THE HANGOVER REPORT – City Ballet star Sara Mearns shines in the delightful Encores! revival of Rodgers and Hart’s I MARRIED AN ANGEL

Sara Mearns and Mark Evans in the Encores! revival of Rodgers and Hart's "I Married an Angel" at New York City Center. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Sara Mearns and Mark Evans in the Encores! revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “I Married an Angel” at New York City Center. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Sunday evening at New York City Center, I caught the final performance of the delightful Encores! revival of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s rarely performed I Married an Angel. Besides getting the chance to hear Rodgers and Hart’s pleasingly old fashioned score given a luxurious, full-bodied treatment, the main reason to have paid a visit to City Center was the intriguing chance to see New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns – one of the world’s great prima ballerinas – take on musical comedy.

I Married an Angel tells the fairytale story of a stuffy banker who falls in love, quite literally, with an angel (played by Ms. Mearns). When the practicalities of her otherworldliness start getting in the way of his conducting business, comedic chaos ensues. Yes, it’s all rather creaky and as consequential as a puff of smoke, but that’s decidedly part of the unique charm of the invaluable Encores! series. Nowhere else can you revisit such an  old and odd nugget of musical in most of its original glory (e.g., full orchestra, polished production values, complete and deluxe casting).

Those of us who follow ballet know that there’s intense, inherent drama in Ms. Mearns’ dancing. Her performances with City Ballet are marked by her ability to convey some sort of story or subtext through every inch of her body (including her expressive face). In this respect, she’s a shrewd fit for a dance-focused role in a musical theater piece, which she demonstrated beautifully in her dancing on Sunday. Happily, I also found her to be a surprisingly confident actress, reciting her lines with great ease and charm. Ms. Mearns was ably supported by a rock solid cast, including adorable turns by Mark Evans and Nikki M. James. The production was directed and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse (Ms. Mearns’ husband in real life) with an appealing light touch and warm glow.

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I MARRIED AN ANGEL
Off-Broadway, Musical
Encores! at New York City Center
2 hours, 15 minutes (with one intermission)
Closed

Categories: Dance, Off-Broadway, Theater

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