Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Donna Murphy is delectable in the first rate Encores! revival of Jerry Herman’s quirky DEAR WORLD

• By drediman
• March 17, 2023
• No Comments

Last night, I found myself at New York City Center taking in the first entry of Encores! 2023 season, a rare revival of Jerry Herman’s bizarre 1969 musical Dear World. Based on Jean Giraudoux’s play The Madwoman of Chaillot, the musical follows the exploits of Countess Aurelia, an odd Parisian woman of a certain age whose eccentric but truth-telling worldviews come at odds with the greedy goals of corporate power and money mongers. The Countess Aurelia isn’t alone in her fight to save humanity (or at least Paris), however. Alongside the Countess is a wildly eclectic bunch — a lovesick waitress, a sewerman, as well as the Madwomen of Montmartre and of the Flea Market.

Thankfully, Dear World squarely fits the mandate of the Encores! mission — to bring back rarely performed gems from musical theater’s rich and varied history — despite the recent changing of the guards at City Center’s indispensable series. The changes continue with the arrival of Mary-Mitchell Campbell, who here makes her debut as the new Encores! music director. I’m happy to report that under her baton, Herman’s underrated score (“I Don’t Want to Know” is as gorgeous a standard as Herman ever penned) sounds superb in all its orchestral glory. In the hands of director and choreographer Josh Rhodes, this revival of Dear World is first rate — confidently staged with a clear understanding of the surreal nature of the material, however flawed. Indeed, the book scenes by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee are handled with clear intent and point of view, as is the score. Completing Rhodes’ vision are Toni Leslie James’ inspired period costumes and Paul Tate dePoo III’s minimalist but pitch-perfect Magritte-inspired scenery.

In the role originally played by the late, great Angela Lansbury (who also originated the lead in another kooky, fable-like, and short lived musical — Sondheim’s Anyone Can Whistle), two time Tony-winner Donna Murphy is utterly delectable as Countess Aurelia. Despite her truncated rehearsal time (within an already truncated two-week rehearsal timeframe) due to Covid, she handily drives the show — script (mostly) in hand — with her pointed yet endearing stage antics and distinctive vocal renderings. Other performances worth noting include Brooks Ashmanskas (outrageous as the Countess’s corporate nemesis), as well as the trio of Christopher Fitzgerald, Ann Harada, and Andréa Burns, who strike comic gold as the Countess’s offbeat comrades. Last but not least is the refreshing counterbalance provided by the sweet earnestness of Samantha Williams, whose gorgeous rendition of “I’ve Never Said I Love You” nearly stops the show.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

DEAR WORLD
Off-Broadway, Musical
New York City Center
2 hours, 20 minutes (with one intermission)
Through March 19