DO I HEAR A WALTZ?: Musical. Richard Rodgers-Stephen Sondheim-Arthur Laurents. Based on Arthur Laurents’ 1952 play The Time of the Cuckoo. 42nd Street Moon, The Eureka Theatre 215 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94111. (415) 255-8207 or visit 42ndSt Moon.org. October 4 – 14, 2014.
DO I HEAR A WALTZ? misses a few beats at the Eureka Theatre. [rating:3]
Opening night audiences attending 42nd Street Moon’s revivals are aficionados of lost musicals and are willing to give some old clunkers standing ovations because their productions project the love they have for the genre. On opening night of the much maligned Do I Hear a Waltz? There was only one person who jumped to his feet giving thunderous applause. The remainder of the audience remained seated but applauded loudly.
There are multiple reasons for this dichotomy of response. Even though the creators, Richard Rodgers-Stephen Sondheim-Arthur Laurents, were giants in the field of musical comedy there was no chemistry between them and the show lasted only a few months on Broadway. Since then there have been revivals in London and Pasadena receiving tepid to rave reviews. 42nd Street Moon’s 1998 limited staging of Do I Hear a Waltz? was great fun as a piece of Broadway history.
For the opening of their 2014-2015 season they elected to add pizzazz to the show by importing Broadway’s Tony nominee Emily Skinner (Side Show, The Full Monty, Billy Elliot) to play the lead. That decision was wise and questionable. Skinner is an ultimate professional with an expressive singing voice. However, the actors surrounding her seem intimidated and the exuberance usually found with 42nd Street Moon’s cast was limited.
The musical was based on 1952 play The Time of the Cuckoo, later made into the charming bitter-sweet movie Summertime starring Katharine Hepburn. On Broadway the lead of Leona Samish was played perfectly by Shirley Booth who won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play.
In 2000 Laurents revised the play for a limited run at the Lincoln Center. Artistic Director Greg MacKellan, who also directed the present staging, is a purist and used the original script. Leona (Emily Skinner) is a lonely unmarried American secretary vacationing alone in Venice where she falls in love with antique Venetian glass shopkeeper Renato Di Rossi (Tyler McKenna) who is unhappily married with a grown son Vito (Nikita Burshteyn). It seems that her dreams for happiness are unfulfilled when the truth becomes known.
Secondary plot concern the hot to trot Widow Signora Fioria (Stephanie Rhoads) and Eddie Yaeger (David Naughton) who is married to Jennifer (Abby Sammons). For humor there is the non-English speaking maid Giovanna (Taylor Bartolucci) and the charming fifth grader Jonah Broscow playing the imp Mauro who leads
Young Mauro (Jonah Broscow) & Leona Samish (Emily Skinner)
Leona around Venice.
Unfortunately there is no charisma between Emily Skinner and Tyler McKenna and their love songs (“Someone Like You” and “Take the Moment”) do not ring true. The best number of the evening is “Moon in My Window” that begins as a solo by Abby Sammons, switches to a duet with Stephanie Rhoads and ends as a trio with Emily Skinner.
Other marvelous songs include; “This Week Americans”, “What Do We Do? We Fly!” and the title song “Do I Hear a Waltz?” David Naughton and Abby Sammons lead the cast in a rousing production number “We’re Gonna Be All Right.”
Hector Zavala’s attractive Venetian set that covers the entire stage allows MacKellen to move his characters smoothly through the multiple scenes. Felicia Lilienthal has fashioned eight snazzy costumes changes for Emily Skinner and classic style vacationing togs for the Americans.
This show is well worth a visit and running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.
CAST:STARRING EMILY Skinner with TYLER MCKENNA as Renato, STEPHANIE RHOADS,TAYLOR BARTOLUCCI,JONAH BROSCOW,NIKITA BURSHSTEYN,LUCINDA HITCHCOCK CONE, DAVID NAUGHTON, MICHAEL RHONE,ABBY SAMMONS.
ARTISTIC STAFF: Directed by GREG MACKELLAN; Music Director, DAVE DOBRUSKY; Choreographer, BRITTANY DANIELLE; Stage Manager, CHRIS MARTINi; Production Manager and Set Design, HECTOR ZAVALA; Costume Design, FELICIA LILIENTHAL; Lighting Design, DANNY MAHER; Prop Design, AMY CRUMPACKER. Photos by: pwophoto.com.
Kedar K. Adour. MD
Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com
