Cabaret Scenes Theatre Review

Funny thing about Fanny. Created in 1954 as a musical drama, it is not remembered as one of the bright lights of the Golden Age of Broadway. It was not critically acclaimed. Few songs are remembered. A subsequent film version actually cut out all the songs, leaving only an underscore of their melodies. The funny part is that audiences loved it. A box office bonanza, Fanny ran on Broadway for two years, 888 performances, and it made money. When the huge Majestic Theatre ousted it in 1956 to make room for Ethel Merman and Happy Hunting, Fanny moved on to the Belasco. Walter Slezak won a Tony Award for his role as Panisse. Did audiences see something that critics missed?

Fanny was City Center Encores!' 50th production and, if it's not a perfect show, it is delightful, enchantment wafting like perfume through the story and into the music. Rob Berman's full Encores! orchestra gloriously soars through Harold Rome's melodies. The unabashed romanticism captures the audience.

S.N. Behrman and Joshua Logan wrote a bittersweet story of star-crossed lovers, based on Marcel Pagnol's film trilogy. It's trimmed here by David Ives. Eighteen-year-old Fanny (Elena Shaddow) yearns to tell Marius (James Snyder) that she is in love with him. The feeling is mutual, but Marius has another, more pressing desire. He does not want to tell Fanny that, while he loves her, he also wants to go to sea. It's not until Marius decides to leave on the morning sailing for a five-year journey that they admit their love. Fanny offers to spend that last night with him.

With Marius gone, Fanny finds she is pregnant. An elderly, wealthy widower, Panisse (Fred Applegate), has been asking Fanny's mother for the girl's hand in marriage and now Fanny, desperate, turns to Panisse. He's no fool and knows her story, but agrees to help her. The baby will be the child he never had. Panisse's lifelong friend, Cesar (George Hearn), realizes that his son, Marius, is the baby's father but he agrees to keep silent. He will be the child's godfather and if it's a boy, the name will be Cesario.

Wisely, director Marc Bruni focused on the heart of the story, the love between Fanny and Marius. Elena Shaddow and James Snyder are impressive singers and their acting is compelling. Snyder convinces us of his wanderlust with "Restless Heart." He reveals his love in the melodic "Fanny" and Shaddow is outstanding, confessing to Marius, "I Have to Tell You." Both are young and impatient in the first act but, in the second, their growth is natural and believable. Poised and secure, Fanny has become a dedicated mother and wife and, when Marius returns, they both realize the depth and consequences of their decision.

Panisse and Cesar play cards together, drink together, and support each other. Applegate's Panisse is a charmer full of life, believing, "It's Never Too Late for Love." Later, his dedication to his young son, Cesario, is touching, and his gratitude "To My Wife," is poignant. Hearn's Cesar, gruff and controlled, shows his appreciation for his life and home with "Welcome Home." "I Like You" tells Marius how deeply he is loved. Priscilla Lopez portrays feisty and appealing Honorine, Fanny's mother. She brings great life to her limited role. Young Cesario is played with professional aplomb by Ted Sutherland.

Martin Pakledinaz' colorful costuming, Ken Billington's romantic lighting and John Lee Beatty's creative scenic props all add to the sentiment. The one downside is the episodic pace of the story. Two sequences are extraneous and add bulk to the storyline — "Shika Shika" featuring Nina Lafarga's impressive belly dancing and the circus celebrating Cesario's twelfth birthday.

With Fanny, Harold Rome, once known for catchy, satirical tunes, soared into the Richard Rodgers arena of lush, almost operatic melodies. His lyrics are straightforward, supporting the plot. With its appealing characters, impressive performers, and Encores!' stirring orchestra, it is easy to see why the audiences seemed to relish again Fanny's passion and sentiment.

Upcoming N.Y. City Center Encores! concert is Anyone Can Whistle (April 8-11).

(Pictured: Elena Shaddow and James Snyder. Photo by Joan Marcus.)

