Cabaret Scenes Theatre Review

Back in the '20s and '30s, the name of the musical comedy game was revues. Revues meant lots of songs and lots of girls, sometimes woven together with some silly sketches. Some may dismiss this kind of entertainment as frivolous but remember, some of those girls, like Ethel Merman. became legends. As for the songs, they are part of the Great American Songbook, establishing the demands of a 32-bar tune with sophisticated melodies and innovative rhymes. N.Y. City Center Encores!' premiere show in the 2009-2010 season is the 1930 Girl Crazy, by George and Ira Gershwin.

Originally written by Guy Bolton and John McGowan, the book was already flimsy. For this revival, David Ives trimmed it down to the bone. A rich Easterner sends his irresponsible playboy son, Danny Churchill (Chris Diamontopoulos), off to Arizona. How did he get to Arizona? He took a cab from Broadway. Stuck in the desert now, Danny is supposed to learn his lesson, and make the best of a bad thing, just bide his time, so to speak.

Hey, here's a good spot for a song, "Bidin' My Time," sung by four cowpokes (Glenn Seven Allen, Benjamin Howes, Jack Doyle, and Carson Church) lopin' cross the stage.

Enter the taxi driver, Gieber Goldfarb, frantically waving his tab. Played with flashy showmanship by Wayne Knight (best known as Newman on TV's Seinfeld), Gieber hits the comic relief button. Toss in some bad cowpokes to tease the tenderfoot, and now we have all the pieces in place – good guys, bad guys, laughs... Oh, right, we still need a love interest.

Danny asks the singing cowboys if there are any girls around. Only the Custerville mail carrier, Molly Gray (Becki Newton), they tell him, so at the first chance, Danny makes his move.

While Danny woos Molly, however, he is not about to just bide his time. He persuades Gieber Goldfarb to become sheriff and turns Buzzard's Ranch into Danny's Dude Ranch, featuring a "'49'er Saloon," casino and local dancing girls. For the star performer, he calls for Frisco Kate Follicle (Ana Gasteyer) from California, who arrives with her husband (Marc Kudisch), a blustering skirt-chaser named Slick Follicle. In short, there is a big show, a jaunt to Mexico, and finally, boy gets girl and everyone sings.

The delightful Gershwin songs are the highlight. Wayne Knight and Marc Kudisch are the show's performing high points, Kudisch appealingly nasty as cajoles some señoritas to "Treat Me Rough." As the saloon singer, Gasteyer belts a robust, "I Got Rhythm" with Mermanesque breath control if not crashing power. Her "Sam and Delilah" is entertaining and later, when she has problems with husband Slick and his eye for the ladies, she ruefully laments, "Boy! What Love Has Done To Me!" Diamontopoulos' voice is pleasant and he moves smoothly in "Could You Use Me?" Newton, however, has a raspy vocal edge and she never seems quite at ease as Molly. Furthermore, while the two make a likeable enough couple, it is hard to spot a flicker of romantic spark in their duet of, "Embraceable You." Strange, since they are married in real life. Molly is a bit more convincing commiserating with Gieber with, "But Not for Me."

Musical director Rob Fisher delivers Robert Russell Bennett's original orchestrations with a full onstage orchestra, overture and entr'acte. What a treat! Director Jerry Zaks keeps the show at a frisky pace. Warren Carlyle's choreography and William Ivey Long's costumes fit the Western bill.

Upcoming N.Y. City Center Encores! of semi-staged concerts feature: Fanny (Feb. 4–7) and Anyone Can Whistle (April 8-11).

(Pictured: Wayne Knight, Ana Gasteyer, Chris Diamantopoulos, Becki Newton, Mark Kudisch. Photo by Joan Marcus.)

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
October 21, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Girl Crazy City Center New York, NY
Back in the '20s and '30s, the name of the musical comedy game was revues. Revues meant lots of songs and lots of girls, sometimes woven together with some silly sketches. Some may dismiss this kind of entertainment as frivolous but remember, some of those girls, like Ethel Merman. became legends. As for the songs, they are part of the Great American Songbook, establishing the demands of a 32-bar tune with sophisticated melodies and innovative rhymes. N.Y. City Center Encores!' premiere show in the 2009-2010 season is the 1930 Girl Crazy, by George and Ira Gershwin. Originally written by Guy Bolton and John McGowan, the book was already flimsy. For this revival, David Ives trimmed it down to the bone. A rich Easterner sends his irresponsible playboy son, Danny Churchill (Chris Diamontopoulos), off to Arizona. How did he get to Arizona? He took a cab from Broadway. Stuck in the desert now, Danny is supposed to learn his lesson, and make the best of a bad thing, just bide his time, so to speak. Hey, here's a good spot for a song, "Bidin' My Time," sung by four cowpokes (Glenn Seven Allen, Benjamin Howes, Jack Doyle, and Carson Church) lopin' cross the stage. Enter the taxi driver, Gieber Goldfarb, frantically waving his tab. Played with flashy showmanship by Wayne Knight (best known as Newman on TV's Seinfeld), Gieber hits the comic relief button. Toss in some bad cowpokes to tease the tenderfoot, and now we have all the pieces in place – good guys, bad guys, laughs... Oh, right, we still need a love interest. Danny asks the singing cowboys if there are any girls around. Only the Custerville mail carrier, Molly Gray (Becki Newton), they tell him, so at the first chance, Danny makes his move. While Danny woos Molly, however, he is not about to just bide his time. He persuades Gieber Goldfarb to become sheriff and turns Buzzard's Ranch into Danny's Dude Ranch, featuring a "'49'er Saloon," casino and local dancing girls. For the star performer, he calls for Frisco Kate Follicle (Ana Gasteyer) from California, who arrives with her husband (Marc Kudisch), a blustering skirt-chaser named Slick Follicle. In short, there is a big show, a jaunt to Mexico, and finally, boy gets girl and everyone sings. The delightful Gershwin songs are the highlight. Wayne Knight and Marc Kudisch are the show's performing high points, Kudisch appealingly nasty as cajoles some señoritas to "Treat Me Rough." As the saloon singer, Gasteyer belts a robust, "I Got Rhythm" with Mermanesque breath control if not crashing power. Her "Sam and Delilah" is entertaining and later, when she has problems with husband Slick and his eye for the ladies, she ruefully laments, "Boy! What Love Has Done To Me!" Diamontopoulos' voice is pleasant and he moves smoothly in "Could You Use Me?" Newton, however, has a raspy vocal edge and she never seems quite at ease as Molly. Furthermore, while the two make a likeable enough couple, it is hard to spot a flicker of romantic spark in their duet of, "Embraceable You." Strange, since they are married in real life. Molly is a bit more convincing commiserating with Gieber with, "But Not for Me." Musical director Rob Fisher delivers Robert Russell Bennett's original orchestrations with a full onstage orchestra, overture and entr'acte. What a treat! Director Jerry Zaks keeps the show at a frisky pace. Warren Carlyle's choreography and William Ivey Long's costumes fit the Western bill. Upcoming N.Y. City Center Encores! of semi-staged concerts feature: Fanny (Feb. 4–7) and Anyone Can Whistle (April 8-11). (Pictured: Wayne Knight, Ana Gasteyer, Chris Diamantopoulos, Becki Newton, Mark Kudisch. Photo by Joan Marcus.) Elizabeth Ahlfors Cabaret Scenes October 21, 2009 www.cabaretscenes.org

Girl Crazy

City Center New York, NY

City Center
New York, NY