#1
Posted: 4/25/07 at 4:01pm
Last night, I saw the new Roundabout revival of the musical "110 in the Shade." I walked in expecting what I got...a flawed but entertaining production with a stunning lead performance.
The musical is about a young girl named Lizzie Curry who lives with her father and two brothers in the Texas panhandle. The town she lives in has not seen rain in quite some time and when "Starbuck," who claims to be a rainmaker, arrives in town, vowing to bring rain, Lizzie's father agrees to pay him $100 to do so (or so we think). Lizzie, who is often put down by everyone by her father and one of her brothers for being "plain" and "stupid." is a hurt soul looking for someone who will love her for who she is.
The show itself is fine but nothing special, nor has it really ever been. It's never been an 'A+' show...it's more like 'B-' level show. The score, with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones, is beautiful but almost too pristine and one-dimensional in that (save for a few songs) nothing is really piercingly beautiful or heart-rendering. It's kind of one of those scores where you can sigh and say 'how gorgeous' when it really COULD and SHOULD be a score that is gorgeous as well as meaningful and powerful. Some songs are fun, but unnecesarry, and others are nice but really lack the 'UMMPH' that they should have. The book, written by N. Richard Nash, is also fine with flaws. There are moments of sheer powerful sincerity (the first scenes are particularly well-written and really feel real) as well as awkward moments that seem to meander on way longer than they had to. With any show, I hope to be sucked in from the beginning by how it's told and I also hope that the show won't let me go for it's full duration. With '110', I was sucked in at the beginning (which is very well written) but kind of lost interest at some points. Considering that this IS a revival, though, I give the cast and crew major kudos for doing a good job with a mediocre show.
First off is four-time Tony winner Audra McDonald who played Lizzie. She has completely, once again, taken over this role and let it swim throughout her body. This is, like Ebersole in GARDENS, not a performance but an embodyment. She has utterly captured the essence and the hurt and the hope and the anguish that is Lizzie Curry. Every single song she sang was sung with intense emotion and meaning and every single line she delivered rang true. If not for Ebersole, McDonald would be the rightful winner for this year's Tony. She's not as good as Ebersole but she is giving one of the best performances on Broadway right now. And, for my money, if in any other past Tony season for the last four of five years, McDonald would have the Best Actress award all tied up. She is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
John Cullum is his usual reliable self as H.C. Curry. He provides a real sturdy and consistent supporting performance that should nab him a Tony nod. H.C. is a hard role to play because the emotions that are required to be conveyed to the audience are so vast. He is not entirely successful in that respect, but he sure is entertaining.
Steve Kazee is an alright Starbuck; it's hard to imagine that there is no one better to play this role. His Starbuck is truly, unbelievable. I just didn't believe he was Starbuck...he has a fine voice and will surely grow in the role but I just didn't feel any fire under his performance.
Christopher Innvar has a gorgeous voice and very nice acting skills and tackled the role of File with assurance and ease. Too bad the part is disgustingly underdeveloped...
Everyone else, particularly Bobby Steggert and Chris Butler, is very good.
Lonny Price's direction is smooth. It flows well and has a really organic and original feel. It's nothing really note-worthy and nothing that is going to win any awards but it's a fine directorial job nonetheless. GRADE: B
Dan Knechtges' choreography is really wonderful, Jon Tunick's orchestrations are simple and beautifully done, and Christopher Akerlind has done a fantastic job of lighting the show. Santo Loquasto's costumes and sets are both remarkable and I hope they get Tony nominations (he deserves to win for his set design...it's a prime example of how less can really be more when it comes to designing a Broadway set).
And so, with a weak show to begin with, this production brings it to flawed but somewhat memorable life. Is it a production to write home about? No, but McDonald deserves all the letters home in the world. She alone is worth the price of admission (my ticket was $25...I sat in the second to last row in the rear mezzanine and while it was INSANELY hot up there and the seats were very close together and uncomfortable, the view was fine...).
