Cabaret Scenes Theatre Review - A Tale of Two Cities

There's smoke! There's drama! There are dying women in bloody clothes. There's even an orphan girl. And that swelling music -- is it Victor Hugo's Les Miserables?

No, it's Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Comparisons between the two are impossible to ignore considering the flamboyant 18th century settings and a sweep of plot lines and music lines.

That aside, A Tale of Two Cities is not the best of the genre; it's not the worst either. Looking on the bright side, there are some pluses. Number one is James Barbour in a Triple A+ performance as Sidney Carton. With a booming baritone and noble showmanship, he delivers a magnetic portrait of the alcoholic lawyer turned hero. Brandi Burkhardt, Broadway newcomer and former Miss New York in the Miss America pageant, portrays a doll-like Lucie Manette with a clear soprano voice and capable acting talents. Aaron Lazar, formerly Enjolras of the 2006 Les Miz revival, continues building a commendable Broadway career, here playing Lucie's dashing romance, the exiled aristocrat, Charles Darnay. Gregg Edelman plays Lucie's damaged father with conviction. Broadway veteran Katherine McGrath is convincing as Miss Pross. Nick Wyman is a welcome spot of nasty humor as John Barsad. Natalie Toro's Mme. Dufarge is focused fury with few other facets to round out her character.

If everyone in the cast does not all reach excellence, they still try their very darnedest to give everything to the undeserving songs.

So what is wrong? Let's give Jill Santoriello credit for the determination to take on a massive story of the Reign of Terror, slash it mercilessly into workable theatre size, write the music and lyrics, and struggle to get it staged. Unfortunately, we can see the sketchiness of the plot and the challenge of let's get-it-all-in. Director/choreographer Warren Carlyle winds up the energy bunny and he manages to keep the multiple storylines in sight but where are the punches of drama? Act I zips from A to Z, with years flying like calendar pages in a 'forties film. In one scene just minutes long, Lucie admits her love for Charles, places a wedding veil on her head, marries Charles, folds up the veil into a baby-bundle, unfolds the veil and voilà, a little girl is running and playing. That is one practical way to hurry things along; after all, as Dickens said, "It was the epoch of incredulity."

Act II focuses on Charles Darnay, arrested in London and sent back to Paris to stand trial for murder. Lucie and her father plead for mercy, but it is the dissolute Sydney Carton who finally gives his life to save Charles, and thus the line, "'it's a far, far better thing that I do . . . '"

The weakest part of the play is Santoriello’s music. Heroic anthem wannabes are punctuated by orchestrations powered by percussions. Unfortunately too many melodies contain snippets that immediately harken back to Les Miz. The Act I finale displays a rebel-rousing cast lineup singing, "Until Tomorrow," a tune that will not follow you into intermission. In the context of this type of musical, everything old isn't new again.

As for the ballads, they were earnest. The lyrics are simplistic; the best that can be said is that they tell the story, an asset for any viewer who has not read the book. Perhaps "You'll Never Be Alone" and "If Dreams Come True" will be extracted for a cabaret show. One could also see Mme. Dufarge's hysterical "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" become a pop hit for Celine Dion.

Tony Walton designed evocative backdrops in blue for the London scenes and red for Paris. Basic scaffolding is efficiently mobile, reconfiguring into different locales. Richard Pilbrow's dramatic lighting and sound effects by Carl Casella and Dominic Sack play a large part of helping the skeletal set convey this grandiose story. Gregory Meeh provides special effects. David Zinn's costumes differentiate the drab lives of the separate classes with lush brocades and silks for the wealthy and earth-toned rags for street folk, but couldn't hair designer Tom Watson think of a way to make Sydney Carton's stringy hair look less greasy?

