Review: ON THE TOWN at Arizona Broadway Theatre

BroadwayWorld Guest Contributor, David Appleford, reviews Arizona Broadway Theatre's production of ON THE TOWN and applauds it as an “undeniable triumph.”

Despite its acclaim and success on Broadway, when most think of ON THE TOWN, it’s the 1949 MGM movie musical with Gene Kelly that generally springs to mind. The film is a genuine classic, and deservedly so. However, running now until February 24 at Peoria’s Arizona Broadway Theatre, local valley audiences are given the rare opportunity of seeing the original 1944 Broadway show presented on ABT’s mainstage in a scintillating new production of Leonard Bernstein’s wartime musical.

Among the many musical theatre presentations that are often repeated, season after season, ON THE TOWN is rarely produced, which makes ABT’s presentation all the more deserving of attention. For many, this reviewer included, watching the 1944 musical in its newly presented entirety is a thrill, particularly as most of Bernstein’s distinctive, jazz-infused score was jettisoned in the movie and replaced with a host of new songs. For the record, Bernstein disowned the film and refused to participate.

That’s not to say director Danny Gorman’s ABT production hasn’t done a jettison of its own. For some reason, Bernstein’s opener of the deeply baritoned dockyard stevedores waking up and declaring in sleepy voices that ‘I Feel Like I’m Not Out Of Bed Yet’ is gone, even though the missing theme can be heard played in a few bars towards the end of the show when the sailors finally return to the dock. Sadly, its notable absence robs audiences of that quiet, early morning feeling we can all relate to before the three sailors, Ozzie (Noah Silverman), Chip (Loren Stone), and Gabey (Andrew Natale Ruggieri) jump into the scene and break that moment of musical serenity by bursting into the joyously exuberant ‘New York, New York.’

The plot, as thin as it is, reflects what you may already know from the film – three sailors in NYC intend to have the time of their lives in just one day – but what makes seeing the live version so special with the original songs and musical interludes (mostly) intact is witnessing how the piece is presented, sung, and especially danced. In 1944, the choreography of Jerome Robbins was considered groundbreaking for a Broadway musical. As the three sailors engage in the hustle and bustle of NYC, the local Manhattan ensemble passes them on the streets with the balletic grace of a community seemingly floating on air.  Kurtis Overby has adapted both the energy and refinement of movement inspired by Robbins’s original moves, making the choreography of this ABT production notable in its own right.

Because of the theatre's large, back-screen projection, much of David Goldstein's set design is made hugely effective by the simplicity of props and sliding sets, backed by an AI-generated background that immediately and effortlessly establishes a new location, whether it be the streets of New York, a stuffy museum interior, the sparkling lights of Coney Island, or the cavernous interior of a circus tent. The movement of a New York cab or the haste of riding the subway (where "the people ride in a hole in the ground”) is suggested behind by a giant blurry image of speed. Coupled with Casey Price’s ever-changing lighting design and Morgan Andersen’s period-appropriate costumes, the whole production has the technicolor look of an MGM movie musical. It’s a feast for the eyes.

The eight-piece orchestra under the music direction of Steve Zumbrun is excellent throughout, though there were times when the clarity of sound was occasionally marred by the difficulty of trying to determine what was being said or sung. This was especially true during the opening number where the whole song sounded as though it was performed in a giant, ear-piercing echo chamber. However, for the most part, the rest of the show settled on a good balance where both dialog and lyrics could be heard with little problem.

The script by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also wrote the lyrics, is full of dated, cornball humor, with intentional broad, cornball performances to support. Kathi Osborne’s Maude P. Dilly, the Carnegie Hall vocal trainer with a comically uncontrollable craving for alcohol, is portrayed in the true, over-the-top spirit of the piece by having every line of dialog sound like a public declaration or delivered as though the character was making a broad announcement. Osborne also possesses the best line in the show. When attempting to warn Ivy Smith (Rebecca Shulla) of the dangers of spending time with an amorous sailor, she declares, “Art and sex don’t mix,” adding, “If they did, I would be at the very top.”

In addition to the above-mentioned Rebecca Shulla, the two remaining leading ladies are Hildy (Allie Tamburello) an over-sexed, recently fired cab driver, and Claire de Loone (Emily Hardesty) an equally over-sexed anthropologist, both of whom possess great comedic chops and have their moment under the spotlight.  Tamburello's ‘I Can Cook Too’ is a musical highlight, a song unforgivably cut from the film; both music and lyrics in this case by Bernstein.

Leonard Bernstein’s fame came at the young age of 25 when in 1943 he stunned audiences by stepping in at the last minute as conductor for the New York Philharmonic. The performance became legendary, as did the recording of the Star Spangled Banner. Because his name was suddenly associated so closely with the nation’s national anthem, he decided that instead of writing an overture for ON THE TOWN the following year, the show would begin with the one theme that his name was nationally synonymous. ON THE TOWN may well possess the one musical prologue where audience members rise from their seats with their hands on hearts, then applaud before the show has even begun.

ON THE TOWN was always notable for consisting of a series of ‘firsts.’ While still in their twenties, it was Bernstein’s first full-length score, Comden and Green’s first full book with lyrics, and Jerome Robbins’s first musical theatre comedy as choreographer. With this in mind, how satisfying it is to say that in addition to being the first Arizona Broadway Theatre presentation of 2024, it’s also an undeniable triumph.

Arizona Broadway Theatre ~ https://azbroadway.org/ ~ 7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria, AZ ~ 623-776-8400

Graphic credit to ABT

 

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