Les Spindle Backstage West
The world of musical theatre does indeed go 'round, and for the legendary team of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb it's been spinning felicitously for four decades. They're now riding the crest of a hot streak with Chicago's Oscar glory, the resulting resurgence of that long-running musical's popularity on Broadway, and preliminary talks of a movie based on their stunning Harold Prince stage tuner Kiss of the Spider Woman. What better time to revisit this 1991 Off-Broadway revue, celebrating the duo's golden oldies from stage, screen, and TV? In staging a property that's far more intimate than its typical extravaganzas, Musical Theatre West manages an enjoyable though uneven rendition.

It's admittedly hard to block out memories of the brilliant original staging of this piece by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, and David Thompson, but by any standards too much of this mounting feels lackluster. The marvelous sense of cohesiveness that originally made this vaudevillian charmer more than a routine composer-salute anthology is missing here. We're left with individual high points in a pleasant cabaret show that's somewhat dwarfed by the enormous auditorium. Director/choreographer John Vaughan puts his seasoned cast through its paces with mixed results.

Lucy Daggett, a brassy belter in the Karen Morrow/Carol Burnett vein, delivers some boffo solos. Her "Colored Lights" (from The Rink) is exhilarating, and her reinvention of a Streisand classic ("How Lucky Can You Get?" from Funny Lady) has the requisite diva-style panache. She only disappoints in the story-within-a-song "Ring Them Bells" (from Liza With a Z), failing to capture the New York humor of the character. The stellar chanteuse Jennifer Shelton knows her way around a torch song, bringing renewed vigor to Streisand's "My Coloring Book" and the revue's title song. Daggett and Shelton sparkle as a comedic team in the quintessential K&E numbers "Class" (from Chicago) and "The Grass Is Always Greener" (from Woman of the Year). Branch Woodman finds passion and hilarity in a supermarket freezer case in his spirited "Sara Lee" and shares a showstopping ballet, set to a sprightly K&E medley, with Paige Price. Price is amusing as a libidinous housewife in "Arthur in the Afternoon" (from The Act), but her take on "All That Jazz" (from Chicago) notably lacks sizzle.

Adrian Zmed generally sings divinely, though he tends to swallow his lyrics in the quieter moments. Additional highlights include the buoyant roller-skate ensemble number from "The Rink" and the splendid three-part counterpoint when Zmed, Shelton, and Daggett sing overlapping love ballads. Music director Darryl Archibald and his onstage musicians deliver the goods. Bradley Kaye's unit set and Steven Young's lighting are serviceable. Lynda Krinke supplies simple but tasteful attire. It's always a joy to hear selections from the Kander and Ebb canon, but we wish someone would revitalize this revue with samples from their latter-day work. Welcome additions could include the underrated Steel Pier and two acclaimed scores from shows so far unseen on Broadway: their adaptations of The Skin of Our Teeth and The Visit.
5/1/2003

PREV. REVIEW