Boys From Syracuse
American Airlines Theatre, NY - October 2002
Review by John Kenrick
When you revive a 65 year old musical on Broadway, it makes perfect
sense to spruce up the original text and make some changes. When the
1999 Encores concert staging of The Boys From Syracuse earned
rave reviews, most agreed that George Abbott's book was still effective,
if a bit creaky. So when Roundabout decided to stage a full revival of
the show, no one was surprised when playwright Nicky Silver (a
darling of the critics who has never written a libretto before) was called
in to revise the book. But who figured that Silver would throw out
everything except the basic plot, disposing of every ounce of charm the
piece ever had? Or that a highly qualified production team would match his
script with uniformly clumsy sets, costumes, lighting and
staging? Timed to coincide with composer Richard Rodgers 100th birthday,
this revival of The Boys From Syracuse winds up being less a
tribute than it is an embarrassment.
The story is admittedly time-worn, coming directly from Shakespeare's
Comedy of Errors. In the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, the
bragging, philandering soldier Antipholus and his witless servant Dromio
have their lives thrown into chaos when their long-lost identical twin
brothers (who happen to go by the same names) sail into town. The
visiting Antipholus, good-natured and almost cowardly, winds up being
mistaken for his brother – even by his brothers wife! By the final
curtain, the twins' parents show up to clarify who's who, so all ends
more or less happily.
The still-glorious songs of Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart have
kept this show on people's minds for three generations. "This Can't
Be Love" and "Falling in Love With Love" are just tow of
the recognizable title in this delightful score. But director Scott
Ellis and his team have seen fit to revamp many numbers, turning solos
into duets ("Dear Old Syracuse") and destroying the reliable
showstopper "Sing For Your Supper" by throwing the entire
ensemble into what was designed to be a swinging trio. And what ever
possessed them to throw in a chorus of prostitutes doing tacky burlesque
schtick? What idiocy! If
Ellis and company did not trust the author's original intentions, why
bother doing the show at all?
It is hard for a musical lover like me to speak unkindly of Mr.
Ellis, who has directed so many fine productions over the last decade.
But this production is just the latest proof of the old truism that it
takes people of great talent to make great mistakes. The same certainly
applies to designers Thomas Lynch (sets), Martin Pakledinaz and
Donald Holder (lighting) – gifted men who have turned out ugly work
this time around. If the intention was to look cartoonish, the final
effect merely looks garish and awkward. Amid all this clunkiness,
choreographer Rob Ashford never had much of a chance to do much.
Neither does a remarkably gifted cast. The luscious Erin Dilly
could steal any show in town, and does so here with a hilarious
performance as Luciana, the sister-in-law of one Antipholus who is
wooed by the other. (If that doesn't make much
sense, don't worry – it makes just as little sense in this staging.) Lauren
Mitchell (one of the co-producers of Urinetown) does the most
anyone could with the heavily revised role of the neglected wife
Adriana, and Toni DiBuono has just the right note of Mermanesque
comedy as the bullying housemaid Luce.
Jonathan Dokuchitz is disarming as the likeable Antipholus,
offering one of the most delightful baritone voices Broadway has heard
in several seasons. As his oafish twin, Tom Hewitt has far too
little opportunity to show his talents – an imbalance the new book
magnifies painfully. Musical theater veterans Chip Zien and Lee
Wilkoff are both superb as the twin servants, making every comic
moment count and adding a welcome touch of pathos with the little-known
"Big Brother." Sitcom favorite Jackee Harry pumps
laughs into the new (and utterly unnecessary) character of a whorehouse
madam. An even bigger sitcom star makes a surprise appearance in the
final scene – a desperate and embarassing attempt to give a final kick
to production that spends the entire night dead on arrival.
So a suggestion to anyone thinking of doing The Boys From Syracuse
in college or regional productions – stick to the original George
Abbott book, and you'll have a charming period musical comedy.
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