High Society(San Francisco)
Peter Luk
Based on the 1939 Broadway play, The Philadelphia Story, and the 1956 movie,
High Society, director Christopher Renshaw re-stages the Philip Barry play
and Cole Porter music with a new book by Arthur Kopit. Susan Birkenhead
adds additional lyrics to some of Porter's original composition; from the
newspaper reviews I read, this production features Porter's unpublished and
unfamiliar tunes.
With a cast that includes Melissa Errico, John McMartin (his role was understudied
by Leslie Feagan in the performance I saw), Daniel McDonald, Jere Shea, and
Randy Graff, I am afraid to report that their talents are greatly under utilized
in this production where characters drift aimlessly and whose personae so
cardboard laden that one loses interests very early on in any one of the four
protagonists. This is a story of socialite Tracy Lord (Melissa), on the eve of
her wedding to George Kittredge (Marc Kudisch), rekindling old interest in
ex-hubby Dexter Haven (Daniel) while being wooed/attracted to reporter Mike
Connor (Jere). Liz Imbrie (Randy) is the other reporter who has love interest in Mike,
Tracy's Uncle Willie (Leslie Feagan) is assigned most of the evening's comic relief.
The biggest problem I have with the show is its inconsistent characters development.
It is not clear to me whether Tracy is to be perceived as an alcoholic, a
sophisticate, or a love lost who doesn't know what true love is; I think George
is supposed to be the buffoon everyone ridicule and to make fun of, I find him
quite reasonable and level-headed; Dexter could have easily fooled me as a
ghost pilot from Atlantic City with a reborn identity, he hangs around
for no real purpose until the play's end; Mike, I never understood why Liz
falls for him, and what charisma he has that seems to have spellbound Tracy.
And...why does the role of Tracy's father, Seth Lord (Michael Goodwin), require
an actor's presence in this musical? There is no value add. [May be I should rent
the movie to understand all this.]
The production has a simple, functional set which is expected. There are
pastel color panels which are slided/dropped in from time to time to create
partitions and to function as scene change (in lieu of real set). These panels
are overdone a bit in the second act during the midsummer night romp; in
general, they serve the purpose, but it gets a little old seeing the same
panels repeatedly. This is the third production I've seen this year that spots
a model boat/yacht/ship in the background sailing from one end of the stage to
the other. [The best looking model? It's a tie between Ragtime and High Society.]
Song-wise, I have to admit ignorance of Porter's music as I only recognize a
couple. I don't think any of the musical numbers are big vocal challenge to the
assembled talents in this cast. I do find the music lacking a spark, an oomph
to get things going, and Jere Shea, Randy Graff, Daniel McDonal deserve better
material to showcase their abilities. And despite having Christopher d'Amboise as
the choreographer, the few dance sequences are uninspiring and mundane. The whole
feel of the show is that of an "expensive" off-Broadway production. On a 4-point
scale, I rate this production's entertainment value between a 1.0 (Broadway)
and 1.5 (Pre-Broadway). SF being the first city it tries out, I am sure this will
get better in the months to come, but will it improve enough to warrant a $75 ticket
on Broadway? Me thinks long tough road ahead.
-Pete
Musical numbers:
High Society (*)
I Am Loved
Ridin' High
Little One
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
I Love Paris
She's Got That Thing
Once Upon a Time (*)
I Worship You
True Love
I'm Getting Myself Ready for You (*)
Just One of Those Things
Let's Misbehave
You're Sensational
Well, Did You Evah?
Say it with Gin
Nobody's Chasing Me
Why Don't We Try Staying Home
It's All Right with Me
He's a Right Guy
Samantha
(*) Additional lyrics by Susan Birkenhead