Emcee's A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN review

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 12:24am

I went to this evening's dress rehearsal, and to a seminar at City Center's rehearsal studios before.

The seminar was a discussion with someone who wrote a biography of Dorothy Fields, the lyricist for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was basically a lot about theatre history, but it was very interesting, and I enjoyed it a lot. I didn't really know very much of what they spoke about well, but this is all information that I need to learn, and I've got t begin somewhere. Oh, small sidenote - Karen Ziemba was there!!

I liked the show a lot. The score is beautiful, and it's a very sweet story. But I think that in seeing such an "old fashioned" type of musical right after a discussion that included a bit about the trouble with reviving shows like this, I realized a lot more about why they don't work well anymore. It's a shame, really, but even though the story is nice, it's not something that people are going to care about anymore I guess, even if they do take it as a period piece and don't expect universal relevance. Since the shows at Encores! are presented to highlight the music, it made me very sad to see a show with such a stunning score that can't get its feet off the ground again. It was that light, fun, jazzy kind of music that you just don't get anymore, except in revivals.

I'll keep this short...
I was kind of underwhelmed with Emily Skinner, I'm disappointed to say. It seemed like her attempts to portray the annoying nature of Cissy, to make her sound obnoxious and kind of shrill, and to use that over-the-top Brooklyn accent overshadowed the amazing voice she's got. She's very funny, though, and has wonderful stage presence. I did like her acting a lot, but she didn't sound all that great.

The rest of the cast was great, too. It was nice to see a few Wonderful Town alum (Jennifer Hope Wills, James Clow and Nancy Anderson), since the show kind of reminded me of WT, though I liked the actual material of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn better.
Jason Daniely played Johnny Nolan. I found him really impressive, and his name sounds familiar, but I can't figure where from, if at all. I'll look him up on IBDb later. Also nice to see John Ellison Conlee - he's a funny guy.

So, yeah. I guess that's it. If anybody else goes, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts as well.

Updated On: 2/10/05 at 12:24 AM

[Jon]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 12:29am

Jason Daniely was in FULL MONTY with Conlee. He also played the title role in the CANDIDE revival. He is also married to Marin Mazzie.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 12:30am

The Full Monty. That's it!

[Chloe]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 12:30am

It's been a while, but I have both read the original book and seen the movie based on it. My memory of them both is of a more serious story than this musical sounds like - the kind of story that wouldn't call for light, jazzy music particularly, so maybe that's part of the problem.

Excellent review as always!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 12:34am

It's definitely serious, but a lot of it is still pretty light-hearted. Most of the music is, at least. I mean, when the time comes the music isn't unnecessarily happy.

Oh, and they had a ballet that reminded me a ton of Oklahoma!'s dream ballet, one of my favourite parts of the recent revival. That made me happy.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 12:36am

Great review! I'm looking forward to seeing it Saturday.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 6:34am

Great review, Emcee! I just hope the divine Miss Em is better than you say, because-as it's pretty well known-I'm a die hard fan. Going on Sunday night and can't wait!

[mirramar]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 9:51am

Thanks for the review!
I'm seeing it tonight, now I'm starting to get excited!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 11:44am

MEF, I'd never seen her in person before, and I was really excited to see what the big deal was about. From listening, I could tell she has a great voice, but she just didn't seem like she was using everything she had.

[sparky310]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 11:48am

I was at the show last night and I cant disagree with you more about Ms. Skinner..she is a brilliant comedienne and was wonderful..the score was amazing..and the story although dark very rewarding-emotionally...i felt the show "not" old or date rang true to a great many of todays social issues..it could very easily be adapted for modern day...everyone should see this score which has been lost for over 50 years...i find it amazing that the team at city center was able to restore it...congratulations to all of them.

[flossie2]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 11:52am

Both the book and movie have always been favorites of mine. I saw the production at Goodspped and was so disappointed that the focus of the story was so changed. Is the Encore's version any truer to the original story?

[sparky310]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 12:31pm

havent read the story..so i couldnt tell you...where can i get that?

[mirramar]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 12:40pm

You can get the book at any bookstore or library.
It's a great coming of age book, if you like that type of thing, I loved it.

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 1:14pm

Dear Emcee:

Thank you for psoting your review of TREE. I was lucky enough to have seen the original production!

A number of your remarks about this production hold true of the original, if memory serves. TREE was actually two shows: the first was AN EVENING WITH SHIRLEY BOOTH and the second was A READER'S CONDENSED VERSION OF TREE. Booth was a magnificient comediennee and I am sure that her material was tailored around her. I am sure that it now seems very dated, but please rememebr that in those days a strong personality such as Booth had her own shtick, and it was written into the part of Cissy.

