Steve On Broadway (SOB)

101 Dalmatians (The SOB Review)

101 Dalmatians (The SOB Review) - Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota

*1/2 (out of ****)

Given the wonderful seminal movie-going experience Disney's 1961 animated feature "101 Dalmatians" afforded me, I eagerly anticipated and chowed down on everything from its initial release on videotape and DVD to movie memorabilia to the 1996 feature film.

So when I learned that Tony Award-winning director Jerry Zaks would be helming a stage musical version, how could I resist? Turns out this tale is far from man's best friend.

When it comes to the non-Disney touring production of The 101 Dalmatians Musical that made its initial bow in Minneapolis last week, there's no beating around the bushes (which, parents should duly note, are apparently inhabited with dogs in serious heat). Unfortunately, it's all bow, with too little wow. Some of those gasps you're likely to hear are parents who are caught off-guard by several instances of off-color humor.

It would be easy for any wag to dismiss the tuner as one giant dog of a show, but that really wouldn't be fair to any canine. Its creators may insist that this 101 Dalmatians is meant to reflect Dodie Smith's original 1956 children's novel, but it readily becomes apparent that this is merely a feeble attempt to cash-in on the far superior Disney forebears.

Act One certainly shows some promise, including flourishes in its score reminiscent of the heyday for 70s rock band Styx. That's in part because it's been written by the group's front-man Dennis DeYoung. Unfortunately, the second act becomes hackneyed and the score is simply derivative.

But that's a mutt point if you deliver on what "101 Dalmatians" fans have enjoyed most about the earlier incarnations: the cute furry dogs and the fiendish Cruella DeVil. In this 101 Dalmatians, both aren't on stage nearly enough even if they represent the most satisfying aspects of the show.

With varying effect, the adult characters warily maneuver the stage in costumes built for stilts so as to appear larger than the the humans portraying Pongo, Missus and their own litter of puppies (played by children). To supplement these "dogs," up to 15 genuine dalmatians are used, along with what appear to be cardboard cutouts, to amass the quantities the title demands.

Sorry to say, these real dogs are only used at the end of each act. At the conclusion of the show, the real dalmatians chew the scenery quite literally by putting on a pleasing display of impressively stupid pet tricks. Considering that they elicit a much larger audience response than the rest of the show put together (with one notable exception that I'll get to in a moment), they demonstrate just how little meat is on this 101 Dalmatians' bones.

As for that exception, the enormously talented Rachel York is a delirious delight as the devilish Cruella. Despite being criminally underutilized, the wickedly funny York radiates the musical's only real heat whenever she blazes across the stage. She really sinks her teeth into the production and employs her considerable vocal skills to tremendous effect. York is also one of the few actors in this production who seems truly comfortable on those stilts.

Suffice to say, without York, 101 Dalmatians would just sit there with no bark and no bite. And that's a doggone shame.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Labels: 101 Dalmatians, Dennis DeYoung, Jerry Zaks, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Musical, Rachel York, The SOB Review, Touring Production

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Tuesday, October 20, 2009 12 comments

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (The SOB Review)

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (The SOB Review) – Bailiwick Repertory Theater, Chicago, IL

*1/2 (out of ****)

What’s that eleventh hour line uttered by Mama Rose in Gypsy? Born too early and started too late?

Well, if there’s a contemporary musical equivalent, look no further than Dennis DeYoung, former front man for Styx, one of my personal favorite rock bands from the late 70s and early 80s. I always admired the theatricality of Styx’s work, which was certainly present in their “Grand Illusion” album back in 1977, but really sharpened with 1981’s “Paradise Theatre” and was exacerbated to the point of some ridicule with their 1983 album “Kilroy Was Here.”

It never mattered to me. I ate it all up.

Maybe it was because my own interest in musical theatre was burgeoning during those very years that I never minded. I rather enjoyed each effort, eagerly snapping them up and losing myself in the histrionics employed by Styx -- even if their music was falling out of favor among a devoted part of their fan base in the process.

So against that backdrop, I confess to being positively intrigued that DeYoung would dive headlong into developing his own stage musical. To me, it seemed like a natural progression for a man who had been less a closet tuner junkie than a bona fide musical aficionado.

When I learned that DeYoung had written a complete book and score for The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, I knew I had to see this show, which is currently being presented by Chicago’s Bailiwick Theatre and helmed by its artistic director David Zak. Unfortunately, the possibilities his Styx concept albums flirted with were much more compelling, and artistically, more daring and innovative.

While I have no doubt that Hunchback is a labor of love (and it’s certainly a family affair as his wife and children all share program credits), it’s almost as if DeYoung has spent a little too much time studying the musical techniques offered by Andrew Lloyd Webber or the team that gave the world Les Miserables. The world of musical theatre has long since moved on.

DeYoung’s work is hardly helped by Zak’s direction, which seems bent on reliving those bombastic 80s musical halycon days, even though it’s been nearly a generation since they’ve been in vogue.

Case in point is the “What hath God overwrought” performance by Jeremy Rill’s Frollo, the French priest who takes in the grossly deformed Quasimodo (George Andrew Wolff) at an early age, only to ultimately spar with him as an adult over the affections of gypsy girl Esmerelda (Dana Tretta). In perhaps the most egregious display of overacting I’ve witnessed from a lead player this year, shrill Rill’s handwringing turn not only unintentionally flirts with pure camp -- he goes dangerously over the top.

And that’s a shame, given the genuine heartfelt performances offered by both Wolff and Tretta, who help ground the story, giving it the kind of emotional depth DeYoung is clearly seeking.

Could this Hunchback someday prove to be the bell ringer DeYoung envisioned? The answer is a qualified yes. But this incarnation takes its toll.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Labels: Chicago, Dennis DeYoung, Musical, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Sunday, July 06, 2008 0 comments