Blithe Spirit

Classy Comedy Closes July 19!

I say! These have certainly been the veddy best of times for me and Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit—the comic story of a man haunted by the spirit of his first wife. Back in September I saw David Lean's movie version; more recently I fulfilled my longtime desire to see the musical version, High Spirits, during its short, sold-out, Musicals in Mufti run.

And just last weekend I got around to seeing and enjoying the current Broadway production of the play (which Coward wrote during a visit to, sigh, Portmeiron). Yes, Angela Lansbury does good work in the role of the eccentric Madame Arcati—I liked how her character seemed to have an arbitrary dislike of the doctor's wife, Mrs. Bradman (Deborah Rush, bringing winning energy to this supporting character). But ultimately the strength of the production is in the depth of the entire company, performers and non-performers alike. Rupert Everett does a fine job as the haunted husband; Jayne Atkinson and Christine Ebersole as the wives contrast each other but also reveal more and more facets of their characters as the play unfolds. Complementing their work is the subtle costume design of Martin Pakledinaz and some clever blocking, especially in the final scene.



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Coming This Weekend: High Spirits!

I've spent years hoping that Encores! would bring back the Noel Coward musical High Spirits (based on Blithe Spirit), but it looks like Musicals in Mufti got the jump on the City Center revivalists—and I'll take it.

The production, to be performed this weekend, features Carol Kane as well as ... I'm a fan of both the British and United States cast albums (and I was weaned on Petula Clark's cover of the song "You'd Better Love Me," which was the B-side of "Downtown"), so I'm really looking forward to finding out how the show plays, even in the scaled-down version I can expect from Musicals in Mufti. [UPDATE June 12, 2009 It looks like the production is now sold out.]

Here's Lena Horne covering "You'd Better Love Me."



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Going Soon, Coming Soon

Just thought I'd dash out a couple of theater notes.

Going Soon! I'm amazed that Lillian Hellman's play The Children's Hour premiered 75 years ago! Despite its age, it's surprisingly fresh—a good thing for theatergoers as well as actors, but of course also kind of sad because homophobia and the other plagues that it touches upon are still too much with us. The play has to do with a girl's accusation that the two close woman friends who run her school are actually lesbian lovers. The revival at the Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) isn't slick but it still does justice to Hellman's troubling work. There's only one more performance...and it's Sunday night at 6pm, just before the Tony Awards.

Coming Soon! I'm really excited about next weekend's five-performance revival of High Spirits, featuring Carol Kane. My regular readers (and friends) might recall that this musical, which is based on Blithe Spirit, has a hold on me—it's my Drowsy Chaperone! Having only heard the charming cast recordings, I've dreamed of Encores! reviving it, but it turns out to be Musicals in Mufti that has the good sense to offer theater lovers a sense of what a full-scale production might be like. I look forward to seeing it—and, if you're interested, I recommend snagging your seat(s) immediately. Tickets seem to be going fast, which is why I decided to make this post as soon as I could.

ENCORES! UPDATE!

After this summer's Encores revival of Damn Yankees (July 5-27, 2007) with Sean Hayes, Jane Krakowski, Cheyenne Jackson, and Ana Gasteyer, the series will continue with its 2008-2009 season: On the Town (November 19-23, 2008), Music in the Air (February 5-8, 2009), and Finian's Rainbow (March 26-29, 2009).

Still no High Spirits....

STAIRWAY TO PARADISE. As I watched Stairway to Paradise--the Encores! revue of numbers and routines curated from decades of Follies, Scandals, Blackbirds, Gaieties, and other variety shows that were Broadway staples during the first half of the past century--I felt that it was getting better and better. And that feeling continued after the show, when I finally got around to looking at the program--the third and last for Encores! this season--and learned more about the selections and the talent behind them.

I was already familiar with a number of the show's highlights. My favorites tended to fall into two categories: the ones featuring cleverly crafted lyrics and the ones with the transcendently haunting melodies. In the former category I put Irving Berlin's Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning by Irving Berlin and Manhattan by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. In the latter category goes Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye by Cole Porter as well as Dancing in the Dark by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, who come out as the songwriting stars of the show, represented in five selections that also include the witty and wonderfully melodic Triplets and Rhode Island is Famous for You.

As I mentioned, my appreciation of the production grew once I scrutinized the program and noticed other names represented in the show: P.G. Wodehouse and Walter and Jean Kerr as well as Eubie Blake, Victor Herbert, Jerome Kern, Jule Styne, and Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The material isn't going to please all of the people all of the time, but it does give one a feel for the history of an entertainment form that today survives mainly in durable song standards and numbers in movie musicals such as The Band Wagon.

The performances and miking were uneven last night (at least in the nosebleed seats, where I sat), but the production was still strong enough to make this the strongest Encores! season so far. Kristin Chenoweth stood out as the show's star, showing off her versatility in different styles of singing as well as comedic acting. Capathia Jenkins was also a vocal standout, with dance highlights coming from tapper Kendrick Jones as well as ballroom team Holly Cruikshank and Barrett Martin.

So now it's once again time to wonder what Encores! will revive next. I'm still curious about the old Mel Brooks-Charles Strouse-Lee Adams musical All American and desperately waiting for High Spirits.

Here's an Erin McKeown cover of Rhode Island is Famous for You.



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DEPARTMENT OF BRILLIANT IDEAS DEPARTMENT. Through offline discussions, some of you might be familiar with one of my pet ideas: a Web-based program that can identify tunes.

Well, I've learned from NY1 that a company called midomi claims to have created such a marvel. If you try it, let me know how much you like the actualization of the idea which was mine. (This could've been handy when I was obsessed with "You'd Better Love Me" and "People Make the World Go Round.")

In related news, I still haven't been paid for suggesting that Casino Royale should be remade.

Want to try out midomi? Try these tunes....

Here's Shirley Bassey singing "You'd Better Love Me" from the neglected musical High Spirits.



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And here's a Freddie Hubbard cover of "People Make the World Go Round."



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Photo: David Marc Fischer