Unfortunately, George Abbott was not the right person to either
write a libretto or direct a musical version of TREE. Anything that veered towards the sentimental or emotional was unknown to him. Havig worked with him on some musicals, I can attest to the fact that he was not a creative director but a good coach and initiator of comic moments. Give him ROOM SERVICE, BROTHER RAT, TOO MANY GIRLS or BOYS FROM SYRACUSE and he was in comic heaven. Anything else, forget it. I've oftern wondered how the collaboration went between Abbott and Betty SMith when they were writing the libretto. I'll bet that Smith had little say in the matter.

There was also a matter of the other casting. Johnson and Van Dyke were rather wooden and remote. Nomi Mitty had little to work with as Francie and Frey did his usual thing. Perhaps if they had stronger performers in these roles, had these roles been rethough and written differently.

It is really too bad for TREE is that kind of wonderfully sentimental and emotional musical show. Had Hammerstein written the libretto, had Jerome Robbins actually directed, it might have been very different. The one thing that cannot be altered (luckily) is the wonderful score. How evocative and beautiful it is.

I am sorry that I won't be in NY to see this production. I hope all those who do will enjoy it.

Thanks for the memory!

Miriam

Updated On: 2/10/05 at 01:14 PM

[Chloe]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 1:28pm

Miriam, thank you so much for sharing your memories with us. It's great to get some perspective on theatrical greats no longer with us.

Emcee, maybe Emily Skinner *was* holding back somewhat during the dress rehearsal to preserve her voice, like a dancer marking her steps rather than dancing full out. I guess that's a possible drawback of seeing a rehearsal rather than a performance.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 1:48pm

Thanks for your kind words and for sharing those wonderful memories, Miriam.

Chloe, maybe you're right. I just hope she isn't getting sick or anything!

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 1:51pm

I saw Jennifer Hope Wills at the Carousel Dinner Theatre in Akron, OH...she was Lucy in Jekyll and Hyde.

[Jon]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 2:09pm

SPOILERS BELOW!



The original novel has all sorts of back story about Katie and Johnny's pasts - Katie and Cissy have two more sisters - one is a nun, the other is married with like ten children. Katie's friend who was previously Johnny's girl ends up more or less as a tramp - she doesn't marry Aloysius. Francie has a little brother, Neeley. After Johnny dies, Katie marries McShane, a policeman who has always loved her. His marriage poroposal includes an offer to pay Franicie's way throguh college. The novel then follows Francie to the University of Michigan (where the author Betty Smith actually attended). When she comes home at the end, Neeley has grown up to look just like his father.

[sparky310]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 3:31pm

With any luck they will record it..it would be a shame to let it go away without preservation.
it had one new song i had never heard..the show really is sweet and very "slice of life" if i had the money i would see it again

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 4:01pm

I workshopped Tree in 2001 for a possible revival and played Petey and Swanswine (with a different take on the character). The score is marvelous and I felt it had a pretty strong book. I think the biggest problem was how closely the story resembled Carousel, yet was a bit softer and more humorous thanks to the material written for Shirley Booth. Having opened just a few years after the closure of Carousel probably didn't help much and the show was up against some pretty strong competition including Guys and Dolls, Call Me Madam, The King and I and a festival of Gilbert and Sullivan shows at the St. James Theatre. Other musical flops of the season included Flahooley, Make a Wish, Where's Charley?, Pardon Our French, The Barrier, Bless You All, Out of This World, Jotham Valley, and Razzle Dazzle.

Miriam - I love hearing your personal insights to these shows. I was curious if you had a chance to see Flahooley or Out of this World.

[Feodor Sverdlov]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 4:43pm

I did this show in 1969 (we were the first production since Broadway to do it). It was a great big, lavish production, and I loved the show. The show's focus was on Cissy, while the book's and film's focus was on Francie. Francie doesn't even appear until Act II, in the show. However, I thought that the book's author, Betty Smith, wrote the book to the musical, not George Abbott. We did the number, TUSCALOOSA, which was cut from the Broadway show. Was this number in Encore's?

[sparky310]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 5:14pm

nope that number not in

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 5:31pm

I read the book this year in school and I'm probably seeing the show soon.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 7:21pm

It's amusing to note that when Betty Smith wrote the original novel A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, she was living in Queens.

[ShineOn]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 3:31pm

I have to disagree with your assessment of Emily as well. It was nice to see her show her funny without the belting crazy. She is a brilliant comedienne and she really had a chance to display that.

I have a pretty objective view of her as a performer, contrary to popular belief (just ask me what I thought of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof...). But, I think she outdid herself in the acting department in this show and wasn't holding back at all.