On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

In 1965, the original production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, starring John Cullum and Barbara Harris, had a so-so run and an awkward book about a psychiatrist and his patient’s past life. Why reincarnate it now? Fortunately, it did have some delightful songs by composer Burton Lane and lyricist/librettist Alan Jay Lerner, although only two really became standards, the title song and “Come Back to Me.”  That may explain why director Michael Mayer decided to transfer a few extra Lerner and Lane songs from the 1954 film, Royal Wedding. It couldn’t hurt, especially since everyone remembers that other royal wedding in London earlier this year.

But what about Lerner’s troublesome book? Easy enough: tweak the plot to bring in a more hip zip. The current playwright, Peter Parnell, updated it to 1974 and added a gender twist. Still, the plot remains convoluted and, even worse, boring. Mayer reached out for a famous name and chose charismatic jazz musician Harry Connick, Jr. to play Mark Bruckner, a psychiatrist grieving for his late wife. However, Connick, who was electrifying in The Pajama Game, obviously finds nothing to spark him up here and just looks stiff and uncomfortable. That is, until his character meets Melinda Wells.

Melinda is the past-life identity of Dr. Bruckner’s patient, David (David Turner), a 30-year-old gay florist whose smoking habit has caused commitment problems with his partner, Warren Smith (Drew Gehling). When Dr. Bruckner tries hypnosis to help him, the highly susceptible David zooms back into the 1940s as a jazz singer, Melinda Wells, played by Jessie Mueller in a promising Broadway debut. Suddenly, Bruckner recaptures the spark of life. Obsessed by Melinda, he schedules David for more and more sessions.

Obviously, three’s a crowd, even though two characters are really the same person. It is hard to find any empathy toward any of them. At one point, Dr. Bruckner tries to kiss David, thinking he is Melinda, although the two look nothing alike. It is an unconvincing moment. Portraying David, the slight Turner has a youthfully daffy stage presence and has a crowd-pleasing moment showing his anger and frustration in “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have?” Mueller’s Melinda is a saucy jazz chick with enough personality to steal what there is of the show.  She is especially zesty when she joins a group of radio singers in a swingy “Ev’ry Night at Seven.” Less successful is her duet with Connick, “Too Late Now” from Royal Wedding, Mueller’s brassy vocal tone not blending naturally with Connick’s heartier baritone. The three central characters do get together for some lovely musical moments as they dance to “You’re All the World to Me” and later, “Melinda.”

Under Mayer’s direction, Connick often appears to be in the wrong theater, spending much of the time standing aside and observing the other characters. When he sings, however, his voice is rich and joyous to hear, especially on “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” and, with David’s partner, Warren, “Come Back to Me.”  Kerry O’Malley plays the long-suffering Dr. Sharone Stein, yearning for some attention from Dr. Bruckner.  The cast is energetic, but secondary characters like Dr. Stein, Warren and David’s best friend, Muriel (Sarah Stiles), are not layered well enough to give them much intrigue. Catherine Zuber’s garish costumes and Christine Jones’s befuddling op art sets reflect the era like a kaleidoscopic time traveler.

Never revived on Broadway, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever still can’t be all gray with some fine performances and memorable songs, re-orchestrated by Doug Besterman and enhanced by the vivacity of Music Director Lawrence Yurman’s 18-piece orchestra.

(Pictured: David Turner, Jessie Mueller, Harry Connick, Jr. Photo by Nicole Rivelli)

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
December 9, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org