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
February 6, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Fanny City Center New York, NY
Funny thing about Fanny. Created in 1954 as a musical drama, it is not remembered as one of the bright lights of the Golden Age of Broadway. It was not critically acclaimed. Few songs are remembered. A subsequent film version actually cut out all the songs, leaving only an underscore of their melodies. The funny part is that audiences loved it. A box office bonanza, Fanny ran on Broadway for two years, 888 performances, and it made money. When the huge Majestic Theatre ousted it in 1956 to make room for Ethel Merman and Happy Hunting, Fanny moved on to the Belasco. Walter Slezak won a Tony Award for his role as Panisse. Did audiences see something that critics missed? Fanny was City Center Encores!' 50th production and, if it's not a perfect show, it is delightful, enchantment wafting like perfume through the story and into the music. Rob Berman's full Encores! orchestra gloriously soars through Harold Rome's melodies. The unabashed romanticism captures the audience. S.N. Behrman and Joshua Logan wrote a bittersweet story of star-crossed lovers, based on Marcel Pagnol's film trilogy. It's trimmed here by David Ives. Eighteen-year-old Fanny (Elena Shaddow) yearns to tell Marius (James Snyder) that she is in love with him. The feeling is mutual, but Marius has another, more pressing desire. He does not want to tell Fanny that, while he loves her, he also wants to go to sea. It's not until Marius decides to leave on the morning sailing for a five-year journey that they admit their love. Fanny offers to spend that last night with him. With Marius gone, Fanny finds she is pregnant. An elderly, wealthy widower, Panisse (Fred Applegate), has been asking Fanny's mother for the girl's hand in marriage and now Fanny, desperate, turns to Panisse. He's no fool and knows her story, but agrees to help her. The baby will be the child he never had. Panisse's lifelong friend, Cesar (George Hearn), realizes that his son, Marius, is the baby's father but he agrees to keep silent. He will be the child's godfather and if it's a boy, the name will be Cesario. Wisely, director Marc Bruni focused on the heart of the story, the love between Fanny and Marius. Elena Shaddow and James Snyder are impressive singers and their acting is compelling. Snyder convinces us of his wanderlust with "Restless Heart." He reveals his love in the melodic "Fanny" and Shaddow is outstanding, confessing to Marius, "I Have to Tell You." Both are young and impatient in the first act but, in the second, their growth is natural and believable. Poised and secure, Fanny has become a dedicated mother and wife and, when Marius returns, they both realize the depth and consequences of their decision. Panisse and Cesar play cards together, drink together, and support each other. Applegate's Panisse is a charmer full of life, believing, "It's Never Too Late for Love." Later, his dedication to his young son, Cesario, is touching, and his gratitude "To My Wife," is poignant. Hearn's Cesar, gruff and controlled, shows his appreciation for his life and home with "Welcome Home." "I Like You" tells Marius how deeply he is loved. Priscilla Lopez portrays feisty and appealing Honorine, Fanny's mother. She brings great life to her limited role. Young Cesario is played with professional aplomb by Ted Sutherland. Martin Pakledinaz' colorful costuming, Ken Billington's romantic lighting and John Lee Beatty's creative scenic props all add to the sentiment. The one downside is the episodic pace of the story. Two sequences are extraneous and add bulk to the storyline — "Shika Shika" featuring Nina Lafarga's impressive belly dancing and the circus celebrating Cesario's twelfth birthday. With Fanny, Harold Rome, once known for catchy, satirical tunes, soared into the Richard Rodgers arena of lush, almost operatic melodies. His lyrics are straightforward, supporting the plot. With its appealing characters, impressive performers, and Encores!' stirring orchestra, it is easy to see why the audiences seemed to relish again Fanny's passion and sentiment. Upcoming N.Y. City Center Encores! concert is Anyone Can Whistle (April 8-11). (Pictured: Elena Shaddow and James Snyder. Photo by Joan Marcus.) Elizabeth Ahlfors Cabaret Scenes February 6, 2010 www.cabaretscenes.org

Fanny

City Center New York, NY

City Center
New York, NY