Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals

Review - Leap of Faith on Broadway

The recently ended Broadway season certainly saw its share of musical flops, notably Lysistrata Jones and Bonnie & Clyde. Although each of those shows had its champions, I was not among them, and wasn't all that sorry to see them close.

Now comes Leap of Faith, the biggest flop of the year, at least in financial terms. And this one kind of breaks my heart, because the show really won me over, despite its considerable flaws. Yes, Leap of Faith essentially has the same plot as both The Music Man and 110 in the Shade: charming conman comes to town. The townspeople buy into his flimflam, except for the local single lady. Predictably, the conman and the single lady fall in love. Well, how many original stories did Shakespeare tell? For me, it's always about the quality of the execution.

In the case of Leap of Faith, I found the execution to be very professional and often inspired. The show starts with an ambitious and energetic opening sequence that neatly introduces the characters, sets the scenario, and establishes a tone of joyous celebration that the rest of the show ably delivers upon.

No, Leap of Faith is no masterpiece, but it is an honest attempt at crafting a musical that's about people, as opposed to spectacle or effects. (cough, cough...Ghost...cough, cough...) As I sat watching Leap of Faith, I marveled at how much more real and appealing the characters seemed here than in those other two movie-to-musical mediocrities still limping along from last season: Sister Act or Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

The show's credits list Janus Cercone, who wrote the screenplay to the 1992 Steve Martin movie upon which the show is based, as co-author of the libretto, but I attribute the depth of characterization here to the presence of Tony-Award-winning playwright Warren Leight (Side Man), who demonstrates a knack for realistic dialog and for depicting believable and sympathetic people. Leight only has one other musical to his credit -- the 1985 Ed Koch bio-tuner Mayor -- and yet there's something skillful here in the way the book and the songs are woven together. Of course, this is also the work of composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater, whose work here is miles above their score for the aforementioned Sister Act.

Most of the flop musicals this season have had outstanding performances, and Leap of Faith is no exception. Yeah, there's Raul Esparza, who has some genuinely stunning moments throughout the show, including his showstopping 11 o'clock number, "Jonas' Soliloquy." But throughout the show, his diction came in and out, and I couldn't understand what he was saying in many of his songs. (And I was seated in the fourth row of the orchestra, directly in front of the Al Jolson "Swanee" ramp that juts out of the stage.)

The real standout in the cast was Jessica Phillips, who replaced the poorly received Brooke Shields as the town sheriff and Jonas' love interest. Phillips reminded me of Jessie Mueller, Tony nominee for another of this season's musical disasters, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, which coincidentally was the previous tenant at the St. James Theatre before Leap of Faith. Like Mueller, Phillips is a remarkably appealing performer, warm and animated, with a kick-ass belt and a glisten in her eye. Jessie Mueller was recently cast as Cinderella in the upcoming Public Theatre production of Into the Woods. (Which rumor has it has its eye on Broadway.) I'm hoping that Phillips will likewise land on her feet after Leap closes tomorrow.

According to the New York Times, the producers of Leap of Faith decided to bring the show to Broadway this season, as opposed to waiting for the fall, because the St. James suddenly became available after the early closure of On a Clear Day. Rather than risk losing one of the most desirable Broadway houses, they decided to take the chance. It's tempting to speculate what might have happened if the producers had decided to wait and take the summer to get the show into more presentable shape. Would the changes have made any difference? Would a less-crowded season have given the show more of a chance to get noticed and build an audience? Or would the show simply have met the same unfortunate fate?

Review - Newsies on Broadway

I hated the movie "Newsies." Hated hated hated it. I found it plodding, forced, cloying, and resolutely earthbound. My roommate at the time, Todd, has a father who's an actor, and his father appeared in "Newsies" as Robert Duvall's assistant or something. Todd and I went to see the movie together, and when we exited the theater, I turned to him and said, "If that movie kills movie musicals, I'm going to blame your dad. You know that, right?"

Well, "Newsies" did kill movie musicals, at least for a while, but I was big enough not to blame Todd's dad. (At least not entirely.) And, for me, "Newsies" has always been a sort of short-hand reference for bad movie musicals.

So, when I heard that Disney Theatricals was planning a stage version of the movie, I was understandably nonplussed. But the word from Paper Mill Playhouse was good. Really good. So good, in fact, that although the production was initially intended as a kick-start for a licensing property, Disney found itself with an unexpected hit on its hands.

A Broadway transfer became inevitable, and the show has become a smash, even garnering eight Tony nominations in the process. Does the show deserve its smash-hit status? Well, there's no question that the stage version of Newsies represents a huge improvement over the movie. (How could it not be?) In fact, if you separate the show itself from the hype -- and the squealing fangirls -- Newsies represents a reasonably entertaining, if somewhat overblown production.

On the plus side, this might just be Disney's best stage show ever, mainly because it focuses mostly on the story and not on visual effects or spectacle. Also, director Jeff Calhoun has whipped the cast into an energetic froth of high spirits and vivid characterization. And the cast members themselves are pretty darned appealing, led by the strikingly charismatic Jeremy Jordan as the central newsie, Jack Kelly. Jordan, who almost made Bonnie & Clyde worth sitting through, gives a similarly memorable performance here, imbuing the role with so much more personality and vibrancy than the young Christian Bale did in the movie. And Jordan's singing is far superior to Bale's.

