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The Goodbye Girl Also see recent reviews of Abyssinia, Three Tall Women, and Zombie Prom Hollywood and Broadway seem to have a very odd connection that becomes a bizarre tango of catch 22. Many plays and musicals are made into films, and there is also a wealth of films that become musicals. In the end, some are grand, and others are dreadful - in both mediums. As with so many translations, sometimes something gets lost. The films Footloose, Saturday Night Fever, Ragtime, Shogun, Big, Sunset Blvd were recreated for the stage as musicals, but for various reasons they just could not serve as solid counterparts to their celluloid brethren. Now, it must be said that success can be achieved by transforming a film into a musical. Take the following titles: The Full Monty, The Lion King, Beauty and The Beast, and of course the monster hit The Producers. Which leads us to The Goodbye Girl. When this film, directed by Herbert Ross (who recently passed away) and starring Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason, finally made it to Broadway, it was met with lukewarm reviews. When the Tonys came around, this fluffy piece of New York romance could not hold itself against such darker themed shows as Kiss of The Spiderwoman and Tommy, let alone Sondheim's Passion. Not even the mega-watt talents of Martin Short and Bernadette Peters could sustain its existence on Broadway; thus it closed as a major financial flop. The Theatre Arlington production of The Goodbye Girl carries with it some of the book problems suffered by the original production. Neil Simon's book tends to hit the mark at times, and then totally become lost and foggy by not allowing time for the characters to develop feelings and emotions for each other. These are typical problems found in a Neil Simon script. The man writes very funny one liners and zingers, but he tends to underdevelop strong arces and a believable apex in his characters. Thus his plays and books of musicals become sitcom/comedy hour skits (which is natural, given Simon's background). For instance, in act two of The Goodbye Girl the young daughter, Lucy, goes from having a crush on Elliot in one scene to totally disliking him in the flash of a light cue. Elliot is an egotistic career minded actor in one scene, and then in a flash he is in love with his enemy across the bedroom, proposing to her after a night of love. The book jumps and leaps to get the loose ends tied, but drops huge globs of character development along the way. There is also the major problem of having a chorus that practically has nothing to do. A couple of minor characters that could have really added so much (such as the landlord and the theatre director) are present, but get only a couple of Neil Simon one liners and then they exit off. Marvin Hamlisch's score is quite enduring. The lyrics include a lot of pop culture references and at times one can imagine Hamlisch at the piano, determined to get each of his ending words to rhyme with the next. The songs do have the "sound" of his past scores (A Chorus Line, They're Playing Our Song), a sort of combo plate of '70s pop rock, Barry Manilow riffs, and undertones of lite disco. Quite a few of the songs are catching and are indeed very pleasurable to the ear. My personal favorites include "No More," "My Rules/Elliot Garfield Grant," "Good News, Bad News," "Richard Interred," and "Paula." However, if you do not have three strong actor/singers in the leading roles, you are in for a very long, dull night. High energy, talent, and dynamic stage presence are needed in those three roles to carry the show, and director/choregorapher Linda Leonard has found them for this production. In the leading roles are B.J. Cleveland and Sara Shelby-Martin as Chicago actor Elliot and ex-dancer Paula. Both actors have truly touching chemistry with each other. They not only play off of each other with high energy, but they have such fun on stage that this actually helps shade the problems in the script. Cleveland has enough energy at times to even make Robin Williams take a breather! But he really earns gold stars with his touching scenes with Lucy and Paula. Here he creates nice moments of warmth and love with his two co-stars. Cleveland's role has the funniest book scenes and one-liners which make fine use of his expertise in the art of comedy. This includes timing, pace, facial expressions, plus his ability to contort his body for laughs. His finest comedic work is in the final scene of act one, "Richard Interred," in which he creates a bad-permed blonde, half man/half woman Shakespearean character with hints of Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame, as if performed by Dame Judy Dench after a bottle of vodka! Cleveland gives a brilliant performance full of life, energy, and commitment. He really shines as Elliot. Martin gives Paula the tough skin of a woman tired of being hurt by men, but a woman with deep compassion and love for her daughter. Martin also has scenes of comedic pay dirt, especially in her dance audition number, "A Beat Behind." Martin has solid actor instincts in handling her book and music material. She gives her comedy one-liners that extra punch, earning a bigger laugh. But she really goes for the heart in her ending scene with Cleveland. You feel Martin's inner conflict in Paula's mind and soul. This is helped by her moving solo "What A Guy." Martin's dark soprano voice pushes through her trunkload of songs with bravado, polish, and finesse. Martin is also blessed with what I call the "Ethel Merman" belt - this gal has the pipes to belt to the back wall, which she does! Martin is a perfect match for Cleveland. Jackie Pock as Lucy is such a breath of fresh air from the performances that creep into the land of cheesy, over the top, cutesy pie acting exhibited by so children onstage. Pock is also blessed with a set of pipes that sail on her songs with gusto. The kid also has sharp comic timing and keeps up in pace and tempo with Cleveland and Martin. She reminds me of a pint size Lanie Kazan, including the belt! There are also some hilarious performances in the supporting roles. For example, Tony Martin is a riot as the nelly theatre director of Richard III. Mr. Martin's very funny performance reminded me of a flamboyant, Budapest version of the pink cartoon character Snagglepuss. Monja Wilson is also quite humorous as Mrs. Crosby, the landlord of the apartment complex where Elliot, Paula, and Lucy live. Wilson has charm and enjoys talking to the audience. Sadly, her singing voice is too soft and the lyrics are lost in her one solo, "2 Good 2 B Bad". The ensemble is a mixed lot. While some ensemble members show experience, polish and skill, others looked lost, confused, and lacking in energy and focus. This is not helped by some performers in the ensemble not giving it their all for the few lines of dialogue that were assigned to them, or not selling the comic "bit" that was created for them. A chorus is as important as the principals. But in the end, it is the three leads that have to carry the show on their shoulders, and they succeed with flying colors. Linda Leonard earns major kudos for keeping the action constantly moving. The book is filled to the brim with scenes (act two alone has 12), but Leonard has her cast moving with no pause for major set changes. Her choreography shows various genres of dance. She has created jazz for one scene, and for another there is tap. "A Beat Behind," in which Leonard does a superb re-creation and homage to Hamlisch's A Chorus Line, is a highlight. Leonard has her chorus coming on stage to assist with set changes, but in character, which adds to the success of the evening. "The Goodbye Girl" does have major book problems and is missing a "natural timeline" of character growth in emotion and scope. But the musical has a surprising, quite enjoyable score that deserves a second spin on the CD player. Even the flaws of the book do not stop director Leonard and her flawless principals from combining hard work and dazzling talent to create a sweet and charming ode to New York and romance. The Goodbye Girl played through October 14. The Goodbye Girl |
