Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Full-tilt vocals and a boldly sensual production save the new bio-musical LEMPICKA

• By drediman
• April 30, 2024
• No Comments

Over the weekend, I caught the new Broadway musical Lempicka at the Longacre Theatre. The musical has had a winding road to the Great White Way, having been presented by two major regional theater companies over the years, the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2018, followed by a run at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2022. The musical tells — with more than a few embellishments along the way — the little known story of Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka, chronicling her life from the Russian Revolution through to 1980s California (a bulk of the action, however, actually takes place in Paris, where she established herself as an artist of note).

To say that endeavor is an ambitious undertaking is an understatement. In terms of musical lineage, I would say that the piece is a descendent of sweeping shows like Evita (there’s even a Che-like character who occasionally comments on the action and times), Cabaret, and Les Misérables. To be fair, there’s also a cheeky dash of Diana in the mix, particularly with respect to Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould’s driving, heavily pop-influenced score. The result is an epic, heady musical that’s at times a tad unsteady as it mercilessly and bombastically churns through its juicy, eventful plot. Thankfully, director Rachel Chavkin’s sensual, visually bold production keeps Lempicka on the rails. It’s a stylishly auteur production, which features imposing design work (sets by Riccardo Hernández, lighting by Bradley King), as well as angular, often times tongue-in-cheek choreography by Raja Feather Kelly. The striking look and staging take their inspiration both from the eras it covers, as well as 1980s pop videos (!); indeed, like the women it celebrates, the musical is sleek and modern.

Lempicka is also buoyed by some full-tilt vocals from its game cast, which is led by Eden Espinosa, who has been connected with the project at every step of its development. She admirably navigates the vocally and dramatically demanding title role with steely determination and commitment to character. As her two love interests, Andrew Samonsky sounds ravishing in the otherwise thankless role of Tamara’s husband (a reduced baron), and the smokey-voiced Amber Iman seethes outright sex as the artist’s free-spirited lesbian lover. Rounding out the cast are George Abud (intense and brooding) as the aforementioned emcee-like character, Natalie Joy Johnson (the show’s rare comic relief) as the an underground proprietress, and Tony-winner Beth Leavel (underused but ultimately heartbreaking) as a wise patron of the arts.

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LEMPICKA
Broadway, Musical
Longacre Theatre
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run