Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The honey-voiced Carmen Cusack leads the perfectly pleasant Encores! revival of Irving Berlin’s CALL ME MADAM

• By drediman
• February 15, 2019
• No Comments

Carmen Cusack leads the Encores! revival of Irving Berlin’s “Call Me Madam” at New York City Center. Photo by Stephanie Berger.

This past weekend at New York City Center, I attended the closing performance of the weeklong run of the Encores! revival of Call Me Madam. Before becoming the indispensable theatrical institution it is today, Encores! went through a phase of financial instability during its early years. Its hit 1995 production of Call Me Madam starring Tyne Daly changed all that and was key in altering the trajectory of the series. The rest, as they say, is history. Encores! went on to produce the hit revivals of Chicago, Wonderful Town, and Finian’s Rainbow – all of which enjoyed Broadway transfers subsequent to their limited runs at City Center (Walter Bobbie’s stripped-down Encores! staging of Chicago continues its astonishing run at the Ambassador Theatre as the second longest running show in Broadway history). It’s no surprise, therefore, that Encores! has chosen the Irving Berlin musical to celebrate City Center’s 75^thanniversary.

As for the show itself, there’s no getting around the creaky book co-written by Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay, which tells the story of Sally Adams, an irrepressible American diplomat and her madcap dealings in Lichtenberg, a fictitious European country. Indeed, aside from Berlin’s relatively infectious score, there really is no reason to perform the musical today. Which is where Encores! comes in. With a full orchestra and a large cast of vocally robust actors/actors, this Call Me Madam earns its price of admission through its thrilling and deluxe music-making. The production was directed by Casey Hushion (the straightforward choreography was by Denis Jones), whose staging was perfectly pleasant if a tad rudimentary – which, for me, was just fine – by recent Encores! standards. Not every production needs to set its sights on a Broadway run.

In the role created as a vehicle for the legendary Ethel Merman, Carmen Cusack was very good, looking and sounding like a million bucks. The honey-voiced Ms. Cusack – who simply sparkled in the severely underrated Edie Brickell/Steve Marin musical Bright Star a few seasons ago – has taken a different approach to Sally Adams, veering away from Ms. Merman’s famously muscular, squarely aimed performance style. Although it took a bit of time to adjust to, I eventually succumbed to Ms. Cusack’s portrayal, which oozed Southern charm, plenty of sex appeal, and an All-American confidence that lit up the stage. As her leading man, Ben Davis was appropriately handsome and strong-voiced, if a little bland. Notable standouts from the cast include Jason Gotay and Lauren Worsham as the show’s earnest young lovers; both were adorably wired and in superb voice.

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CALL ME MADAM
Off-Broadway, Musical
Encores! at New York City Center
2 hours, 20 minutes (with one intermission)
Closed