Many new musicals opened on Broadway this past spring. Here is my pecking order, and age-appropriate recommendations:
1. An American In Paris (8 and up) Palace Theatre,* 47th & Broadway
Few shows pleasantly surprised me this season as much as An American in Paris. Most great musicals have been collaborative efforts. Think of Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Jerome Robbins telling West Side Story, or Rodgers & Hammerstein and Agnes DeMille creating Oklahoma. An American in Paris composer, George Gershwin, may not be around, but Rob Fisher, the founding music director of Encores!, shapes the score, including the gorgeous ballet from the movie, into a foundation for the witty and sexy choreography of Christopher Wheeldon (New York City Ballet and Royal Ballet). You have never seen Broadway dancers so beautifully en pointe. Add sumptuous costumes, imaginative lighting, and breathtaking projections, and you have a contemporary collaboration that sings and dances right into your heart.
If this sounds too adult, think back to the first show you ever saw. You may have been too young to understand everything, but you were hooked. An American in Paris will pass on that magic.
2. The King and I (8 and up) Vivian Beaumont Theatre** at Lincoln Center 150 West 65th
The King and I is a classic. The songs – “I Whistle A Happy Tune,” “Hello Young Lovers,” “Getting to Know You” – are all well known. Kelli O’Hara, who brought Nellie Forbush to life in Lincoln Center’s recent South Pacific, is more restrained here as the English teacher, Anna, who emboldened a King but also wounds him. Like many Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, there are sub-plots and supporting characters. This is a show enjoyable on many levels and by different generations.
3. Finding Neverland (6 and up) Lunt Fontanne Theatre,* 46th & Broadway
Based on the movie of the same name, Finding Neverland tells the story of how “Peter” became “Pan.” It stars Matthew Morrison (South Pacific, TV-Glee) as the author J.M. Barrie and Kelsey Grammer, first as his publisher, then as Captain Hook. Barrie’s life changes when he meets the widow Sylvia (Laura Michele Kelly who won an Olivier Award as Mary Poppins) and her three sons (played on alternate nights by seven different young actors). Newly inspired, he goes on to create the fictitious Neverland, and the play that has lived on for 100 years.
Finding Neverland has its share of magical theatrical moments, but I found the musical score forgettable – despite many fine voices. I was not enthralled but the audience, with lots of kids, was enthusiastic.
4. Gigi (10 and up) Neil Simon Theatre,* 52nd & Broadway
Finally, there is Gigi. You may remember the movie with its romance and lilting score. A lovely Leslie Caron (who, incidentally, was also in the film version of An American in Paris), played the beautiful, young Gigi. In this updated stage version (first produced on Broadway in the early 70s), Gigi is played by Vanessa Hudgens (Disney’s High School Musical) as a more modern, liberated young woman. The book writer has reworked other aspects of the story as well, removing any hint of impropriety. (Think of the older Maurice Chevalier singing “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.” It just doesn’t work.) The original story by Colette was a period-piece that reflected values in Paris at the turn of the last century. Imposing today’s values changes the character of the story and seen on Broadway, first as a (non-musical) play in the early 50s starring a relatively unknown Audrey Hepburn.
You still have the memorable score, delightful costumes, and fine performances from the aforementioned Ms. Clark, Dee Hoty as Gigi’s calculating great-aunt, and Corey Cott who, as Gaston, delivers a beautiful version of the title song. But the show just doesn’t dazzle.
HOT TIP:
Look at for Hamilton, the hip-hop musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda (Into the Heights), which played to sell-out audiences (including past Presidents and Vice-Presidents) at the Public Theatre and starts previews on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (West 46th Street) July 13, with an official opening night scheduled for August 6. In the opinion of this reviewer, it is the first major advance in Broadway musicals since Rent. My expectation is that is will play be a feast for the eyes, ears, and mind and best for pre-teens and up.
TICKETS:
*ticketmaster.com, 877-250-2929
**telecharge.com, 212-239-6200
George A. Wachtel is president of Audience Research & Analysis, A New York City-based market research firm specializing in arts and entertainment.
