Sweet Smell of Success

In a world where the vicious cynics of Succession kept a chunk of the world enthralled for years, you might think that the vicious cynics of the musical Sweet Smell of Success could also get some love. Certainly the original movie has deeply loyal adherents. (Full disclosure: I deeply dislike the original movie.) And the creators of the musical have impeccable credentials. Marvin Hamlish, winner of dozens of awards for his music, including a Tony for  A Chorus Line and Oscars for The Way They Were, provided an attractive score. Craig Carnelia has had shows on and off Broadway and has been nominated for many awards; his lyrics are solid, meshing well with the characters' personalities and Hamlish's music. John Guare, author of the amazing plays Six Degrees of Separation and Lydie Breeze, as well as the book of Two Gentlemen of Verona and the script for the movie Atlantic City, deepens the characterizations and clarifies the plot. (Here's a link to the Wikipedia page if you'd like a synopsis of the story.)

Photo: Toby Tenenbaum

In other words, the musical of Sweet Smell of Success has everything going for it. Yet it flopped. Why doesn't it work? For me, the problem is twofold. First, the main characters are icky. I'm not someone who requires sympathetic characters; however, while evilness can be enticing, ickiness is, well, icky. Second, no one develops. If Sydney Falco started out even a little innocent or starry-eyed, that would have given the show some tension and some growth. Instead, his journey is from amateur icky to professional icky.

Ted Sperling
Photo: Toby Tenenbaum

Nevertheless, the recent MasterVoices presentation of Sweet Smell of Success was largely fabulous. With the strong orchestra, wonderful chorus, and overall enthusiasm, MasterVoices presentations are pretty much always fabulous. Musical director Ted Sperling is a gift to New York and to musical theatre.

Wendy Caster

Richard II

While Richard III has been done 21 times on Broadway, Richard II has been done only seven, most recently in 1957. (Source: ibdb.com) It is certainly less interesting. Richard III is a grand villain, smart, full of anger, violent, and terribly sorry for himself--yet able to scrounge up a bit of charm when it suits his needs. Richard II, while more poetic in language, is bland, self-involved, and petulant. Both men believe in the divine right of kings because, hey, they're the kings. While Richard III is arguably evil, Richard II is stupid, which is considerably less interesting. His downfall is triggered by shallow self-interest. 

Michael Urie
Photo: Carol Rosegg

As with all of the history plays (and many of the Greek and Roman tragedies as well), the stories are supposed to possess gravitas because the main characters are royal. But, really, does being born into a particular family at a particular time make the characters more significant? Nah. And using the word hubris instead of the phrase blind, selfish stupidity doesn't ultimately disguise the fact that Richard II, Oedipus, King Lear, etc al, display, well, blind selfish stupidity.

Here's a way to reveal the actual pathetic humanness of these characters: picture Donald Trump instead. He was born into a particular family; he and his followers believe he was chosen by a god; and he has more power that Oedipus, Lear, and both Richards put together. But his story is not tragedy; it's the saddest and most horrifying of farces. 

Photo: Carol Rosegg

The Red Bull production of Richard II was adapted and directed by Craig Baldwin and stars Michael Urie. I am a fan of Red Bull and have enjoyed/been impressed by many of their "rethinkings" of classics. The excellent all-female Mac Beth in particular comes to mind. Richard II, however, is considerably less successful.

Moving the show to the 1980s adds little other than an excuse to use the song "Sweet Dreams" and some cool costumes by Rodrigo Muñoz. Richard's overt bisexuality-leaning-toward-gayness is fine, but the frequency of sexualized scenes diminishes whatever gravitas the character might have. Parts of the show almost read as anti-gay: look at the shallow, trivial gay guy who prefers the affairs of the body to the affairs of state. 

According to some theories, the end of Richard II gives Richard the chance to redeem himself by showing dignity as he is stripped of his crown. That isn't the case in this production. I kept waiting for one of the other characters to slap him and say, get over your damn self.

By moving the story to the 1980s, by sexualizing the character so much, by removing the period trappings, Baldwin has taken away any grandeur Richard might have had. Sort of like replacing King Lear with Donald Trump.

Much of the staging is attractive; much of the acting is top-notch; the depiction of a duel as a contemporary boxing match, complete with hyperenthusiastic emcee, works perfectly. But the adaptation and direction undercut the play's strengths and emphasize its weaknesses. 

Wendy Caster

Crooked Cross

In the early 1930s, Sally Carson, an English writer and dancing teacher, spent time in Germany. She then wrote Crooked Cross, which focuses on the insidious growth of Nazism, first as a novel and then as a play. The invaluable Mint Theater Company recently produced the play, slightly edited.

Photo: Todd Cerveris

The story of Lexa, a young woman in love with a Jewish man, Crooked Cross focuses on how her life changes as much of Germany, including her two brothers, join the Nazi party. Her boyfriend, a successful doctor, is fired from his hospital. Lexa's brothers pressure her to break up with him, and she lets them believe that she has, while still meeting him in secret.

It is fascinating to watch a play written in the early 1930s that sees clearly what is unfolding in Germany. Carson covers both what Nazism offers to disaffected, unemployed young men and how deadly dangerous it is. 

Photo: Todd Cerveris

Crooked Cross is not as interesting a play as it is a historic document. The characters are thinly drawn and the dialogue leans toward the pedantic. And the Mint's production is one of the company's rare misfires, coming across as flat and uninvolving. (In light of the many positive reviews that Crooked Cross has received, it's possible that I saw it on a bad night.)

As usual with the Mint, the design elements are strong and effective. The sound design for Crooked Cross, by Sean Hagerty, is particularly impressive. Through neighborhood noises, the sounds of a party, and other effects, he broadens the play, giving it considerably more dimension that it might have had in lesser hands.

For its next production, the Mint is going in a different direction with Zack, which has been reviewed as a "preposterous happy-ever-after tale, but one that should melt the most the most cynical heart." The Mint can be reached at minttheater.org. (Info on Zack has not yet been posted.)

Wendy Caster