Nice Work If You Can Get It, a "new" Gershwin Musical at the Imperial Theatre, directed by Kathleen Marshall, starring Kelli O'Hara and Matthew Broderick.
Last night we saw Nice Work If You Can Get It, the audience was in raptures, and so were we.
Is
there any Broadway diva who is more beloved today than Kelli O'Hara?
She manages to bring a vulnerability and sweetness to everything she
does that is positively endearing. She is also in her prime and is one
of the finest singers on the boards today of the classic American
songbook. Even in music that was composed for legendary stars like
Andrews, Martin, Astaire, and Lawrence, she can make the music sound as
if it was originally meant for her.
So when Kelli O'Hara is offered in a well mounted production in
which she sings no less than ten Gershwin songs and duets I consider it
mandatory to see it. Yes it's a must ticket, just for her and if she was
all there was to Nice Work if You Can Get It, it would be more than
enough to plunk down my hard earned cash.
But what is abundantly clear is that the main star isn't Kelli
O'Hara it's Matthew Broderick. Broderick has been savaged by some
critics and I can't understand why - he sings with skill and charm, he
manages to more than hold his own in duets with O'Hara, he's right out
of the classic 1920s and 30's "Silly Ass" tradition, and IMHO, his
singing and singing style match up very well with some of the creators
of the songs he sings. He's also immensely likeable and he's very funny.
What surprised me after reading the reviews and a few private emails
from people I respect is how much I ended up enjoying the entire show.
First of all, the music is superbly arranged by David Chase, even the
most familiar Gershwin pieces are fused into a remarkable whole. Nowhere
is that more evident than in the duet made of two songs: By Strauss,
and Sweet and Lowdown brilliantly sung by Michael McGrath and Judy Kaye
who has a riotous field day channeling Margaret Dumont.
Joe DiPietro's book does a marvelous job of putting a more or less
coherent plot on stage, the frothy charm wonderfully evokes the silly
1920's musicals that in themselves are apparently not revivable.
Kathleen Marshall really delivers with her direction and clever
choreography - I enjoyed it every bit as well as her revival of Anything
Goes. The talented and beautiful chorus, the dancing, the staging, and
the marvelous cast make it an ideal tired businessman's musical, indeed I
was exhausted after a day running around in NYC, but all my fatigue and
cares washed away in the warmth of the evening's doings. It seems to me
that Nice Work If You Can Get It will become a marvelous recording, one
to place alongside the OCRs of other successful musicals made up of old
material, for instance George M and Tintypes....
Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade A
