This past Sunday
I took in a performance of On the Town
at the Lyric Theater in midtown. The original production of On the Town originally premiered on
Broadway in 1944, and now it’s being revived on the Great White Way.
The Cast of On the Town - Source: Broadway.com
I was excited to
see the show because I had heard such great things about it. The production
currently on Broadway was mounted last summer at the Barrington Stage Company
in Pittsfield, MA, and it received rave reviews from critics. So I had high
expectations, especially for the dancing which has been a trademark of the show
since it’s beginning in 1944.
Right from the
outset, the show did a marvelous job at making an experience, something that is
crucial to creating a successful show. Music from the 1930’s (the time period
of the show), flowed throughout the lobby. Also in the library was an old-fashioned
candy and soda shop, transporting the audience immediately into the world of
the show. Inside the theater, with the American Flag curtain covering the
stage, the orchestra played the national anthem while the audience stood and
sang. And with that, we were transported to a different time, both in life and
in musical theater.
It was the
transportation to a different time in musical theater, which is where On the Town stumbled slightly. The show
began with a big song and dance number as expected, which did not disappoint. However,
many of the big numbers after that were presented as dances (in ballet style)
without singing. This was the style of many shows at the time of On the Town’s original premiere, but is
not the custom today. While the dances were beautiful, it would have been nice
to see them follow more of a modern song and dance style. Speaking of songs,
while many of them were catchy, I didn’t leave the theater remembering many of
them. The dialogue between them included some entertaining jokes that got
better as the plot went along, however many of them would have landed with more
weight had script gone through a bit more updating. The numbers were, however,
creatively and intriguingly staged, especially the romantic dance number which
took place in an imagined Coney Island boxing ring.
The cast,
including the ensemble, were extraordinary dancers, not only in physicality but
also in expression, which I could see from the last row of the theater. Where
they fell short was in their chemistry together and I often felt that the lead
actors were on different pages, especially in terms of their comedy. Since On the Town’s opening night took place
October 16th, they could just need more time to get used to each
other.
The Cast of On the Town - Source: Broadway.com
The interesting
thing about this show, was the producers’ decision to put the show in the Lyric
Theater. The Lyric is the largest theater on Broadway at 1,874 seats. Being in
the last row of the theater, the show did not fully reach me, nor did I feel
like I was having a unified experience with the rest of the audience. A show of
this nature would have played better in a smaller venue where the audience
could have been drawn in more significantly by the show’s old fashioned charm.
Overall, On the Town is an entertaining and
fluffy production, but it doesn’t go much deeper than that.
Click here for a preview of On the Town
Click here for a preview of On the Town
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