But, whatever you do, don’t mention the WAR!
REVIEW: On the Town at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Music by Leonard Bernstein. Book and Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Based on an idea by Jerome Robbins. Directed by Bill Berry. Choreographed by Bob Richard. With Joe Aaron Reid, Greg McCormick Allen, Matt Owen, Billie Wildrick, Sarah Rudinoff and Courtney Iventosch. Now through May 2.
The people of Seattle are so lucky to have the 5th Avenue Theatre, a local theatre company dedicated to mounting lavish productions of beloved musical classics from the classical era up to the contemporary Broadway hits of today. We’re lucky because they seem to be well-funded enough to be able to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on their productions insuring we get premium value for our ticket price and we’re doubly blessed because their base of operations is the heartbreakingly beautiful 5th Avenue Theatre, which is in itself, worthy of the price of admission. And, I’m gushing a bit because I’m still swooning over their lushly beautiful and romantic production of On the Town that I saw last Friday. And, it might also be related to the fact that I’ve had to endure the low, low, low production values of local fringe theaters and their austere budgets for the last few weeks and the monstrous amounts of money that The 5th Avenue can throw at their shows compared to say, The Balagan or The Annex (god bless their little hearts) probably means I’m suffering from sensory overload after last Friday’s orgy of big, glossy sets, and gloriously complicated lighting and sound effects and the sumptuous costume and make-up and hair design. I’m just guessing that On the Town’s wig budget alone would pay for half of Balagan’s ten play season. Is it any wonder I’m in a state of delirium and ecstasy?
Also lovely to look at, and listen to, are the actors, especially the ladies. Ostensibly this is a play about three horny sailors, but the three horny ladies they pursue have all the best lines, songs and bits of business and all three actresses shine in their roles. Billie Wildrick is ideally cast as the mercurial blonde Claire, all icey, scientific detachment one minute and horny, fiery attachment the next. Courtney Iventosch has both the acting chops to capture the innocence and the experience of her Miss Turnstyles, Ivy Smith but more importantly, has the dancing ability necessary to succeed in a role that demands the skills of an expert dancer. And, words cannot express my delight, or the audiences, for Sarah Rudinoff’s brilliant turn as the busty firecracker Hildy Esterhazy, the very horny lady cabdriver desperate to lure a man, ANY MAN, up to her place where she can demonstrate her “cooking” prowess. Miss Rudinoff steals the stage, the theater and a large section of downtown Seattle with her performance. And, what Rudinoff doesn’t make off with, veteran scene stealer Suzy Hunt manages to grab in the smaller role as Madame Dilly, the drunken music teacher to Ivy Smith. Miss Hunt can play this role in her sleep, and frankly, has been a bit typecast as everyone’s favorite lady drunk in numerous local productions lately, but she’s so damn good at it, you don’t mind seeing her latest take on the perennial lady boozer. And, I wish someone would cast her as Auntie Mame in a production of Mame, or better yet, Mama Rose in Gypsy. I’d pay big bucks to see Miss Hunt tackle “Rose’s Turn”…(are you listening, 5th Avenue?)
As for the men, they are good…just not quite as good as the ladies, but they did set a high bar. And, I also feel that the writing does benefit the female characters with better songs and bits of business. Greg McCormick Allen’s Ozzie and Matt Owen’s Chip are both funny and entertaining characters but both roles have a bit of sameness to them, which also plagues Mr Allen and Mr Owen. Both actors are built the same, are not dissimilar in appearance and have similar acting styles and personalities. (In fact, Mr Allen has played the role of Chip in a previous production of On the Town). I think it might have been wise to have cast a physically different actor for one of the roles…one of them needs to be shorter/taller/darker/fatter/thinner than the other. Such casting worked to the advantage of the female trio: dark and busty Hildy, blond and kooky Claire and skinny/red head Ivy. It would have worked for the gentlemen as well.