In terms of the score, the songs were never really the problem with the movie. They were just presented very poorly, both in terms of the singing voices of the cast and Kenny Ortega's leaden choreography. The songs actually represent Alan Menken at his most tuneful and some genuinely interesting lyrics by Jack Feldman. Among the new songs written for the stage show is an ambitious and engaging character number called "Watch What Happens" for Katherine, a new character, the female reporter who takes up the cause of the newsies and becomes Jack Kelly's love interest. But then there's "Something to Believe in," a ballad that's every bit as bland and uninteresting as its title.

Overall, Newsies is a charmer, but there are some considerable flaws. The abundant and strenuous choreography by Christopher Gattelli becomes a bit relentless. The dance numbers are so copious, and so in-your-face energetic, that it starts to feel like a competition for who can leap the highest, twirl the fastest, or do the most amazing series of leaps. Most of the numbers feature showboating acrobatics, and as a result the scrappy crew of supporting players eventually comes off a bit self-satisfied.

That said, the show certainly has its share of showstoppers, including the act-two crowd-pleaser "King of New York," a joyous tap dance for the ensemble. And the dance is, for the most part, thematically linked to the needs of the story line (i.e. not merely decorative), including the angry dance when the newsies go on strike and show their displeasure by stomping on their newspapers, a rousing moment that is nonetheless brazenly stolen from "Summer Stock" with Gene Kelly. (Watch the original number.)

(Oh, and a special shout-out to Boston Conservatory sophomore Jack Scott making his Broadway debut as a swing on this production. Because Gattelli's choreography is so physically demanding -- i.e. injury-inducing -- Jack has seen plenty of stage time, including the night that I saw the show. You go, Jack.)

The new libretto by Harvey Fierstein is full of good humor, but it's also full of holes. At least three of the show's significant characters disappear for huge stretches of time. At first, Fierstein seems to be setting up Medda, a female African-American vaudeville performer, as a significant presence in the show, but she basically sings one song in the middle of act one and never does anything else. Joseph Pulitzer, the show's antagonist, has one number at the top of act one, and then disappears until Act 2.

The seemingly major character with the shudder-inducing name Crutchie is missing for most of the second act, even though we're supposed to feel outrage and sympathy because he's been thrown into a home for wayward boys. Also, most of the newsies don't emerge as individual characters, but rather as a monolith of back-flipping urchins. Also, Jack Kelly has so many changes of heart in act 2, I got a bit of character whiplash. In standing up to Pulitzer, Jack caves and then finds his backbone twice in rapid succession.

As for the plot, the strike happens so quickly, and is resolved so easily, it kinda gave me the feeling that the creators were trying to leave as much room for the dancing as possible. Nevermind believable complications or a satisfying denouement: it's grand jetés and back-flips people want. As if to drive this point home, the show ends with a sort of dance megamix, recapitulating moves from many of the night's showstoppers. I guess that's fine, but the reprise of the tap number "King of New York" seemed kind of silly: at this point in the show, the boys haven't had time to change into their tap shoes, so we get a sort of muffled choreographic callback.

So Newsies is certainly not perfect, but it's undeniably infectious and entertaining. As of this writing, the show's limited run has been extended to August 19th. If the show scoops up a bunch of Tonys, you can be damn sure that date will change. One thing Disney has learned from its limited DVD releases: limit the supply and you increase the demand. But I get the feeling that Newsies will be hanging around on Broadway for a long time to come.

Contest - Win Two Tickets to Leap of Faith on Broadway

So, you didn't win the tickets to see Jesus Christ Superstar? Well, here's another chance to catch a brand new Broadway show absolutely free.

We've been hearing for a few years now about the stage adaptation of "Leap of Faith," the 1992 movie starring Steve Martin. Now the musical Leap of Faith has finally made it to Broadway, with lyrics by Glenn Slater, music by Alan Menken, and a book by Warren Leight and Janus Cercone. The show is directed by Christopher Ashley and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo. Performances begin at the St. James Theater in New York on April 3rd.

But, of course, as with all my contests, there's a certain price of admission. A trivia contest! Below are some questions regarding the cast as crew of Leap of Faith and their respective theatrical careers. If you'd like to be entered for the drawing, please answer the questions as best you can and submit your answers below via the comment function at the bottom of this post. (Don't worry: I won't publish anyone's answers until the contest is over.)

The voucher is good for two tickets for weekday/matinee performances of Leap of Faith through Sunday, May 6. The contest ends Monday, April 2nd.

Good luck!

[The contest is over and the winner has been notified. Thanks to everyone who entered. -C.C.]

1. Alan Menken and Glenn Slater are certainly no strangers to Broadway. In fact, they already have another show currently running on Broadway. What's the name of this show? And what's the name of the first show that they worked on together that played Broadway? [ANSWER: Sister Act and The Little Mermaid, respectively.]

2. Raul Esparza is one of only two actors who have been nominated in all four male actor categories for the Tony Awards. What were the shows for which he received nominations in the categories for Best Actor in a Musical and Best Featured Actor in a Musical? [ANSWER: Best Actor in a Musical: Company Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Taboo]

3. Jessica Phillips will play the role of Marla in Leap of Faith. Phillips replaces which iconic actress who played the role when the show played its out-of-town tryout in Los Angeles? [ANSWER: Brooke Shields]

4. Co-librettist Warren Leight is yet another in a series of award-winning playwrights who have been called upon to pen musical librettos. For which of his plays did Leight with the Tony Award? [ANSWER: Side Man]

5. Director Christopher Ashley has a long list of Broadway credits to his name. For which currently running Broadway musical did he receive his second Tony nomination for Best Direction of a Musical? [ANSWER: Memphis]