By Marilyn Stasio October 16, 2014 07:00 PM PT | Reposted 18 Oct 2014 7:52 PM PDT
Reposted from Variety.com
“On the Town” is back on Broadway, and whaddya know, it’s still a helluva show. Helmer John Rando (who directed the musical at Barrington Stage last year) has given the kid-glove treatment to this 1944 musical salute to New York, fabled for its glorious score composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics and book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Joshua Bergasse’s choreography, classic in design and elegant in form, pays its respects to Jerome Robbins’ groundbreaking choreography, and although the young and vital cast is light on acting chops, the dancing is sensational.
The shadow of World War II was hanging over everyone’s head when this legendary show opened on Broadway 70 years ago, which must have lent real poignancy to the romantic fantasy of three sailors who are determined to see all of New York and find them some girls, too, during their 24-hour shore leave. But we’re not without our own shadows, which might explain why the sight of the gigantic stars-and-stripes on the stage curtain and the sound of the opening bars of “The Star-Spangled Banner” (in lieu of a formal overture) struck up by the 28-piece pit orchestra brought close to 2,000 theatergoers to their feet at a packed preview. There’s no such solemnity to be found in the production itself, though, and frankly, a bit of gravitas would have added some dimension to the generic sailors. But although the show’s comic elements are much giddier than they need to be, that must have seemed like the safest way to go with the show, given the limited acting range of some key players.
But who’s going to go to the mat on that, once Gabey (Tony Yazbeck), Chip (Jay Armstrong Johnson) and Ozzie (Clyde Alves) come bounding down the gangplank of their ship (highly stylized, as are all of Beowulf Boritt’s vividly hued sets) and break into a rousing version of “New York, New York.” The lyrics alone are enough to make any old grouch break out in a grin. But the sheer exuberance of the music (God bless that orchestra) gives wing to the ecstatic joy of the dance.