Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Musical revivals that have something new to say

• By drediman
• December 25, 2015
• No Comments

Over the last few months, I had a chance to catch a quartet of revisionist musical revivals that made me sit up and pay attention to material I thought I knew all over again. Even if not all of these radical reinterpretations were totally successful, they’re each at least fascinating exercises that fully engaged me. Starting with and in addition to the unexpectedly fine and potent revival of Spring Awakening (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) – see my assessment here – I was at once provoked and entertained by the revivals of The Color Purple, Oliver!, and Once Upon a Mattress.

THE COLOR PURPLE
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (Broadway)
Open Run

Like red hot Belgian director Ivo van Hove (whose current revival of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge is currently startling audiences on Broadway), John Doyle has made a name for himself by mounting minimalist, streamlined productions of the classics – notably a superb trio of Stephen Sondheim musical revivals (Sweeney Todd, Company, Passion) – to maximal emotional impact. No wonder he was recently appointed the new artistic director of Classic Stage Company. With his soul stirring, pared-down revival of The Color Purple (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), which recently opened at the Jacobs Theatre, Mr. Doyle can add another jewel to his crown. Although the original Broadway was tepidly reviewed by critics (that production shuttered only eight years ago), this revival makes a strong case for the musical, particularly Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray’s rich and eclectic score. Mr. Doyle’s revival trades in the visually epic quality of Gary Griffin’s glossy original production for a more authentic, parable-like approach that’s staged on an evocative unit set (also by Mr. Doyle). This revised approach does wonders for the material, particularly when it comes to masking the deficiencies of Marsha Norman’s bland book. What was once a scattered behemoth is now a focused, profoundly moving hymn to the human spirit. When the glorious Cynthia Erivo, who in her Main Stem debut is giving surely one of the performances of the season in the central role of the beleaguered Celie, sensitively unleashes the climactic “I’m Here”, what once felt like a manipulative, pyrotechnic (though admittedly affecting) number now feels like a cathartic moment that’s fully earned. There wasn’t a pair of dry eyes in the house, including mine. Ms. Erivo is given superb support by a trio of strong performances, including the iron-lunged Jennifer Hudson as Shug, Danielle Brooks as Sofia, and Joaquina Kalukango as Nettie.

OLIVER!
Arena Stage (Regional – Washington, DC)
Through January 3

This winter, Washington, DC’s Arena Stage is currently a thoroughly confounding, though entertaining, production of Oliver! (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED). You see, Molly Smith’s production attempts to update the popular Lionel Bart musical to present-day London (the musical originally and traditionally takes place in Dickensian London). Despite Ms. Smith’s valiant and fascinating effort to make the musical darker, grittier, and more relevant, she’s unable to unlock hidden aspects of the musical in the same way Mr. Doyle does for his stunning revival of The Color Purple. The jaunty score has been re-orchestrated to reflect contemporary musical sensibilities – to awkward and jarring effect. Also, Ms. Smith has opted not to update Mr. Bart’s book and lyrics, resulting in a show that ultimately seems to be set in its own mixed-up, unrecognizable universe. Wade Laboissonniere’s costume design and Parker Esse’s choreography, too, seem to be unfortunately lost between two worlds. Kudos, however, to set designer Todd Rosenthal, who creates an immersive playground in the in-the-round Fichandler, complete with crisscrossing elevated walkways, in which Dickens’ scrappy, hustling characters can come to three-dimensional life. Despite my reservations about the production, the performances are excellent. Jeff McCarthy makes for a charismatic and menacing Fagan. Eleasha Gamble brings a thrilling voice and a natural, magnetic stage presence to Nancy (when can we see her as Effie in Dreamgirls?). At the performance I attended, the title role was played the young, talented towheaded Jake Heston Miller, playing Oliver with just the right combination of vulnerability and spunk. He had the audience in the palm of his hands from the moment he opened his mouth to famously inquire, in a sweet-toned voice, “Please sir, I want some more.” If only I could say the same thing about the rest of this misguided production.

ONCE UPON A MATTRESS
Transport Group at Abrons Arts Center (Off-Broadway)
Through January 3

Transport Group’s campy revival of Mary Rodger’s Once Upon a Mattress (RECOMMENDED) at the Abrons Arts Center turns out to be, along with the Atlantic Theater Company’s These Paper Bullets, one of the most unabashedly hilarious shows of the season thus far. The production, friskily directed by Jack Cummings III, almost seems an excuse for the indomitable and idiosyncratic Jackie Hoffman and Lypsinka to let loose onstage, much to the audience’s delight. The take-me-or-leave-me approach which has characterized both of these artists’ careers is once again front-and-center here – almost to the point of distraction. Indeed, many times the book seems to get in the way of Jackie Hoffman being Jackie Hoffman. Lypsinka, who unfailingly ignites the audience with laughter with her camped-up delivery, also seems to be acting in a bubble, as if in her own play altogether. But when material and performer coalesce, as in Ms. Hoffman’s – ahem, I mean Princess Winnifred’s – number “Shy”, true musical comedy magic is the result. Both performers are given wonderful support by endearing performances from Jason Williams, Hunter Ryan Herdlika, and others. The 13-piece orchestra sounds fuller and more satisfying than many a Broadway musical in recent years. However, the scenic design concept, which seems fascinating on paper, is disappointingly executed in reality, perhaps due to a lack of funds to realize Sandra Goldmark’s vision of the musical as an improvised cartoon.