funny and theatrical is Joshua Bergasse's choreography for that show. Wheeldon's work is certainly accomplished -- balletic and beautiful -- but it lacks the brashness, bite and sense of humor that would elevate it to the level of Broadway choreography that we associate with the great ones: Gower Champion, Susan Stroman, most recently Casey Nicholaw. By the time the actual "American in Paris" ballet happened, my thoughts were leaning a little bit towards, "Oh, great, more ballet..."
I'm happy I saw the show, but this is one of those instances in which I really did go out humming the sets.
