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Nine
*NINE-Roundabout Theatre Company Eugene O'Neill Theatre Book by Arthur Kopit, Music & Lyrics by Maury Yeston. Starring Antonio Banderas, Jane
Krakowski
Directed by David Leveaux Choreographed by Jonathan Butterell Music Direction by Kevin Stites
NINE THE MUSICAL
Musical revivals can be a tricky investment and creation for any broadway director, producer, and their production team. Why you ask?
Attached to a revival's new vision is it's past history. There are people in the audience who may have seen the original production, or its various incarnations of this musical. They already have in their minds the original blueprint. These are the ones that will be the hardest to convince or please when bringing a revival back to the stage boards.
A revival must somehow bring reinvigorated life, meaning, purpose, and energy to its book and score. To find new shades and colors that was not exposed in its original birth.
Director David Leveaux's new revival of the Tony Award winning musical NINE at the Eugene O'Neill has succeeded here with astonishing splendor.
NINE (based on Fellini's classic film, 8 1/2) was originally directed and choreographed by the towering Texan Tommy Tune, it went on to earn five Tonys including Best Musical, beating out Micheal Bennett's DREAMGIRLS.
Having seen two previous productions of NINE, I have always felt that the second act seemed to be out of focus, not being clear and concise on its intent and emotionak arch. Leveaux somehow knew this, thus with his resonant direction he has brought that uneven act into total focus and exposing raw, painful emotions that was lacking before.
Leveaux has an effulgent and imposing set by Scott Pask to work his incredible subtext with his blocking & staging, giving the piece animalistic, emotional focus to many scenes that are to be applauded.
There many scenes that contain Leveaux's beautiful "emotional subtext" staging, where one emotion or theme is being explored by the music, but there may be a performer blocked slightly away, providing the audience with a whole different subplot.
You know you're in for a special and unique theatrical experience from its NINE's moment. Casing the front of the stage is a massive, white film screen, framed in silver. It rises to reveal Guido (Antonio Banderas) standing over a marble, round table. Surrounding this table are clear, crystal chairs. Then we hear a singular loud, church bell ring. Then slowly, with delicious attitude and presence, 16 women from Guido's life come down the long, winding silver staircase. This moment is both elegant and divine!
Yeston's lush, slightly operatic score remains intact for this production. Only one major number was cut from its sister incarnation, called "The Germans At The Spa". It was an added bonus to hear live strings flowing from the pit instead having them being created by electronic crap that seems to creep up in orchestra pits.
In the original, the set was made of white tiles, in which 32 small, white boxes (also in tile) were placed for the women of the cast.
For its revival, scenic designer Scot Pask has designed a set that is slick, chic, classic, and extravagant. Here Pask has created a two level set, with sand and marble colored stairs, milky, frosted glass doors, and a swirling silver chrome staircase. Behind all this is a glorious, towering mosaic painting of three women, done in various tiles.
For Act Two, the middle floor is taken out, then during this second act, the above mentioned tile wall began to release and cascade water! From center stage, water also begins to gush and pour out as well! This live element added both humor and purpose to the emotions and performances on stage. It baffles me that Pask's breath taking scenic design was not nominated for a Tony this year.
Brian MacDevitt's lighting is haunting, alive, and vibrant. He has created various special designs of light for soloists or for the company numbers that added another layer of sheer pleasure for the production.
This year's Tony awards committee grossly overlooked Vicki Mortimer's costumes awards! Her designs seem to have popped straight from the 1960's Paris runways or elegant fashion houses of long ago designers.
The costumes are from the color wheel of blacks, grays, and whites.
She does add color for the "Grand Canal" costumes and to Rivera's chic "Tango" costume that does contain a hint of hot pink.
Mortimer's design for Krakowski's mini dress is perfect non-verbal communication for the audience. It is a see-through sheath that is covered in beads and rhinestones that comes alive like a second skin for Krakowski.
And then there's that cast! Talk about an audience's dream come alive!
The lone adult male in the company is film star Antonio Banderas, who actually has a theatrical background with the National Theater of Spain acting company. Banderas is also no stranger to musicals, what with his Golden Globe nod for EVITA, and the constant buzz of him playing the title role in Joel Schumacher's film version of Webber's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
As "Guido", the promiscuous Italian film director who seems to have slept with more women than Wilt Chamberlain, Banderas is perfectly cast. With his chisel, matinee good looks and hot sexual aura, you can see why these women have risked both marriages and careers for this man. Banderas coyly gives Guido this innocent child like behavior when he is caught with these women, as though he is getting his hand slapped for opening the cookie jar!
The film actor also comes equipped with a solid grasp on his comic timing, phrasing, and delivery that had the Saturday matinee audience guffawing out loud.
But when it came to the dark, raw, intense scenes-both in book and score-here's where Banderas shines the best. Banderas acting craft within these dark scenes is a perfect reason why live theater is truly the best art form to view and appreciate.
