VIEWPOINTS – CHEEK TO CHEEK & MORNINGS AT SEVEN: Hopelessly old-fashioned shows that charm as museum pieces

This past weekend, I attended a pair of hopelessly old-fashioned but charming Off-Broadway shows that conjure (and yearn?) for a world that’s long gone. Although some may disagree, I’d like to think that there’s still a place for such types of entertainments, if only for the purpose of serving as nostalgia-inducing museum pieces. Read on for my further thoughts.

Joseph Medeiros, Melanie Moore, Jeremy Benton, Kaitlyn Davidson, and Phillip Attmore in “Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood” presented by York Theatre Company at the Theatre at St. Jean’s (photo by Carol Rosegg).

CHEEK TO CHEEK: IRVING BERLIN IN HOLLYWOOD
York Theatre Company at Theatre at St. Jean’s
Through January 2

Last night, the temporarily itinerant York Theatre Company’s production of Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin in Hollywood (RECOMMENDED) opened Off-Broadway at the Theatre at St. Jean’s. The folks at the York have a long history of putting on scrappy but lovingly staged productions of musical theater gems, and their current nostalgic offering fits the same mold. Cheek to Cheek is an informative, amiable, if unavoidably programmatic revue that parades through – at times a tad too efficiently – the Irving Berlin songbook, particularly as it relates to his string of Hollywood films (among them Holiday Inn, White Christmas, and Easter Parade). With director/choreographer Randy Skinner at the helm, you can be sure that the production numbers pop – and they do, particularly as performed by the production’s hardworking ensemble of six.

Alley Mills, Lindsay Crouse, Patty McCormack, and Alma Cuervo in Paul Osborn’s “Morning’s at Seven” at the Theatre at St. Clement’s (photo by Maria Baranova).

MORNINGS AT SEVEN
Theatre at St. Clements
Through December 5

Another blast from the past comes by way of the current Off-Broadway revival of Paul Osborn’s Mornings at Seven (RECOMMENDED). Utilizing the once prevalent three-act structure, the warhorse depicts the wholesome shenanigans of four sisters in their twilight years and the men in their lives. There’s really no way to put a contemporary spin on Mr. Osborn’s play, a reality which fortunately director Dan Wackerman embraces. Indeed, his production is as staunchly old fashioned – creaky, some may argue – as the play itself. Despite being stuck in the past and the unmistakable smell of mothballs accompanying the piece, the revival – which features a richly accomplished, uncommonly starry cast (e.g., John Rubinstein, Tony Robert, Patty McCormack) – is nonetheless breezily entertaining and as picture perfect as a post card.

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

Leave a Reply