Which brings me to our male lead character, Gabey (aka Gene Kelly in the movie version). Gabey is actually one of the toughest roles in the show because Gabey is the dullest of the six main characters, (leads are often the least interesting in many shows) because he is the nicest and the most earnest; the other two sailors are frankly looking for a 24 hour hook-up in the Big Apple but Gabey has dreams to meeting a woman for him to love…which is sweet, but a bit dull and simple, like the character. The other hurdle for any actor playing this role, is that this is a Major Dance Role, (duh, it was played by frickin’ Gene Kelly!). On the Town is based on the Jerome Robbins dance piece “Fancy Free” and this is made evident in the role of Gabey, a nice enough role but in reality, it’s about a dancer looking for love in the streets of New York City in 1944. And, while the ridiculously handsome Joe Aaron Reid has the rugged jawline and firm butt cheeks of Gene Kelly and the pleasant charm of Gene Kelly and the light, lyrical tenor voice of Gene Kelly, he does not possess anywhere near the amount of dance talent of Gene Kelly. And, you might say, “Who does?” but the part does require a strong dancer and I don’t think Mr Reid fits that bill. His dancing is tentative and hesitant when it should be bold and assured and it’s not helped by the fact that he surrounded by members of the Spectrum Dance Theater Company as members of the dance ensemble. They are skilled, trained, assured professional dancers and while Mr Reid has the grace and skills necessary for many leading roles in the musical theater, he does not have the skills for a dance heavy show like On the Town. Which isn’t the fault of Mr Reid, of course; it is the fault of the director for casting him. I liked Mr Reid very much; he is an appealing young actor and I hope to see him in other productions…just not in ones that require huge amounts of dancing ability and experience.
Of course I have to devote a paragraph to the designers of this show; it is stupidly beautiful to look at, so it would be criminal for me to ignore their contributions. Walt Spangler deserves kudos for his beautiful floating Deco skyscrapers that glide across the stage and function as another member of the dance ensemble while David C Woolard’s costumes are theatrical but grounded in reality and lovingly executed. Tom Sturge paints with a Technicolor brush in his lighting design, deliberately echoing the look and palette of the MGM film production of On the Town in 1949. More kudos to Zach Williamson’s sound design and Mary Pyanowski’s designs for the hair and make-up for the dozens of characters portrayed on stage. All in all, top notch work from the entire design team and the workers and crews that pulled it all together and a primary reason to see and enjoy this show. The choreography by Bob Richard and the work of the Spectrum Dance Theater company is fluid and engaging and rises to great heights in the beautifully imagined nightmare of the Imaginary Coney Island number and it’s echoes (for me, at least) of the ballet from Powell/Pressburger’s film The Red Shoes; it’s achingly beautiful and heartfelt, and superbly lighted and designed as well, and works as a stand alone piece of artistry.
And, let’s be honest…the look of this show IS very important to its success. On the Town is not a deep and meaningful work of art. It’s a delightfully light musical comedy with the fluffiest of plots populated by amusing cartoon characters and stock musical comedy situations. Despite the brilliance and lustre of Leonard Bernstein’s music, this is pure pop entertainment, designed as a light entertainment for a war-weary, 1944 audiences that needed a break from a life of grim newsreels and shortages and ration cards. The war is seldom alluded to in On the Town, deliberately so, but it’s presence does linger at the edges of the proscenium, most explicitly in The Imaginary Coney Island dance number towards the end of the play and in some brief, momentary glances and pauses between the actors. Yes, we’re having fun and yes, this is a musical about three horny sailors on a 24-hour leave hooking up with three horny women in war-time New York City and it’s all so much silly, tuneful fun but we’re not going to talk about what MIGHT happen after the play rather abruptly ends, and the three sailors board their ship presumably bound for the European theatre of war. But, we are going to subtly acknowledge its peripheral, wispy, ghostly presence…it lingers like thoughts of that upcoming 40th birthday or our youngest child’s graduation from high school or April 15th. And, that’s not a bad thing, as long as we respect it, and can enjoy the bon bon spectacle of On the Town and not worry too much about the caloric effect it will have in the future.
On the Town plays Tues/Wed at 7:30pm, Thurs-Sat at 8pm, Sat matinees at 2pm, and at 1:30pm and 7pm on Sundays, now through May 2 at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Photos courtesy of 5th Avenue Theatre and Photo Credits: Chris Bennion
-Michael Strangeways
p.s. As usual, Ian Eisenrath’s conducting was expert and the 5th Avenue orchestra was on top form performing Bernstein’s beautiful score…the long wait to exit the auditorium was made very bearable by their hard work and talent.
About the Author: Michael Strangeways
