Pal Joey: Critics Were Bewitched, Bothered Or BewilderedLast evening, the latest revival of
Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart's
Pal Joey opened at
Roundabout Theatre Company's
Studio 54. The tuner is directed by
Joe Mantello and features a new book by playwright
Richard Greenberg.
Pal Joey stars
Stockard Channing,
Martha Plimpton and
Matthew Risch, who replaced
Christian Hoff in rehearsals.
Critical response varied wildly across the board from those who were positively bewitched by the production, to those much more bothered by it all, with some bewildered reviews in between.
Praising the show as "snazzily revived by the Roundabout Theatre Company, (that) pumps much-needed fresh blood into a Broadway grown anemic," Bloomberg's
John Simon is positively bewitched: "Risch has the properly improper gigolo looks and persona of Joey, singing, dancing and acting with precarious insouciance spelled by the called-for defensive arrogance. Channing is appropriately sophisticated and cynical as Vera; if her singing seems a bit too studied, it fits in with Vera’s personality. Plimpton’s Gladys is as beautifully rounded as a hard-edged dame can be.... With splendid choreography from
Graciela Daniele, combining period with modern; scrupulously detailed staging by Joe Mantello; and
Paul Gemignani’s expert conducting of a spirited orchestra, it would take an aged-in-the-wood curmudgeon to ask for anything more."
David Rooney of
Variety is also vexed: "[W]hat makes the Roundabout revival of their 1940 show so compelling is Richard Greenberg’s trenchant adaptation of the original book by
John O’Hara. Erasing the sanitizing stamp of musical-theater coyness, Greenberg brings a fascinating melancholy grubbiness to this cynical story of sordid emotional transactions and opportunistic behavior in late-1930s Chicago. It’s a dark show for desperate times, with enough dramatic meat on its bones to work even as a nonmusical play.... The good news is that while Risch is neither a top-drawer singer nor dancer, he’s doing creditable work as louche lounge lizard Joey Evans. He has the right thuggish good looks, sleazy charisma and self-assured moves to play the unscrupulous gigolo. This is not quite a star-is-born moment, but Risch understands the role of the inveterate cad and he knows how to sell it. Likewise director Joe Mantello, choreographer Graciela Daniele and set designer
Scott Pask; their seamless collaboration makes this apparent the moment the curtain goes up."
Bewildered by Risch's "serviceable voice and none of the nuance needed to make Joey's amorous conquests remotely plausible,"
Eric Grode, who thankfully is reviewing again, now for Newark's
Star Ledger, sees the pluses in the female performers: "Greenberg has radically overhauled John O'Hara's script while remaining in sync with Richard Rodgers' shrewd riffs on supper-club pop and Lorenz Hart's shiv-sharp lyrics.... Greenberg has a sharp ear for the dimestore argot favored by just about everyone else on stage.... [I]n 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,' which Channing delivers with a knowing rendition that makes up for in world-weary style what it lacks in vocal perfection. But the real surprise is Plimpton, a fixture of Broadway's more serious recent efforts (
Shakespeare,
Tom Stoppard and
Caryl Churchill in the last two years alone), who proves to be a sparkling musical theater performer, too. Greenberg and Mantello have bolstered her role considerably, and from a barn-burning rendition of 'Zip!' to a touching glimpse of envy near the end, Plimpton rewards their efforts in full."
Lamenting that the revival "seems more like grown-ups playing dress-up than gritty and cynically delicious pulp fiction,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer comes out swinging: "There is no nice way of saying this. Matthew Risch, the understudy who stepped into the starring role when Christian Hoff reportedly was injured, is a slick and stylish hoofer, and a competent singer. But he doesn't have the wattage to make us care about Joey Evans.... Without more spark behind Joe Mantello's handsomely imagined Chicago lowlife of a production, the darkness starts to feel more dull than glittery.... Channing, as Vera, the wealthy older woman who today would be called a cougar, pulls this off with husky-voiced aristocratic earthiness, looking great in
William Ivey Long's daring gowns and talk-singing her way through the music as if it were written that way. There is more unexpected delight in Plimpton, rapidly becoming one of the theater's most invaluable adventurers. Here she is fearless in a black lace corset and garters as Gladys Bumps, a sturdy been-around thug of a stripper."
Concluding that the show "is seriously undercut by the gaping hole at its center,"
Frank Scheck at
New York Post awards just two and a half stars (out of four): "As the tough-talking, second-rate nightclub performer Gladys Bumps, Plimpton -- not exactly known for musical comedy -- is terrific, the standout attraction of the flawed revival that opened last night.... While (Risch is) a strong dancer and a fair singer, he doesn't yet have the acting chops and, more important, the charisma to make his Joey as much of a charmer as he is a heel.... Joe Mantello has provided a smooth, reasonably entertaining staging that's enhanced by the slinky, sexy choreography of Graciela Daniele.... Stockard Channing, looking impossibly young for her 64 years, is compelling as the sexually rapacious socialite Vera Simpson, even if her renditions of such classic songs as 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' are better acted than sung."
