Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In a rare revival of CITY OF ANGELS at Ogunquit Playhouse, Cy Coleman’s jazzy score pops in a fluid and cinematic staging

• By drediman
• August 26, 2026
• No Comments

During a recent holiday trip to Maine this summer, I caught one of the final performances of Ogunquit Playhouse’s revival of City of Angels. Featuring a score by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel, and a book by Larry Gelbart, the show took home the coveted prize for Best Musical at the 1990 Tony Awards (narrowly edging out Tommy Tune’s dance-heavy production of Grand Hotel). In short, the musical tells the story of Stine — a novelist turned screenwriter — as he attempts, with some difficulty, to adapt one of his bestselling books into a Hollywood film. The show also simultaneously takes place in the alternate realm of his screenplay, in which the detective Stone is hired to solve the mystery of a missing girl, in the process drawing clever parallels between the Hollywood machine of the 1940s and the world of film noir (including the characters who inhabit both universes).

Given that New York has yet to see a major staging of City of Angels since its original production — I suspect due to the complexities of staging the labyrinthine plot, which requires quick transitions between the aforementioned two realities — I was eager to experience Ogunquit Playhouse’s version. This was my first time at the well respected regional theater, and I must say that I was impressed with overall quality of the production values. Hunter Foster’s satisfying staging is fluid and cinematic, taking full advantage of the advances that have transpired in projection technology in recent years. It also did justice one of very best scores by Coleman (Sweet Charity, Barnum, The Life), which here popped thrillingly. It’s a jazzy concoction from a Broadway composer at the very peak of his powers, particularly in the first act is stellar, which boasts a parade of one dynamite song after another. That being said, the musical still loses steam in the second act as it rushes to tie up its various loose ends.

For this rare revival, the Playhouse managed to assemble a fantastic, accomplished company, many of whom have regularly appeared on Broadway. Leading the way as Stone were Stine were Tony Yazbeck and Ben Jacoby (son of musical theater stalwart Mark Jacoby), both of whom looked and acted the part — Yazbeck exuded old time Hollywood leading man vibes, while Jacoby brought welcome charisma to a character that’s ultimately pretty unlikable. To boot, they both sang beautifully in the old school Broadway tradition. Apart from these two actors, most of the cast had to double between the worlds of film-making and the film itself. Chief among these were Alysha Umphress, who looked svelter than ever and sounded superb as Gabby/Bobbi (Umphress’s voice was smooth but powerful, her song stylings effortlessly melding pop, jazz, and Broadway); as well as stage veteran Stephen DeRosa, who was inspired comic gold as Buddy/Irwin.

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CITY OF ANGELS
Regional, Musical
Ogunquit Playhouse
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Closed