“New York, New York! It’s a helluva town!”
So opens “On the Town,” sung by three American sailors—Gabey, Chip and Ozzie—who are on 24-hour leave in New York City for the first time. They’re hopeful, curious and excited to go “on the town” and see what the city has to offer, both culturally and romantically.
First produced on Broadway in 1944 and later made into a film in 1949 featuring Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, “On the Town” is a lively musical originally based on the 1944 ballet Fancy Free by esteemed American director and choreographer Jerome Robbins.
The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire brings to life this classic production with a fresh and dazzling revival that is comedic the whole way through. From the opening scene in which the audience is introduced to the three sailors (including Chip from Peoria, Ill. and thus the butt of his friends’ jokes), to the scene at the Museum of Natural History, which features a cavemen exhibit that comes to life and dances with the main actors and actresses on stage, grunts, clubs banging and all, director David Bell adds his own unique artistic touches to “On the Town” while staying true to the musical’s characters, setting and plot.
Similar to “West Side Story” in that it is heavy on choreography and features music by composer Leonard Bernstein, “On the Town” also centers on the streets of New York City. Bell’s production, unlike the 1949 film, features all-original songs by Leonard Bernstein, and the music, directed byRyan Nelson, is equally wonderful at mimicking the characters’ movements and reflecting their emotions. There’s the sailors’ excitement, optimism and anticipation as they step off the boat and onto the city’s dock for the first time, expressed in the famous opening song “New York, New York,” the fast-paced, playful and humorous tone of the pushy taxi-cab driver, Hildy, in “Come Up to My Place,” and the comic yet inspiring monologue by submissive Professor Pitkin in “I Understand.”
The production’s choreography, handled by Alex Sanchez, is flawless and engaging as everyone, from the main actors and actresses to the chorus, dances, jumps, spins, glides, pliés and runs all over the stage, ensuring that the performance remains lively and captivating throughout. The choreography truly evokes what New York City feels like, a very fast-paced and bustling place to live, with the actors and actresses moving back and forth across the stage, sometimes in a blur. Actress Alison Jantzie, who plays Ivy Smith, is a beautiful dancer. In the song “Presentation of Miss Turnstiles,” she moves gracefully on stage as she transitions from costume to costume and persona to persona, embodying the image of the seemingly high-class and sophisticated “Miss Turnstiles.” Jantzie also has a beautiful, melodic voice that distinguishes the refined nature of her character from Marya Grandy’s Hildy, for example, whose high-pitched, squealing voice matches perfectly with her character’s dominating personality and lower-class background. Grandy’s performance marks her as a star. She is lively, engaging and downright hilarious, as she falls for sailor Chip and does everything in her power to make sure he stays with her.
Alison Jantzie as “Ivy Smith” and cast. Photo credit: Peter Coombs and the Marriott Theatre
Nominations for the two other best performances go to Alex Goodrich as Professor Pitkin andBrandi Wooten as Lucy Schmeeler. The two offer comic relief by themselves and are even funnier together, when they meet after everyone else has left and sort of “find each other.” Goodrich is wonderfully nerdy and intellectual, while also submissive to his fiancé Claire, played by Johanna McKenzie Miller. Goodrich’s signature gesture for Pitkin, when he pushes his glasses up his nose and holds up his hand, pointing one finger in the air and singing briefly “I Understand,” is an original touch to the production and absolutely hilarious. Goodrich’s shining moment comes in the song “I Understand” at The Slam Bang Club, when Pitkin has his epiphany and realizes that he’s always been taken advantage of. It is an inspiring moment in the performance. Wooten’s Schmeeler is also incredibly eccentric, constantly sneezing and gesturing wildly. Like Pitkin, Schmeeler is also outside of the main group and one of my favorite characters.
Max Clayton, Seth Danner and Jeff Smith play the three sailors as hopeful, optimistic, young and full of energy. All three are wonderful actors, especially Clayton as Gabey. He presents his character as the most thoughtful and perhaps genuine of the group, truly looking to find that one girl—“Miss Turnstiles”—with whom to spend his time. He is great in “Lonely Town,” slowly wandering the streets of New York City searching for Ivy Smith, with the chorus playing different types of people passing by. His scenes with Jantzie are more serious, romantic and moving, while Danner’s Chip and Grandy’s Hildy are a fun duo to watch, especially in the taxicab scene where Grandy punches the break on and off, jerking the car back and forth, with Danner sliding down the passenger seat and flailing his whole body and arms and legs when Grandy tries to kiss him. The two of them are very expressive on stage. Smith, as Ozzie, and Miller, as Claire, are also great, especially in the Museum of Natural History Scene, where they dance along with the cavemen and fall for each other, all the while trying to elude Pitkin.
The productions costumes, designed by Nancy Missimi, were beautiful. They were bright, detailed and diverse, evoking a 1940s setting with high-waisted shorts, collared shirts and dresses, blouses and sweaters. Missimi designed clothes that were vibrant and colorful, even more illuminated by the stage’s lighting design, handled by Jesse Klug. Like the costumes, the performance’s props were also marvelous, from a New York hot dog food vendor cart to a brightly lit Coney Island Sign. Set Designer Thomas Ryan did a surprising amount with such a bare stage. Ryan was incredibly inventive in creating every scene: two benches facing one another and poles on either side to represent the inside of a subway car (including train noises), a single pole and dancer to represent the inside of a ballet studio, and a yellow bench sitting on top of a black and white checkered block with round lights and a steering wheel attached to the front, stationed on a circular moving floor, to represent Hildy’s taxicab. Overall, the performance’s costumes, props and set design were unbelievably unique and creative.
Finally, the chorus, unlike in most performances, takes a front seat in Bell’s production, representing various facets of New York society, from street food vendors and policemen to bar girls and fashionable ladies.
“On the Town” at Lincolnshire’s Marriott Theatre is a truly good time. It will make you laugh and is full of energy and life.
“On the Town” runs through October 12 at Marriott Theatre, Ten Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the theater’s website.
Top right photo: Seth Danner as “Chip,” Max Clayton as “Gabey” and Jeff Smith as “Ozzie” star in the first major Chicagoland production of ON THE TOWN, opening August 20 and running through October 12 at The Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, IL. For tickets, call the Marriott Theatre Box Office at 847.634.0200 or visit www.MarriottTheatre.com for more information. Photo credit: Peter Coombs and the Marriott Theatre
