Madcap Comedy from Chicago to New York
Up until recently I had had a seemingly lifelong dream of visiting New York City, along with a similarly strong goal of seeing a Broadway show with its original cast (and on Broadway, for that matter). Those dreams ended about a week ago when they became a reality, as my aunt—who had taken me to the Big Apple in what must be considered one of the most spectacular graduation gifts of all time—and I walked into the American Airlines Theatre on 42nd Street, and experienced the raucous and hugely enjoyable musical comedy On the Twentieth Century.
The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Cy Coleman and Betty Comden and Adolph Green's 1978 under-known show is based on Howard Hawks' film Twentieth Century and Ben Hecht and Charles McArthur's 1932 play (itself based on an unproduced play by Charles Bruce Millholland). It tells the story of Oscar Jaffe, a once powerful and successful theatrical producer now running away from his latest flop in Chicago as he and his cohorts Oliver and Owen board the Twentieth Century Limited from the Windy City to New York. Boarding at the next stop is Lily Garland, an Academy Award-winning star and Oscar's discovery and former flame. He hopes to woo her into leading his new, not-yet-written play. Also aboard are Lily's dimwitted co-star and boyfriend, Bruce Granit, and the wealthy Letitia Primrose (a potential backer for Oscar's new venture).
The majority of the action is confined to a railway car or two, but On the Twentieth Century trades in classic slapstick and broad, zany characters, making this a hilarious whirlwind of a farce. Cy Coleman's score, done in an operetta style, overflows with energy while the book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adoph Green (the writing team behind Singin' in the Rain) pack the show to the brim with wit. Bringing this madcap story to life onstage is a stellar cast led by Broadway veterans Peter Gallagher and Kristin Chenoweth. Gallagher hams it up as Oscar, crafting an old fashioned, erudite and self-important theatrical producer who manages to be on the bottom and still convincingly act like he's on top. Chenoweth, meanwhile, plays a similarly broad character, but also manages to make Lily small and personal when it counts. With the song "Veronique," she takes Lily from being Mildred Plotka, lowly audition accompanist who Oscar sees something in, to the bright and bubbly star she remains throughout the show. It's been a good while since Wicked made Chenoweth a household name (not a small feat when much of your work is seen only by people in Manhattan's Theater District), and her performance in On the Twentieth Century only further cements that status. Lily Garland, a role briefly originated in 1978 by Madeline Kahn, is perfectly suited to Chenoweth's talents as a singer and comedienne, and I can't imagine anyone else on the scene today inhabiting the role in quite the same way.
Mark Linn-Baker and Mark McGrath are delightfully exhausted yet eager to please as Oliver and Owen, Oscar's business manager and press agent, respectfully. They're as desperate for success as Oscar, and are great fun to watch as they try to bend over backwards to follow his orders. Mary Louise Wilson is visibly enjoying herself as the prim and proper, yet entirely wily, Mrs. Primrose, and Andy Karl nearly steals the show from Chenoweth as the mugging Bruce (a role that netted Kevin Kline a Tony in the original production). Karl's talents as a singer are on display, but his true weapon here is his knack for physical comedy, as he endures the many pratfalls and door-slams-to-the-face that come his way, and he nails every single moment.
Full disclosure: I was probably fated to have a good time with On the Twentieth Century. I spent a good portion of my summer last year thinking about the story that would become my senior thesis film in college, a throwback to the movie musicals of MGM's heyday. Around this time, my mom pointed me toward a segment from NPR's All Things Considered in which the subject of discussion was show tunes about travel and transportation, and a favorite of the critic speaking was the title tune of Coleman, Comden and Green's zany show. I hadn't heard of On the Twentieth Century before, but it stuck with me, and when the opportunity to see it on Broadway (let alone with a Chenoweth-led cast) came along, it was an irresistible choice. Now having seen the show, I wouldn't change my mind one bit. Although this revival production of On the Twentieth Century is set to close in just a couple weeks, I would jump at the chance to see any version of it in the future. It's a classic in need of a larger following, as this train ride from Chicago to New York is a delight in every way.
One thing unrelated to the cast and music that brought great joy to the audience I saw the show with was an unexpected, extra intermission when some fog machines set off a wonky smoke detector in the theater. At first I, and probably most of the audience, was just concerned about seeing the rest of the show, but then Peter Gallagher came out and began to entertain the crowd and take questions. Perhaps the best interaction came when an audience member yelled out, " Sandra Bullock! While You Were Sleeping !" Gallagher responded to the shoutout to the Bullock film in which she pretended to the be the fiancée of his comatose character by saying, "What about it?" "What happened," replied the same voice. Gallagher paused, and then shouted back, "I woke up!"