Thoughts on GLORIOUS ONES, or, why SOUTH PACIFIC better be the best thing I've ever seen

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 5:46pm

Art isn't easy, as Sondheim once wrote. All Flaminio Scala wants is to be remembered. Flaminio Scala is an artiste, leading The Glorious Ones, a traveling troupe of Commedia dell'Arte players around France and Italy, inventing the damn thing as he goes along.

Unfortunately, as far as we know, Scala did not invent the many stock characters which have gone down through the years. We know little of Scala, Franceso Andreini, or Isabella Andreini, the "real" characters. In fact, we know less about them then we do the characters they intereacted with - Dottore, Pantalone, Columbina.

THE GLORIOUS ONES, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and Graciela Daniele's musical, based on the novella by Francine Prose, is a noble misfire. In fact, it's a very noble misfire. The problem is simple: Prose's novella (which can be read in, like, an hour) has very little a story arc. It's a series of narritives, with various characters describing their interactions through life, in honor of Scala, while warning what seems to be the newest Glorious One.

It's an incredibly dark tale. Unfortunately, darkness is sacrificed for comedy in this adaptation. Also, unfortunately, the style of the novella, telling, and not showing, has been incorporated.

And the problem with THE GLORIOUS ONES is that it tells, and doesn't show. Nearly entirely narration, it's just downright boring. Thank goodness that Daniele has directed everyone to act around the narraction, and that is pretty amusing.

Part of the problem is the rearrangement of crucial plot points - I got the impression that Francesco was trying to force Flaminio out of power for years, long before Isabella joined. On stage, it seems like he got the idea just after reading Isabella's play. Aramanda, in the novel, was desperately in love with Flaminio. Adding an arc for Columbina on stage, making her the one in love with Flaminio, was a decent touch, but, more importantly gave way to Natalie Venetia Belcon's exquisite performance.

AhrensandFlaherty's score is nothing to sing over...a few pretty songs, nothing entirely memorable. If it says anything, I walked out humming "How Do You Choose?" from Wildhorn's Dracula. Go figure.

Thankfully, the cast does their best to salvage the material. John Kassir is a master mime, Erin Davie's voice is gorgeous (though the wig does nothing for her), and Marc Kudisch, a true leading man, second to Brian Stokes Mitchell in this generation, is a wonderful ham.

They do their best, but even they can't over come the stinkbomb. That's two misfires this season, LCT. South Pacific better be incredible.
Updated On: 12/29/07 at 05:46 PM

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 5:57pm

What else did you consider a misfire?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 5:58pm

In recent memory?

Pirate Queen
Young Frankenstein
Tarzan

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 6:00pm

Oh god.

Well, hopefully South Pacific kicks major ass.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 6:13pm

I meant at Lincoln Center, dear.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 6:16pm

Yankee was referring to CYMBELINE as the other Lincoln Center misfire this season.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 6:18pm

OH YEAH, that.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 7:30pm

Yeah, that.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 8:05pm

The critical consensus was generally favorable for both of those shows, no?

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 8:13pm

The Glorious Ones got hit pretty hard, actually. Don't know about the other one.......dont care either

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 8:38pm

I had the pleasure (not really) of seeing both shows Wednesday and was expecting to be blown away by Cymbeline and like, not love The Glorious Ones. It ended up being that I enjoyed Cymbeline thanks to Cerveris and Plimpton's brillant performances and didn't at all enjoy The Glorious Ones for reasons mentioned by Yankeefan.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 8:43pm

Cymbeline got fairly excellent reviews. I just couldn't get into it. And I'm a Shakespeare nut.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 9:04pm

I thought the show's biggest problems were that the music sounded recycled from a bunch of other shows of theirs (they've been writing the show for a really long time so I think the opposite is true, I think they just kept using music from it in other things) and--well, it just wasn't funny.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 9:05pm

See, I'm not at all familiar with the music of Ahrens and Flaherty...I know, I really should be.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 9:16pm

Also, don't forget that next up at the Mitzi is a collection of Paul Rudnick one acts called THE NEW CENTURY. Mind you, it probably won't be a major hit or a great piece of art, but it'll likely be pretty funny.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 9:36pm

Liked Cymbeline very much, did not like Glorious Ones very much (save for Kudisch and Venetia Belcon).

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/29/07 at 9:37pm

Margo, I enjoy Rudnik's work very much, so I'm actually looking forward to New Century.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 1:45am

God, Yankeefan, what will you do if "South Pacific" sucks? I dread imagining it.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 1:53am

next up at the Mitzi is a collection of Paul Rudnick one acts called THE NEW CENTURY. Mind you, it probably won't be a major hit or a great piece of art, but it'll likely be pretty funny.

That pretty much sums up Rudnick.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 12:54pm

I thought THE NEW CENTURY was an expanding of Rudnick's uproarious one-act, "Mr. Charles, Currently of Palm Springs"...

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 3:23pm

THE NEW CENTURY is a an evening of 4 one-acts -- at least three of which have been produced in New York before -- of which Mr. Charles is one (I haven't heard anything about Rudnick expanding it).

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 3:24pm

Just found this press release:

"The New Century is "a series of four short plays, which feature everyone from a concerned Long Island mother of at least three gay children (to be played by Linda Lavin), to an accomplished Midwestern craftswoman (to be played by Jayne Houdyshell), to one of Mr. Rudnick's favorites, Mr. Charles, a flamboyant resident of Palm Beach (to be played by Peter Barlett). Ultimately, all of these delicious and distraught people collide under surprising and comic circumstances, and we discover just where our new century might be heading."

[TomMonster]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 4:43pm

Although not my favorite show of the season, I did enjoy "THE GLORIOUS ONES." I've always been fascinated with Commedia del'arte style.

Once again, though, I really appreciate your well thought-out reviews Yank!

Can't wait for "New Century". Sounds like a hoot!