As for me, I left the theatre humming "Bring Him Home." There is no getting past it -- A Tale of Two Cities is Les Miz Lite.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
September 20, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org



	A Tale of Two Cities Al Hirschfeld Theatre New York, NY
There's smoke! There's drama! There are dying women in bloody clothes. There's even an orphan girl. And that swelling music -- is it Victor Hugo's Les Miserables? No, it's Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Comparisons between the two are impossible to ignore considering the flamboyant 18th century settings and a sweep of plot lines and music lines. That aside, A Tale of Two Cities is not the best of the genre; it's not the worst either. Looking on the bright side, there are some pluses. Number one is James Barbour in a Triple A+ performance as Sidney Carton. With a booming baritone and noble showmanship, he delivers a magnetic portrait of the alcoholic lawyer turned hero. Brandi Burkhardt, Broadway newcomer and former Miss New York in the Miss America pageant, portrays a doll-like Lucie Manette with a clear soprano voice and capable acting talents. Aaron Lazar, formerly Enjolras of the 2006 Les Miz revival, continues building a commendable Broadway career, here playing Lucie's dashing romance, the exiled aristocrat, Charles Darnay. Gregg Edelman plays Lucie's damaged father with conviction. Broadway veteran Katherine McGrath is convincing as Miss Pross. Nick Wyman is a welcome spot of nasty humor as John Barsad. Natalie Toro's Mme. Dufarge is focused fury with few other facets to round out her character. If everyone in the cast does not all reach excellence, they still try their very darnedest to give everything to the undeserving songs. So what is wrong? Let's give Jill Santoriello credit for the determination to take on a massive story of the Reign of Terror, slash it mercilessly into workable theatre size, write the music and lyrics, and struggle to get it staged. Unfortunately, we can see the sketchiness of the plot and the challenge of let's get-it-all-in. Director/choreographer Warren Carlyle winds up the energy bunny and he manages to keep the multiple storylines in sight but where are the punches of drama? Act I zips from A to Z, with years flying like calendar pages in a 'forties film. In one scene just minutes long, Lucie admits her love for Charles, places a wedding veil on her head, marries Charles, folds up the veil into a baby-bundle, unfolds the veil and voilà, a little girl is running and playing. That is one practical way to hurry things along; after all, as Dickens said, "It was the epoch of incredulity." Act II focuses on Charles Darnay, arrested in London and sent back to Paris to stand trial for murder. Lucie and her father plead for mercy, but it is the dissolute Sydney Carton who finally gives his life to save Charles, and thus the line, "'it's a far, far better thing that I do . . . '" The weakest part of the play is Santoriello’s music. Heroic anthem wannabes are punctuated by orchestrations powered by percussions. Unfortunately too many melodies contain snippets that immediately harken back to Les Miz. The Act I finale displays a rebel-rousing cast lineup singing, "Until Tomorrow," a tune that will not follow you into intermission. In the context of this type of musical, everything old isn't new again. As for the ballads, they were earnest. The lyrics are simplistic; the best that can be said is that they tell the story, an asset for any viewer who has not read the book. Perhaps "You'll Never Be Alone" and "If Dreams Come True" will be extracted for a cabaret show. One could also see Mme. Dufarge's hysterical "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" become a pop hit for Celine Dion. Tony Walton designed evocative backdrops in blue for the London scenes and red for Paris. Basic scaffolding is efficiently mobile, reconfiguring into different locales. Richard Pilbrow's dramatic lighting and sound effects by Carl Casella and Dominic Sack play a large part of helping the skeletal set convey this grandiose story. Gregory Meeh provides special effects. David Zinn's costumes differentiate the drab lives of the separate classes with lush brocades and silks for the wealthy and earth-toned rags for street folk, but couldn't hair designer Tom Watson think of a way to make Sydney Carton's stringy hair look less greasy? As for me, I left the theatre humming "Bring Him Home." There is no getting past it -- A Tale of Two Cities is Les Miz Lite. Elizabeth Ahlfors Cabaret Scenes September 20, 2008 www.cabaretscenes.org

A Tale of Two Cities

Al Hirschfeld Theatre New York, NY

Al Hirschfeld Theatre
New York, NY