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On the Town
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Cast
Photo by Michael Lamont
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By Melinda Schupmann
*Critic's Choice*
The 1940s were glorious times for musical theater--Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, Wonderful Town, Carousel, South Pacific, Kiss Me Kate--shows that stand as classics and enchant today as they did when they were packing houses on Broadway. In that same list was On the Town, a collaborative effort of legends George Abbot, Jerome Robbins, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and Leonard Bernstein. What grew out of a Ballet Theatre production Fancy Free became a full-fledged theatrical production with 462 performances and, later, a successful 1959 revival. Though the popular motion picture with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin was a hit, the play is a stronger example of the inspired music, choreography, and vitality that emerged from these talented Broadway icons.
The story is a romantic odyssey. Three sailors--Gabey (David Elder), Ozzie (David Brouwer), and Chip (Jeffrey Schecter)-- have twenty-four hour shore leave in New York. In that time they hope to find girls and an adventure that will carry them forward as they return to their wartime duties. Gabey sees a poster of Miss Turnstiles, Ivy Smith (Kate Levering), in the subway, and he is hooked. This is the girl of his dreams, and his buddies agree to help him find her. Along the way they meet their own soulmates, Hildy Esterhazy (Bets Malone) and Claire de Loone (Tami Tappan Damiano).
The collaborators were young, and their youthful experimentation and creativity broke ground. From the opening "I Feel Like I'm Not Out of Bed Yet" and "New York, New York" to the finale, the choreography and musical production numbers are full of fun and energy, moving at high speed through the rest of the story, just like the twenty-four hour deadline the sailors have.
Malone is a cab-driving babe--wise-cracking, enterprising, and purposeful-- as she goes after the shy Schecter when he grabs her cab to hunt for Ivy. Their comic numbers are standouts. Damiano and Brouwer are a likeable pair, eluding her fiance, the affable and comic Judge Pitkin W. Bridgework (Larry Cedar). Elder and Levering are well-cast as the naive younglovers.All three couples are top-notch, and their chemistry goes a long way toward making this special.
Harriet Harris is notable as the boozy music teacher, Madam Maude P. Dilly. Another audience-pleaser is Natalie Nucci as Lucy Schmeeler, Hildy's frumpy roommate.
Too infrequently the ensemble members go unnoticed in a show of this size, but they are splendid and talented in each role they contribute. They are: Jody Ashworth, Shell Bauman, Seth Belliston, Bradley Benjamin, Courtney Combs, Joseph Marshall, Kimberly Mikesell, Aaron Lloyd Pomeroy, Justin Robertson, Yvette Tucker, Jacob ben Widmar, Kristen Beth Williams, and Vincent Zamora.
The production elements are worth a mention: Tom Ruzika's lighting, Mirena Rada's costumes, Bradley Kaye's scenic design and Philip G. Allen's sound design are an enhancement, especially creating a sense of the full show versus the staged concert.
Reprise! Broadway's Best is a treat for Los Angeles audiences, and this production is one of their best. Lee Martino's first-rate choreography is a standout, especially combined with Gerald Sternbach's musical direction. From songs to dialogue, Dan Mojica's direction is fluid, tapping the nostalgia yet giving it a very slick energy that serves the show well. Artistic Producing Director Marcia Seligson's 1997 inspiration has turned into highly sought after tickets and opportunities for the community to see Broadway at its best.
On the Town, performed at the UCLA Freud Playhouse, Macgowan Hall, Westwood. Tues. - Fri. at 8; Sat. at 2 & 8; Sun. at 2 & 7. $55-65. 310-825-2101. Closes Oct. 2.
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