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

Cymbeline

Photo: Carol Rosegg

There really is no such thing as a bad night at the Delacorte Theater, the venue nestled inside Central Park where The Public Theater has offered free Shakespeare (and Sondheim, and Chekhov, and Brecht, etc) for over 50 years. But this past Saturday was a night to beat the band. The weather was ideal: neither too warm nor too cold, with just enough breeze to stave off sweaty discomfort. The sun was still high at the beginning of the performance, but it gradually faded into a perfect rouge sunset, before settling into a clear, dark night. There was minimal air traffic going on in the sky above the stage. The audience was appreciative and exhibited good theatrical manners -- not always a given in this particular theater, where eating and drinking is not only allowed but encouraged, and the staff seems to let people wander in and out as they please. Yes, everything about Saturday night at Shakespeare in the Park was perfect ... except the production.