Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Dusting off the cobwebs: J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company’s A CLASS ACT and Mint Theater Company’s THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW

• By drediman
• February 23, 2022
• No Comments

New York City Center’s Encores! series isn’t the only endeavor in town seeking to excavate past theatrical works that have gotten lost in the shuffle of time. Theater companies like J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company and Mint Theater Company have also made it their mission to dust the cobwebs off of forgotten plays and musicals, albeit on a smaller scale Off-Broadway. Here are my thoughts on recent visits to a pair of revivals from these two companies.

A CLASS ACT
J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company at Theatre Row
The company’s season concludes on March 20

Only in its second season, J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company has already established itself as a proficient conduit for bringing less popular musicals (often of the cult variety) back to life. The company opened its current season with a revival of the 2000 musical A Class Act (RECOMMENDED), a bio musical about the life and times of Edward Kleban, the man who is perhaps best known for penning the lyrics of A Chorus Line. Using selections from Mr. Kleban’s songbook, the musical – which features a solidly constructed book by Lonny Price (who played Kleban in the original cast) and Linda Kline – is a charming, at times quirky look into the life of a somewhat overlooked talent. Despite J2 Spotlight’s obviously limited budget, the revival is accomplished in the ways that really matter – Robert W. Schneider’s direction is smooth and efficient, and the cast is more than capable of doing service to the material. As Kleban himself, Andy Tighe gives a fully-formed performance, effortlessly capturing the man’s maddening neurosis, as well as his immense charisma. J2 Spotlight’s season continues with welcome revivals of A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine and The Baker’s Wife, which are also being staged at Theatre Row.

THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW
Mint Theater Company at New York City Center
Through March 20

Mint Theater Company has had a long and successful track record in resuscitating lost plays. For its first foray back to post-lockdown in-person performance, the theater company has chosen to remount one of its most acclaimed reclamation projects to date – D.H. Lawrence’s 1913 play The Daughter-in-Law (RECOMMENDED). Set in Northern England during the onset of the mine strikes, the play tells the story of a miner who is caught between his coddling mother and his neglected wife. The play’s first act deliciously delves into dark, thoroughly spiteful territory, setting a precedent for the works of such playwrights as Martin McDonagh, particularly his breakout play The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Had the play ended there, I would have been satisfied and fascinated at its biting look at hateful behavior. However, the play’s second act shows its age when the title character double downs on her determination to stand by her despicable husband. Although the gender politics are ultimately a bit old-fashioned, the folks at Mint handle the difficult and problematic material with care by taking the play at face value as relic of its time and staging it as thoughtfully as if it were a new play. Indeed, the work has been handsomely designed (as per usual for Mint productions) and the acting is thoroughly committed all around.