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Continuing my catching up, my theatre expedition Saturday night was to see the Roundabout production of Pal Joey. They used the original Rodgers and Hart score, but with a new book by Richard Greenberg, based on John O'Hara's. Choreography was by Graciela Daniele.
Even with the rewrite, the story is still flawed, largely because of the characters. Joey Evans is so slimy that it is painful when we're supposed to feel sympathetic towards him. Vera Simpson knows what she's doing, at least, but that's only because she is so jaded and cynical. I wanted to just grab Linda English and shake some sense into her. The biggest flaw is with her character who should have just settled down with some other nice innocent from the provinces.
As for the show itself, the Rodgers and Hart songs are certainly likeable enough. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is certainly the best known, but I prefer "I Could Write a Book." The contrast between Joey's vision (in the "Chez Joey" ballet) and his reality ("The Flower Garden of My Heart") was very amusing. The real revelation for me was in "Happy Hunting Horn," which worked better for me in context than it ever did on recordings. Another revelation was "Zip," which is witty relief. I had mixed feelings toward the choreography. It was showy enough but there weren't any actual "wow" moments. This was a case where the ensemble dominated the dancing and the leads had little to do with it.
Which brings me to the performances. Matthew Risch played Joey and looked like he was working too hard at it. There's a reason he was the understudy (until Christian Hoff was injured and had to pull out.) Jenny Fellner was fine as Linda, but it's not a role that gives anybody much of a chance for stardom. The role of Vera, however, does, and Stockard Channing does acerbic well. However, she isn't much of a singer and I'm not sure a song like "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is all that suitable for the Rex Harrison treatment she needs to get through a musical. The true scene stealer was Martha Plimpton as Gladys, the showgirl who knew Joey in the past.
All in all, it was an enjoyable evening despite its flaws. Some of the reviews were really scathing. I'm glad I hadn't read them beforehand, so I didn't know not to enjoy myself.
Even with the rewrite, the story is still flawed, largely because of the characters. Joey Evans is so slimy that it is painful when we're supposed to feel sympathetic towards him. Vera Simpson knows what she's doing, at least, but that's only because she is so jaded and cynical. I wanted to just grab Linda English and shake some sense into her. The biggest flaw is with her character who should have just settled down with some other nice innocent from the provinces.
As for the show itself, the Rodgers and Hart songs are certainly likeable enough. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is certainly the best known, but I prefer "I Could Write a Book." The contrast between Joey's vision (in the "Chez Joey" ballet) and his reality ("The Flower Garden of My Heart") was very amusing. The real revelation for me was in "Happy Hunting Horn," which worked better for me in context than it ever did on recordings. Another revelation was "Zip," which is witty relief. I had mixed feelings toward the choreography. It was showy enough but there weren't any actual "wow" moments. This was a case where the ensemble dominated the dancing and the leads had little to do with it.
Which brings me to the performances. Matthew Risch played Joey and looked like he was working too hard at it. There's a reason he was the understudy (until Christian Hoff was injured and had to pull out.) Jenny Fellner was fine as Linda, but it's not a role that gives anybody much of a chance for stardom. The role of Vera, however, does, and Stockard Channing does acerbic well. However, she isn't much of a singer and I'm not sure a song like "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is all that suitable for the Rex Harrison treatment she needs to get through a musical. The true scene stealer was Martha Plimpton as Gladys, the showgirl who knew Joey in the past.
All in all, it was an enjoyable evening despite its flaws. Some of the reviews were really scathing. I'm glad I hadn't read them beforehand, so I didn't know not to enjoy myself.
