Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Roundabout’s HOLIDAY INN and Paper Mill’s THE PRODUCERS make for solid, old fashioned musical entertainment

• By drediman
• October 11, 2016
• No Comments

With the recent closing of Christopher Wheeldon’s gorgeous musical adaptation of An American in Paris last weekend, New York was bereft of a soaring piece of musical storytelling in the classic mold. Luckily, two local nonprofits have stepped up to the plate to provide New York area theatergoers with a pair of solid old fashioned song-and-dance productions.

Corbin Bleu, Lora Lee Gayer, and Bryce Pinkham in Roundabout’s “Holiday Inn”

Roundabout Theatre Company’s first entry into the 2016-2017 Broadway season is the jukebox musical Holiday Inn (RECOMMENDED), which is being advertised as “the new Irving Berlin musical”. The new “aw-shucks, let’s put on a show” book by Gordon Greenberg (who also directed the production) and Chad Hodge is more than serviceable. And who can complain about the score, which contains some of Irving Berlin’s most indelible tunes, especially under the careful musical supervision of Andy Einhorn? Much of Denis Jones’s choreography is thrilling, particularly his work on the large production numbers. And despite some bland casting (Corbin Bleu, Lora Lee Gayer, and Megan Sikora make marginal impressions in large roles), there are some bright spots; Bryce Pinkham and Megan Lawrence are giving charming, inspired performances. All-in-all, Holiday Inn is very good escapist fun.

Michael Kostroff and David Josepfsberg in Paper Mill’s “The Producers”

Down at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ, a rock solid revival of Mel Brooks’ The Producers (RECOMMENDED) recently opened. With this production, the Paper Mill Playhouse, which is the proud recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, uses a strategy that has worked well for the company in the past – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Indeed, this The Producers adheres very closely to the original Broadway production (itself based on Mr. Brook’s 1967 flick), from Susan Stroman’s direction and choreography, to Robin Wagner’s set design, to William Ivey Long’s costume design, to the performances. As Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, Michael Kostroff and David Josepfsberg, respectively, both do well conjuring up Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick without resorting to mere imitations. Other standouts in the cast include John Treacy Egan’s hilariously unhinged Franz Liebkind and Kevin Pariseau’s outrageous Roger De Bris.

HOLIDAY INN
Broadway, Musical
Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54
2 hours, 15 minutes (with one intermission)
Through January 15

THE PRODUCERS
Regional, Musical
Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn, NJ)
2 hours, 40 minutes (with one intermission)
Through October 23