Bothered by "Mantello's low-impact staging,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News awards just two and a half (out of five) stars: "Risch ... gets an A for effort. He's a capable singer and deft dancer and gives just the kind of performance you'd expect -- solid and professional. Period.... Under Mantello's inconsistent direction, the acting styles range from realism to broad musical comedy while tuneful Rodgers and Hart songs ... land with little impression.... (Channing's) bluesy version of 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' aches with longing and resignation. The delightful surprise is Martha Plimpton as the street-smart showgirl Gladys. The actress debuts a robust and smoky singing voice and makes the novelty number 'Zip' (usually sung by another character) enormously entertaining."
Blasting it as a "joyless revival,"
The New York Times'
Ben Brantley clearly feels a bit beguiled (and not in any good sense): "[N]obody, with the qualified exception of Martha Plimpton as a floozy with a grudge, emerges from this Roundabout Theater Company production covered in stardust. In shining a harsh light on the inner rot of selfish characters ... this revival has succeeded only in turning them into zombies. When Ms. Channing, as the alcoholic society matron Vera Simpson, sings the show’s most famous song, 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,' it might as well be titled 'Benumbed, Bummed Out and Bored Silly.'... Joey, a part first played by
Gene Kelly, has to be the engine of the show, and that’s a challenge beyond Mr. Risch.... Ms. Channing, whose drollery is one of the greater natural resources of the New York theater, here pushes deadpan into deadness, talking and singing in a hushed, level voice as if in a trance.... But here it’s not easy to differentiate between a character’s distancing herself from her bad behavior and an actress’s distancing herself from a bad production."
The limited run revival of
Pal Joey is slated to close February 15, 2009. You can read my review of
Pal Joey by clicking
here (I actually liked the production).
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Joe Mantello, Lorenz Hart, Martha Plimpton, Matthew Risch, Musical, Pal Joey, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Richard Rodgers, Stockard Channing
Pal Joey (The SOB Review) - Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54, New York, NY*** (out of ****)Incredibly enough, the first time I ever heard
Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart's enduring classic "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" on stage was not as part of a mounting of
Pal Joey. No, it occurred in 2006 when the enormously talented
Samuel Barnett delivered his poignant rendition as Posner in
The History Boys.Fast forward two years to
Joe Mantello's sparkling revival of
Pal Joey, when I finally had my chance to hear it as originally intended. Well sorta.
No matter that
John O'Hara's book has been substantially updated by
Richard Greenberg. With his decidedly contemporary and largely effective libretto, replete with allusions to abortion and outright depictions of closeted homosexuality -- circa 1930s -- this is certainly not your grandfather's
Pal Joey. Nevertheless, the underlying story of the ne'er-do-well ladies' song-and-dance man Joey Evans, who blithely bounces between women, remains true to the original.
It doesn't hurt that he's cavorting around the sleazy side of Chicago. In fact, with
Scott Pask's El tracks shrouded in shadows from
Paul Gallo's lighting, one can't help but wonder if a
certain disgraced governor could be found lurking here. He'd no doubt be welcome alongside Joey's lothario.
Of course, one of our anti-hero's conquests happens to be a cougar named Vera Simpson. As portrayed by
Stockard Channing, Vera has that rare opportunity to sing "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," in this case right after being bedded by Joey. But alas, unlike Barnett's earlier performance in
The History Boys, I found myself bewildered by Channing's uneven, faltering voice. Pity, since she imbues her Vera with such natural grace, style and seductiveness ... whenever the music stops.
Fortunately, the flipside of this equation is the absolutely stunning portrayal of Gladys Bumps by a bewitching
Martha Plimpton. Talk about a revelation. We already knew this Tony-nominated actress had the dramatic chops, but who knew she also possesses such an sensational singing voice? Her "Zip" alone is worth the price of admission. Along with her sly moves, courtesy of
Graciela Daniele's uniformly captivating choreography, is there nothing Plimpton can't do? Look for a Tony nod in her future.
As for being bothered, well, let's just say that given the dynamic degree to which Joey Evans is a song-and-
dance man, it's hard to imagine anyone hoofing it -- including
Christian Hoff -- quite like the magnetic
Matthew Risch. Apart from what
Michael Riedel might suggest, Risch mostly succeeds in going from chorus boy to promising lead performer.
Adding to the overall luster of Mantello's well-executed revival are Pask's dazzling set, Gallo's wondrous lighting and
William Ivey Long's elegant costume design. Ultimately in this entertaining
Pal Joey, bewitched wins out over both bothered and bewildered.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Joe Mantello, Lorenz Hart, Martha Plimpton, Matthew Risch, Musical, Pal Joey, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Richard Rodgers, Samuel Barnett, Stockard Channing, The SOB Review
Trying To Beguile Again, Pal Joey Opens On BroadwayThis evening,
Roundabout Theatre Company's retooled revival of
Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart's classic
Pal Joey finally opens at
Studio 54. With
Joe Mantello at the helm, this is the final show to open on Broadway during this calendar year.
