My Favorite Year at the York

[James2]

Posted: 12/6/14 at 7:38pm

I had little familiarity with this show before seeing it, so I can only report the changes listed in the program and as observed from the Wikipedia article.

"If the World Were Like the Movies" is the only Alan Swann song left from the original score. "Manhattan" is now "Always Put on a Good Show," and he gets a short outburst called "Swann Song" when he realizes the TV show is live.

They pulled a song called "Clarence Duffy" out of the trunk. It's a bonding moment for Swann & Benjy about how they both changed their names.

Another brand new song is "Anything I Got," which comes before "Funny" and is Benjy asking K.C. for a second date.

From what I can tell, the biggest structural change is moving the Brooklyn stuff from the end of Act One to the beginning of Act Two.

Other than that, I can only report how I felt about seeing the show cold, which is that it's quite enjoyable. The score has some good songs, and Sills, Chanler-Berat, Hemingway, and Kind are all pretty perfect.

Anyone else seen this?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/6/14 at 7:46pm

Saw the original and remembered enjoying it

I liked Big As Life & the Swann song mentioned above among others. A shame it did not succeed.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 12/6/14 at 7:46pm

I was there last night. It's a wonderful production. The score sparkles, and the show seems generally funnier than it did twenty years ago. The entire cast (which, by York standards, seemed pretty starry) is pitch-perfect. Sills and Chanler-Berat are both leagues better than their predecessors.

I imagine their hope is for this to transition into a full production somewhere down the line. And let's hope it does. I didn't notice any empty seats last night.

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 12/6/14 at 10:30pm

Larry, I feel like the York always corrals decently starry (at least theatre-wise) casts for its shows...Saturday Night had Lindsay Mendez and Andrew Keenan Bolger, Big had John Tartaglia and Kerry Butler, Smiling...Dead had Judy Kaye, and Lillias White will be starring in a mainstage this season...