Lucas has done a respectable job of dramatizing a rather slender story. (However, the inconsistency at the top of Act Two is a bit of a cheat and rather dumb, as is the Italian pre-show announcement and title page acknowledgements in the Playbill, too twee for words). Assuredly, the designers are to be applauded for their evocative and often beautiful contributions. The cast is mostly terrific, most notably Victoria Clark who gives a lovely, unsentimental performance that manages to suggest depths of feeling without ever resorting to the maudlin. I must confess I didn't care for Kelli O'Hara as I thought she lacked...what? Charm? Purity of spirit? Vulnerability? Prettiness? Whatever the reason, I was unmoved by her as she has little 'simpatico.'
The show's greatest debit, however, is...well...an effective and memorable score. What's so disappointing about it is that every number starts our promisingly, with Guettel supplying tantalizing melodic ideas and accompaniments. But they either go nowhere or are spun out into extended, self-indulgent ariosos or pointless vocalise that dissipate the tension, resulting in slack and boring numbers that don't land and do nothing for the performers. One sits in the theater and hears the opening measures of a number and thinks, "Finally! This is it! A great musical theatre song!" But, inevitably, the balloon of anticipation deflates, expectations are crushed and stasis sets in. A very big part of the problem are the lyrics which lack poetic concision, a strong central idea or image, title resolution and emotional payoff. And the one number with a well-defined, if rather precious, lyrical motif, DIVIDING DAY, struck me as musically incongruous for the character. Though the score's impressionistic qualities (more reminiscent of Debussy than any other composer) support the romantic, fairy-tale nature of the story, it is, given the mood of the piece, unavoidably monochromatic in tone and lacking in variety. However intelligent and atmospheric, the score never excites, never moves and seems superfluous to the story, leading one to wonder if the piece merited musicalization in the first place. Finally, the transporting, transcendent, and spiritual release necessary to the story is not to be found in the musical and the score must take the blame.
Interestingly enough, the audience response at LCT reflected the split decision here and in other theatre chat rooms, with half of the audience on its feet at curtain (of course) and the other half firmly rooted in their seats. I'll be curious to see how the critics respond.
Updated On: 4/16/05 at 11:10 PM
