Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Theater Review: Finian’s Rainbow

The cast of Finian's Rainbow. Photo: Joan Marcus


This Revival is a Spectrum of Delight
By Lauren Yarger
With recipes for bland musical revivals like Pal Joey, Guys and Dolls and Bye Bye Birdie stirring the recent Broadway revival pot, the prospect of another insipid ingredient in the form of 1947’s Finian’s Rainbow at the St. James Theatre didn’t have me running to the stage asking for more, but had I passed on director Warren Carlyle’s masterful resurrection, I would have missed a colorful treat, indeed.

This revival, thanks to a deft touch that doesn’t take itself too seriously, is a real pleasure to watch despite a silly love story (and a rather silly plot overall, if truth be told), a lot of knee-slapping choreography (also directed by Carlyle) and Og, a singing leprechaun (Christopher Fitzgerald). It’s an Irish blessing to hear a full orchestra in fine form conducted by Rob Berman playing the score by Burton Lane with at least one song you’ve probably heard: “How Are Things n Glocca Morra?,” all beautifully sung, particularly by leads Kate Baldwin and Cheyenne Jackson (Scott Lehrer, sound design).

The book by Fred Saidy, who co-wrote the even less memorable lyrics with Yip Harburg, and adapted here by Arthur Perlman, is a stretch even for the most devoted lovers of musicals. Finian McLonergan (Jim Norton) steals Og’s pot of gold in Ireland and brings his daughter, Sharon (Baldwin), to Kentucky so he can bury it in the ground near Fort Knox and prosper in America.

There she meets and falls in love with Woody Mahoney (Jackson, pictured right), but before they can marry, lots of other things happen. Woody’s mute sister, Susan (Alina Faye), who can express herself only through ballet dance, steals the gold and falls in love with Og. Meanwhile, a corrupt white man is turned into a black man (played delightfully in both parts by David Schramm and Chuck Cooper), wishes are granted, the town’s tobacco industry is reborn and Sharon faces death at the stake as a witch.

OK, now if you have finished laughing, stay with me, because there are a lot of lines and situations about racism, immigration and the economy throughout that oddly seem more relevant today than they probably were in 1947. The “let’s-have-fun” approach keeps things from getting too deep, however, and prevents audible groaning at lyrics like:

“It's so terrifish, magnifish, delish.
To have such an amorish glamorish.
We could be oh, so bride and groomish
Skies could be so bluish blue.
Life could be so love in bloomish,
If my ishes could come true.”

In short, Carlyle allows the large, very fine ensemble cast to enjoy itself and the fun trickles out the end of the rainbow and showers on the audience. John Lee Beatty crates a colorful, but almost cartoon-like setting lighted by Ken Billington and this, along with Toni-Leslie James’ creative costumes (there’s one number where the dancers’ dresses appear to change before your eyes), allows the rainbow theme to shine without too much glare from the prism.

I particularly liked the colorful patchwork quilt framed by a rainbow lighting truss that marks the beginning and ends in the story. I wasn’t crazy about the glowing pot of gold that looked more like a large pumpkin, but I laughed out loud when Og trotted by carrying hats and canes for a singing and dancing quartet. So if you're willing to check reality at the door for a while, or maybe bury it there, to extend the metaphor, the show is highly entertaining.

Finian’s Rainbow offers its full spectrum of spirited fun at the St. James Theatre, 246 West 44th Street, NYC. For tickets that benefit Masterwork Productions, click here.

Christians might also like to know:
• Some magic
• One of the more family-friendly shows out there. The little ones will enjoy the leprechaun’s shortening pants and other antics.

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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008- 2022 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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