During Guido's second act collapse of career, women, and love is a black, bleak arch that is written into the role, which Banderas devours like a starved, raving panther on a feline zebra. His scene work with his primary ladies (Rivera, Krakowski, and Masterson) is emotionally powerful and heavyhearted. During his last two solos, Banderas lets his heart bleed before you, his eyes feel with honest tears, that he gasps for air in trying to control his singing and still push forth volume, resulting in being so in the moment that makes you adore live theater so much.
Vocally, here again this latin film star has done his homework. He actually sounds much better here than on the film tracks of EVITA.
His robust vibrato and volume fills the O'Neill theater. His ability to go from falsetto to lower register notes without a break in the transgression is sublime. He gives a magnetic performance that will stay on your mind for years to come.
Broadway legend Chita Rivera returns to the great white way in the role of "Lilian La Fleur", and from the reaction of Saturday's audience, they were damn happy she has returned home!
At the very beginning of the musical, Rivera's first entrance is an acknowledgement to the audience, slithering down center stage, with a bright spotlight on her. She stands there, bathed in this glowing light, dressed in black satin and beads, she purrs "Bon Jour" to the audience, and for what seemed like an eternity, the audience simply screamed, cheered, and applauded to a deafening roar for this icon of the American theater, and richly deserved if I say so myself.
Rivera portrays Guido's film producer who used to be Folies showgirl, a Grande dame of french descent who is demanding a script and a hit from her most famous client.
Her big number is "Folies Bergeres", which Rivera delivers with such indispensable stage presence and energy, you almost can feel the gels melting on the light instruments! Choreographer Jonathan Butterell has added a special "tango" for Rivera and Banderas to perform. The end result is a red-hot duet of Rivera's luscious gams wrapping around Banderas that had the audience applauding loudly with approval.
Rivera is both perspicacious and exhilarating!
Jane Krakowski portrays "Carla", Guido's sex kitten mistress. While many know her as "Elaine" from TV's Ally McBeal, she is known to theater audiences from her work in GRAND HOTEL, which earned her a Tony nod.
Krakowski's gives a hallucinating and provocative performance as this woman who truly does love Guido so much, so much so that she even divorces her husband to free her to marry Guido, only he wants none of that.
But wait till you see Krakowski's rendition of "A Call From The Vatican". The lithe, toned body of this gorgeous gal, with a blonde mane is thinly covered in white cloth, which brings her down from the friggin rafters! She proceeds to sing with sexual fire, using her body to full erotic effect on Banderas. But for the grand finish, this white, billowing wrap takes Krakowski back up into the fly rail space. Then, with her hanging upside down, she simply holds and sustains a high soprano note in this position! This number alone can make a gay man go straight!
But Krakowski also has one of the best "non-verbal" scenes in act two. To see this woman notice that she was fooled into loving the wrong man, to see that her passion and love will not be reciprocated is devastating to watch unfold on stage. Krakowski lets the audience witness the crumbling of her heart and soul with such painful honesty, it is heartbreaking to say the least.
Mary Stuart Masterson is assigned the role of "Luisa", Guido's wife.
Masterson is primarily known also as a film star, but who knew that the gal had one hell of a singing voice! We get to hear it in her first solo, "My Husband Makes Movies." She has a clear, clean soprano voice that crests on a velvet vibrato that work so well together.
Masterson's estimable acting craft works wonders with both the score and book that creates a whole new "Claudia" that will astonish you.
She digs deep into the subtext of her lyrics that achieve to bring new emotions and insights within the music that leaves you in tears.
Her two solos ("My Husband..." and "Be On Your Own") are emotionally raw and naked with its organic honesty.
Masterson's act two tour-de-force aria "Be On Your Own" shows a wife refusing to deal with her husband's indiscretions anymore. She's had enough of it all. Masterson's face is awashed in tears as she sings from the inner depths of her broken heart, causing many in the audience to quietly sob (including this reviewer). Masterson is resplendent!
Delivering an outstanding performance as well is Elena Shaddow as "Claudia", Guido's favorite actress. The role is normally played by Laura Benanti, but alas she was out at Saturday's performance.
Shaddow sang with dark, sorrowful pathos on the song "Unusual Way", earning the audience's respect and admiration.
This Venetian spa is overflowing with splendid performances! There is Deidre Goodwin as "Our Lady of The Spa"; Mary Beth Peil as "Guido's mother"; Saundra Santiago as "Stephanie Necrophorus"; Nell Campbell as "Lina Darling"; Sara Gettlefinger as "Maria"; and Linda Mugleston as "Olga Von Sturm".
The only slight disappointment in performances was that of Myra Lucretia Taylor as "Saraghina". While Taylor did do a fairly good job on the number, "Be Italian" (one of my favorite songs in the score), Taylor seems to lack the sexual charged eroticism that the role requires. The actress is just not seductive and flirtatious enough.
Remember, this is the town whore who seduced Guido at age nine!
NINE is a prurient revival that is one of those rare occurrences that happens occasionally on the great white way. In which a broadway revival has completely surpassed its original production by its sheer force of brutal emotional strength, scope, and structure.
RATING: A+ |