I think this has a potential to be a critic's darling of a production but it all just felt a little too (for lack of a better word) "blah".
**1/2 out of ****
The musical is about a young girl named Lizzie Curry who lives with her father and two brothers in the Texas panhandle. The town she lives in has not seen rain in quite some time and when "Starbuck," who claims to be a rainmaker, arrives in town, vowing to bring rain, Lizzie's father agrees to pay him $100 to do so (or so we think). Lizzie, who is often put down by everyone by her father and one of her brothers for being "plain" and "stupid." is a hurt soul looking for someone who will love her for who she is.
The show itself is fine but nothing special, nor has it really ever been. It's never been an 'A+' show...it's more like 'B-' level show. The score, with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones, is beautiful but almost too pristine and one-dimensional in that (save for a few songs) nothing is really piercingly beautiful or heart-rendering. It's kind of one of those scores where you can sigh and say 'how gorgeous' when it really COULD and SHOULD be a score that is gorgeous as well as meaningful and powerful. Some songs are fun, but unnecesarry, and others are nice but really lack the 'UMMPH' that they should have. The book, written by N. Richard Nash, is also fine with flaws. There are moments of sheer powerful sincerity (the first scenes are particularly well-written and really feel real) as well as awkward moments that seem to meander on way longer than they had to. With any show, I hope to be sucked in from the beginning by how it's told and I also hope that the show won't let me go for it's full duration. With '110', I was sucked in at the beginning (which is very well written) but kind of lost interest at some points. Considering that this IS a revival, though, I give the cast and crew major kudos for doing a good job with a mediocre show.
First off is four-time Tony winner Audra McDonald who played Lizzie. She has completely, once again, taken over this role and let it swim throughout her body. This is, like Ebersole in GARDENS, not a performance but an embodyment. She has utterly captured the essence and the hurt and the hope and the anguish that is Lizzie Curry. Every single song she sang was sung with intense emotion and meaning and every single line she delivered rang true. If not for Ebersole, McDonald would be the rightful winner for this year's Tony. She's not as good as Ebersole but she is giving one of the best performances on Broadway right now. And, for my money, if in any other past Tony season for the last four of five years, McDonald would have the Best Actress award all tied up. She is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
John Cullum is his usual reliable self as H.C. Curry. He provides a real sturdy and consistent supporting performance that should nab him a Tony nod. H.C. is a hard role to play because the emotions that are required to be conveyed to the audience are so vast. He is not entirely successful in that respect, but he sure is entertaining.
Steve Kazee is an alright Starbuck; it's hard to imagine that there is no one better to play this role. His Starbuck is truly, unbelievable. I just didn't believe he was Starbuck...he has a fine voice and will surely grow in the role but I just didn't feel any fire under his performance.
Christopher Innvar has a gorgeous voice and very nice acting skills and tackled the role of File with assurance and ease. Too bad the part is disgustingly underdeveloped...
Everyone else, particularly Bobby Steggert and Chris Butler, is very good.
Lonny Price's direction is smooth. It flows well and has a really organic and original feel. It's nothing really note-worthy and nothing that is going to win any awards but it's a fine directorial job nonetheless. GRADE: B
Dan Knechtges' choreography is really wonderful, Jon Tunick's orchestrations are simple and beautifully done, and Christopher Akerlind has done a fantastic job of lighting the show. Santo Loquasto's costumes and sets are both remarkable and I hope they get Tony nominations (he deserves to win for his set design...it's a prime example of how less can really be more when it comes to designing a Broadway set).
And so, with a weak show to begin with, this production brings it to flawed but somewhat memorable life. Is it a production to write home about? No, but McDonald deserves all the letters home in the world. She alone is worth the price of admission (my ticket was $25...I sat in the second to last row in the rear mezzanine and while it was INSANELY hot up there and the seats were very close together and uncomfortable, the view was fine...).
I think this has a potential to be a critic's darling of a production but it all just felt a little too (for lack of a better word) "blah".
**1/2 out of ****