As noted above, this is not a straightforward revival as
Richard Greenberg has provided a substantial rewrite to
John O'Hara's book. This
Pal Joey stars
Stockard Channing as the stage's original
cougar, Vera Simpson, while Broadway's current straight play "it girl"
Martha Plimpton takes on Gladys Bumps -- her first musical role.
Much has happened since none other than
Hugh Jackman was first being touted for the title role.
Jersey Boys' Tony-winning
Christian Hoff was since cast as Joey Evans, only to be sidelined during previews because of "foot injury." Hoff was replaced last month by
Matthew Risch, whose most recent Broadway gig was as the reprehensible Carlos in the abysmal
Legally Blonde musical.
Will life imitate art with this former chorus boy making critics recall
42nd Street's Peggy Sawyer? Will critics be bewitched, bothered or bewildered? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule, along with my very own SOB Review.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Christian Hoff, Joe Mantello, Lorenz Hart, Martha Plimpton, Matthew Risch, Musical, Opening Night, Pal Joey, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Richard Rodgers, Stockard Channing
Broadway Preview: Pal JoeyWant to know the Broadway show I'm
most looking forward to seeing during the 2008-09 Theatrical Season?
Look no further than
Roundabout Theatre Company's retooled revival of
Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart's classic
Pal Joey, which begins previews at
Studio 54 on November 14. With an opening set for December 11, this incarnation is currently listed as an "open-ended" run.
What excites me most is that it ushers in the return to the Great White Way for
Stockard Channing as the stage's original
cougar, Vera Simpson. It's been nine years since this five-time Tony nominated actress -- who won once for her 1985 portrayal of Sheila in the 1985 revival of
Joe Egg -- last trod the Broadway boards.
Personally, I've loved this great American actress ever since "discovering" her as Miriam Knight in the 1973
ABC Movie of the Week "
The Girl Most Likely To." I'm practically embarrassed to admit that I've never seen her perform live. I've promised myself I would move heaven and earth to see her. Finally,
Pal Joey is providing me with my perfect opportunity.
Additionally, it doesn't hurt that the Main Stem's reigning denizen of drama is also in the show. Marking her first foray into Broadway musical theatre is
Martha Plimpton, who will portray Gladys Bumps.
Of course, the acting name that's been most frequently bandied about is that of
Christian Hoff as Joey Evans. This will be Hoff's first leading role on the Great White Way, and his first stage gig there of any kind since winning a Tony two years ago for his work as Tommy DeVito in
Jersey Boys. Hoff tackles the role once thought destined for
Hugh Jackman. But will he have what it takes?
Given that
Richard Greenberg (
Take Me Out,
Three Days of Rain,
The Well-Appointed Room and the upcoming Broadway production of
The American Plan) is rewriting
John O'Hara's book that Chris Caggiano (
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals) calls "creaky at best," I have high hopes for both Hoff and this
Joe Mantello-helmed revival. And it certainly doesn't hurt that
Pal Joey boasts a terrific score, including timeless tunes like "Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered."
Roundabout describes this fourth Rialto revival:
Set in Chicago in the late 1930s, Pal Joey is the story of Joey Evans, a brash, scheming song and dance man with dreams of owning his own nightclub. Joey abandons his wholesome girlfriend Linda English, to charm a rich, married older woman, Vera Simpson, in the hope that she’ll set him up in business.
Pal Joey first played Broadway's
Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Christmas Day, 1940, and would run for 374 performances, ending just a week before
Pearl Harbor launched the nation headlong into war.
Gene Kelly's Joey played opposite
Vivienne Segal's Vera, while none other than
the Baby/Dainty June,
June Havoc (the 94 year old actress has been forever immortalized in
Gypsy), portrayed Gladys Bumps.
The
first revival, once again starring Vivienne Segal as Vera, came less than a dozen years later in January 1952 at the
Broadhurst Theatre. With 540 total performances, it would enjoy a run outlasting the original. Joey was played by
Harold Lang, but it would be
Helen Gallagher's take on Gladys that would win a Tony. And the great
Elaine Stritch appeared in this version as Melba.
Barely ten years after the first revival closed, a
second one opened May 29 at
City Center for a mere fifteen performances. But it was enough to provide
Bob Fosse with his only Tony nomination in an acting role, this time in the title role. Fosse was cast opposite
Viveca Lindfors as Vera and
Elaine Dunn as Gladys.
The last revival of
Pal Joey came a whopping 32 years ago at the tiny (by Broadway standards)
Circle in the Square Theatre. Bereft of any Tony nominations, the 1976 revival starring
Christopher Chadman (Joey),
Joan Copeland (Vera) and
Janie Sell (Gladys) came and went after just 73 performances.
So how long will this new revival of
Pal Joey remain on Studio 54's stage? It could be zip, unless critics mustn't kick it around.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: Broadway, Christian Hoff, Joe Mantello, Lorenz Hart, Martha Plimpton, Musical, Pal Joey, Revival, Richard Greenberg, Richard Rodgers, Stockard Channing
