THE HANGOVER REPORT – York Theatre Company gives Jack Heifner’s musical version of VANITIES a second look

Hayley Podschun, Jade Jones, Amy Keum in York Theatre Company’s production of “Vanities” at the Theater at St. Jean’s (photo by Carol Rosegg).

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to drop by the Theatre at St. Jean’s on the Upper West Side to catch York Theatre Company’s Off-Broadway revival of Vanities. The version of the show on display is not original 1976 play by Jack Heifner, but his subsequent musical comedy remake of the work, which was originally presented by Second Stage in 2019 (the musical was further revised and produced in London in 2016). As with many of York’s productions, this revival gives theatergoers a rare chance to take a second look at a musical that could have easily fallen through the cracks of time.

In short, Vanities chronicles the friendship between three women – vis-a-vis their respective evolution and views on womanhood – over the course of three decades (from 1963 to 1990). In this regard, the piece comes across as a sort of love child between a forward-moving Merrily We Roll Along and Beaches. That Heifner is able to cover so much ground in under two hours (sans intermission) is a testament to his efficiency as a dramatist. However, this expeditious mode comes at the consequence of nuance and subtlety, resulting in telegraphed scenes and characters who register more like archetypes rather than three dimensional human beings. The tuneful but generic score by composer/lyricist David Kirshenbaum doesn’t help matters much, contributing to the evening’s ultimate failure to ring true.

The production has been intelligently directed by Will Pomerantz. However, his clean and conceptual staging only highlights the material’s general sense of vagueness instead of uncovering its riches. Thankfully, the trio of performances at the heart of the show are very good. As the three friends, Jade Jones, Amy Keum, and Hayley Podschun valiantly tap into tangible emotions to find real texture in their characters. As with time-trotting shows like Vanities and Merrily We Roll Along, the difficulty is being able to convincingly portray characters over the decades; it’s a challenge that these three singing actresses navigate and pull off admirably.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

VANITIES
Off-Broadway, Musical
York Theatre Company at the Theatre at St. Jean’s
1 hour, 40 minutes (without an intermission)
Through April 22

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

Leave a Reply