It's been a long time since we saw anything new from Stephen Sondheim. His last original show in New York was Passion in 1994, and what a dreary affair that was. Unconvincing drama presented in a cold, dour package. Since then, Sondheim fans have had to make do with revivals and retreads, from John Doyle's visceral treatment of Sweeney Todd to Susan Stroman's inert re-imagining of The Frogs.
So many of us Sondheim aficionados were excited to hear that the Public Theater would be presenting Road Show, although the property itself is not exactly new. The show began as an idea Sondheim had in the fifties to set the story of the brothers Addison and Wilson Mizner to music. He returned to the idea about a decade ago, and the show has been announced and presented under various titles, including Wise Guys, Gold, and Bounce.
By all accounts, the show hasn't really worked in any of its prior manifestations, and unfortunately the current production is no exception. Sondheim has retained the tune from the title number of Bounce and repurposed it for the opening and closing numbers of Road Show, which is but one indication that the essential nature of the show hasn't changed.
There's no question that Sondheim remains a composer and lyricist par excellence. The score to Road Show offers up a surfeit of clever Sondheimian rhymes and jaunty melodies. But there are far too many musical phrases that echo Assassins, The Frogs, Sunday in the Park With George, and Into the Woods, which only serves as an unfortunate reminder that what we have here is flavorless, warmed-up, leftover Sondheim.
Because the problem here isn't that Sondheim has lost his genius for incisive lyrics or evocative music. But he does seem to have lost touch with his talent for identifying compelling yet offbeat topics to musicalize. I kept waiting for the characters to become interesting, for their story to become moving, but it never did. The show features numerous ambitious, extended sequences, musical numbers with diverting business and dramatic import. But not once did I forget that I was watching a musical that seemed to be struggling to convince me how compelling these people were, without ever figuring out how.
The story of the Mizner brothers must have seemed fascinating on paper, an opportune set of filters through which to view a number of historic events, including the Yukon Gold Rush and the Florida real estate boom. But the characters themselves, at least as portrayed by librettist John Weidman, aren't engaging enough to carry the show, especially Addison Mizner, gamely and often movingly portrayed by Alexander Gemignani. And Wilson Mizner, played with maniacal but unconvincing intensity by the otherwise talented Michael Cerveris, is shrill, unsympathetic, and irritating. We don't really see why his mother and so many others are so captivated by this shallow snake-oil salesman. The mother character even sings "Isn't He Something?," with Alma Cuervo giving a stirring rendition of a truly dull song.
On the whole, Road Show is professionally executed but poorly conceived, a noble and fascinating failure. I kept thinking about Merrily We Roll Along, another Sondheim musical that won't seem to die, despite numerous unsuccessful attempts. There's talk of the Roundabout bringing Merrily back for its next season, and I'll certainly see it, although I have little conviction that it will meet with artistic success. With respect to both of these projects, my hope is that Sondheim will focus on projects more worthy of his prodigious talents.
In other words, Steve, move on.
