Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Revisiting classic musicals: Encores! revival of WONDERFUL TOWN and Roundabout’s rejiggered PIRATES! THE PENZANCE MUSICAL

• By drediman
• May 12, 2025
• No Comments

This spring, two productions of well known musicals attempt to make a case for arguably creaky material, thereby exhibiting just how much leeway there is in the act of reviving theatrical material for the here and now. As per usual, read on for my thoughts.

WONDERFUL TOWN
New York City Center
Closed

This past weekend at New York City Center, I was able to catch one of the final performances of the Encores! revival of Wonderful Town (RECOMMENDED) (a safe choice, the production replaced the originally programmed revival of Michael John LaChiusa’s The Wild Party). The 1953 musical tells the story of two sisters from Ohio, Ruth (Anika Noni Rose) and Eileen (Aisha Jackson), who move to New York in the 1930s to pursue their dreams as an actress and journalist, respectively. Although Rose sings beautifully and delivers in many ways a lovely performance, she ultimately comes across a tad on the bland side, lacking the “out there” personality that’s needed for the role to truly sing. Jackson, however, steals the show with a vivacious performance that animates the revival with unfiltered joy. But the true star of the show — as it should be for Encores! — is the delightful score by Leonard Bernstein (music) and the duo of Betty Comden and Adolph Green (lyrics), which can be heard in all its brassy glory as played by a luxurious 28-piece orchestra and confidently conducted by music director Mary-Mitchell Campbell. Also worth mentioning is Lorin Latarro’s fantastic choreography — with additional tap choreography by the great Ayodele Casel — which steps up to play a big role in the storytelling (e.g., the opening number, with its nods to Martha Graham and other dance styles of the time, effectively establishes time and place). The revival has been directed Zhailon Levingston (Cats: The Jellicle Ball), whose color-blind casting accentuates the teeming diversity of Greenwich Village, where much of the show takes place.

PIRATES! THE PENZANCE MUSICAL
Roundabout Theatre Company at the Todd Haimes Theatre
Through July 27

Making more of an effort to reboot the material is Roundabout Theatre Company’s “revisal” of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance (RECOMMENDED). Conceived by Scott Ellis, Rupert Holmes, Warren Carlyle, and Joseph Joubert and entitled Pirates! The Penzance Musical, the production resets classic operetta to New Orleans. Although there’s much fun to be had in these new environs, the plot and the characters — as well as the work’s irresistible sense of wordplay — remain essentially intact, which begs the question as to what the motivation was behind Holmes’ adaptation. The main difference comes in the form of the new Dixieland-inspired orchestrations — which in many instances substantially alters the character of the beloved score — as well as the modified conclusion, which emphasizes unbridled and inclusive merry-making over parodic patriotism and one final reiteration of the paramount importance of duty. Indeed, this is Pirates as fizzy summer entertainment without a serious bone in its body. The cast is led by heartthrob Ramin Karimloo as the Pirate King, two-time Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon as Ruth, and a deliciously dry David Hyde Pierce, each of whom double down on the shenanigans, even if some antics land more hilariously than others. Rounding out the cast are Nicholas Barasch and Samantha Williams, who play the young lovers Frederic and Mabel with convincing naïveté. The production has been directed by Roundabout usual suspect Scott Ellis, whose colorful production leans in on the madcap nature of the rejiggered material.