November 28, 2003
Usher Nonsense # 18 – Wonderful Town
WONDERFUL TOWN Book by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov; music by Leonard Bernstein; lyrics by Betty Comden
and Adolph Green; directed by Kathleen Marshall (Pajama Game)
WITH: Donna Murphy (Ruth Sherwood), Jennifer Westfeldt (Eileen Sherwood), Ken Barnett (Tour Guide), David
Margulies (Appopolous),
Sets by John Lee Beatty (Color Purple, Rabbit Hole, Defiance, Doubt); costumes by Martin Pakledinaz; lighting by Peter
Kaczorowski (Grey Gardens, Naked Girl on The Appian Way, Twentieth Century, Wonderful Town, Pajama Game).
Based on the play "My Sister Eileen" by Mr. Fields and Mr. Chodorov, and the stories by Ruth McKenney.
OK - Donna Murphy is WONDERFUL in this show. She can sing, dance, has a great sense of humor and LOVES the
audience. The show got great reviews and is selling like crazy. Still, I have to wonder if the people who read the reviews
and buy those tickets are just so thrilled to hear about a show that is near good, they fall all over themselves to get
there. Whatever. This entire cast is great in every detail, and they are having a ball playing in front of big, enthusiastic
audiences. Good for them.
It is great, as well, to hear Bernstein's music, and a joy to watch the orchestra who is actually ON the stage instead of
buried under it in some airless dungeon. The downside of this is that the actors are crowded to the front third of the
stage, and are miked so loud it sounds as though you are at the movies. Even the whispers are loud. I hate those weeny
microphones actors wear. What happened to actors filling the house with their own sound? Oiy.
The lyrics to Bernstein's music lyrics are by Comden and Green ("Bells are Ringing," "Do-Re-Mi," "On The Town,"
"Singing in the Rain") - and are hokey and dull (Why, oh why, oh why, oh/Did I ever leave Ohio?). There isn't one song
that caught my attention and got me to humming. There were a couple of tunes that did seem precursors to Sondheim,
though ("Christopher Street" and "Pass the Football").
The book itself is as flimsey as a piece of gauze. Two sisters move to town from Ohio (in 1935?) - The younger of the two,
Eileen Sherwood (Jennifer Westfeldt) wraps every man she meets around her fingers without giving much thought to it.
The other sister, Ruth (Donna Murphy) is supposed to be envious of this talent, but she seems to care more for her
writing career than any man who comes into view. When she does fall in love - the cast cares, but I couldn't figure out
why. The responsibility for the overall lackluster result might well rest with the director, Kathleen Marshall,
concentrated more on the choreography than guiding her cast toward creating engaging characters.
You will have a great time watching Donna Murphy (as well as the rest of the cast), but you might also leave hoping that
someday Murphy gets to be in a grown up musical all her own. In the mean time, I still recommend that other musical
about small town New York - "Avenue Q". I cared more about the residents of Avenue Q than I did about this collection
of characters on Christopher Street.
Usher Nonsense # 18 – Wonderful Town
WONDERFUL TOWN Book by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov; music by Leonard Bernstein; lyrics by Betty Comden
and Adolph Green; directed by Kathleen Marshall (Pajama Game)
WITH: Donna Murphy (Ruth Sherwood), Jennifer Westfeldt (Eileen Sherwood), Ken Barnett (Tour Guide), David
Margulies (Appopolous),
Sets by John Lee Beatty (Color Purple, Rabbit Hole, Defiance, Doubt); costumes by Martin Pakledinaz; lighting by Peter
Kaczorowski (Grey Gardens, Naked Girl on The Appian Way, Twentieth Century, Wonderful Town, Pajama Game).
Based on the play "My Sister Eileen" by Mr. Fields and Mr. Chodorov, and the stories by Ruth McKenney.
OK - Donna Murphy is WONDERFUL in this show. She can sing, dance, has a great sense of humor and LOVES the
audience. The show got great reviews and is selling like crazy. Still, I have to wonder if the people who read the reviews
and buy those tickets are just so thrilled to hear about a show that is near good, they fall all over themselves to get
there. Whatever. This entire cast is great in every detail, and they are having a ball playing in front of big, enthusiastic
audiences. Good for them.
It is great, as well, to hear Bernstein's music, and a joy to watch the orchestra who is actually ON the stage instead of
buried under it in some airless dungeon. The downside of this is that the actors are crowded to the front third of the
stage, and are miked so loud it sounds as though you are at the movies. Even the whispers are loud. I hate those weeny
microphones actors wear. What happened to actors filling the house with their own sound? Oiy.
The lyrics to Bernstein's music lyrics are by Comden and Green ("Bells are Ringing," "Do-Re-Mi," "On The Town,"
"Singing in the Rain") - and are hokey and dull (Why, oh why, oh why, oh/Did I ever leave Ohio?). There isn't one song
that caught my attention and got me to humming. There were a couple of tunes that did seem precursors to Sondheim,
though ("Christopher Street" and "Pass the Football").
The book itself is as flimsey as a piece of gauze. Two sisters move to town from Ohio (in 1935?) - The younger of the two,
Eileen Sherwood (Jennifer Westfeldt) wraps every man she meets around her fingers without giving much thought to it.
The other sister, Ruth (Donna Murphy) is supposed to be envious of this talent, but she seems to care more for her
writing career than any man who comes into view. When she does fall in love - the cast cares, but I couldn't figure out
why. The responsibility for the overall lackluster result might well rest with the director, Kathleen Marshall,
concentrated more on the choreography than guiding her cast toward creating engaging characters.
You will have a great time watching Donna Murphy (as well as the rest of the cast), but you might also leave hoping that
someday Murphy gets to be in a grown up musical all her own. In the mean time, I still recommend that other musical
about small town New York - "Avenue Q". I cared more about the residents of Avenue Q than I did about this collection
of characters on Christopher Street.
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