The wonder that is Encores! tonight opens its 22nd season
at City Center by doing what it does best, offering up a glorious five-performance
revival of the rarely seen Lady, Be Good, the George and Ira Gershwin musical
that last appeared on Broadway in 1924, where it ran for 330 performances and
starred a pair of hoofers who went by the name of Fred and Adele Astaire.
The production is about as bouncy and bubbly as any you are
likely to see these days, even with its paper-thin plot (original book by Guy
Bolton and Fred Thompson) that is frequently interrupted by unrelated specialty
acts—a vaudeville holdover that even in its time was starting to disappear
in favor of stronger storylines (Showboat was only two years away). But when
the plot steps aside for a couple of production numbers performed by the likes of the legendary Tommy Tune, who could possibly complain?
What there is of a plot tells the story of a brother and
sister, Dick and Susie Trevor, who find themselves out on the street merely
because they haven’t paid the rent for 18 months. Dick (Danny Gardner) decides
he will get them out of their predicament by marrying a wealthy heiress (Jennifer
Laura Thompson) who has eyes for him, despite the fact that he is in love with
the equally penniless Shirley (Erin Mackey).
For her part, Susie (Patti Murin) falls into a scheme by
which she will pretend to be the Mexican widow of the presumed-to-be dead Jack
Robinson (Colin Donnell) so that she can get the inheritance. There is a lot of running around and
silliness, and the requisite happy ending, of course. But, really, all of it is
in the service of one of Encores’ best choreographed evenings (thanks to Randy Skinner and a very talented ensemble) and
a whole trunkful of Gershwin numbers, starting with the show’s two bonafide and
enduring hits, the title song and "Fascinating Rhythm."
Given that the show was written around the talents of the
Astaire siblings, you can bet there are plenty of opportunities for Mr. Gardner
and Ms. Murin to show their stuff.
Performing together, with other partners, or by themselves, both
are outstanding dancers, and Gardner—dressed in white tie and tails—does a
show-stopping tap number at the top of Act II. Truly, if anyone does a musical about Fred and Adele, these two should
be high on their list to take on the roles.
Also stopping the show is Tommy Tune, that six-foot-six
bundle of dynamite, who, at 75, still can tap with the best of them. In Act I, he comes out all dressed in scarlet
to perform “Fascinating Rhythm,” and in Act II, there he is again all in blue,
with “Little Jazz Bird.” What a crowd-pleasing charmer he is!
The production
is replete with top-notch performances, including Kristen Wyatt and Jeff Hiller
as a wacky couple, and Douglas Sills as
the underhanded attorney ("I'm not a quack," he bridles. "I'm a shyster!") who masterminds Susie’s impersonation of “Senorita
Juanita.”
Encores! rightfully prides itself on getting the music
right. In this case, diligent
digging uncovered only a handful of songs for which there were extant orchestrations
(by the likes of Max Steiner and Robert Russell Bennett). Rob Fisher, Encores’ founding music director, used these
to guide the creation of new orchestrations. He also
serves as guest conductor of the excellent orchestra, which spotlights a pair
of exceptionally talented pianists, Chris Fenwick and Greg Anthony, performing "Fascinating Rhythm" and "Lady, Be Good" as in-the-spotlight specialty numbers.
Thumbs up and three cheers to director Mark Brokaw and to all
involved in putting together this joyous production. This Lady is more than just good; she is
terrific!
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