The Hollywood Reporter - All reviews by David Rooney. Interesting to note that he raves much more about Kelli and Chita. He's respectful and complementary of Kristin's performance, but hates the production that she's in. But I'm sure that some of Chenoweth's supporters will still insist that her reviews are unequaled.
Kristin
Co-stars Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher give it their all, delivering exactly the kind of over-the-top caricatures the antiquated material demands.
Lily is a role that calls for a true coloratura, and Chenoweth's voice remains a rare instrument, effortlessly scaling the trilling peaks while the actress scampers mischievously through every bit of campy, self-worshipping comic business in the book. Gallagher proves to be almost her match by hamming up a storm as a character perhaps even more flamboyant than Lily, even if the supposedly deep-rooted connection between them is unconvincing. However, the performances remain wedded to a broad slap-shtick mode that gets very old very fast, much like the antique sight gag of a cartwheeling granny. And while both Lily's and Oscar's songs are virtuoso comedy turns, the problem is they're seldom fun; at least not for long.
Kelli
From the moment her casting was announced, it was a safe bet that O'Hara, who has been impeccably directed by Sher not only in South Pacific but also The Light in the Piazza and The Bridges of Madison County, would bring something special to the role of Anna Leonowens, the widowed English schoolteacher who proves a headstrong match for the King of Siam. One of America's most gifted musical-theater performers, she attacks the role with staunch resilience but also an enveloping warmth that allows for moments of heartbreaking emotional candor even in anger. And that voice is its own woodwind section, with a crisp lightness and clarity that are all the more remarkable because the performance appears so effortless.
Hearing O'Hara — under the faultless music direction of R&H expert Ted Sperling, and backed by the shimmering original orchestrations of Robert Russell Bennett — sing ageless standards like "I Whistle a Happy Tune," "Hello, Young Lovers," "Getting to Know You" and "Shall We Dance?" is reward enough. But the revelation is the fiery internal conflict, and the frustration masking subconscious attraction that she pours into Anna's furious soliloquy, "Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You?"
From her nervous introductions through her initial stubborn interactions with the King to her swell of maternal affection for his children, her grief-stricken horror at his actions and her ultimate forgiveness, O'Hara's performance conveys a depth of feeling that seems boundless.
Chita
It's an arresting vehicle for the indomitable Chita Rivera, who has stuck with the project throughout its troubled history, and she remains a uniquely steely stage presence at 82 — graceful, dignified and commanding.
Few will be complaining, however, when Rivera, during "Love and Love Alone," dances a melancholy pas de deux with Veintimilla, an elegy for unforgotten passion. The bones might be stiffer than they once were but the elegance and form are still mesmerizing. (Graciela Daniele did the dream-like choreography.) Rivera still puts a spring in Claire's shuffle, sauntering around with her silver-handled cane in the ghoulishly vaudevillian "I Would Never Leave You," as her trio of bizarre henchmen pledge their loyalty, with the countertenor eunuchs making that promise sound like a shriek.
But unquestionably, the reason to see The Visit even with its flaws is the star, whose brittle vocals cut like ice. Rivera's history with Kander and Ebb dates back from Chicago through The Rink to Kiss of the Spider Woman, and there's no doubting the authority she brings to this problematic but nonetheless fascinating musical.
Updated On: 4/30/15 at 12:25 AM
