Wonderful Town (review)

It can be argued that Leonard Bernstein helped change the face of Broadway. At a time when musical theater was at a crossroads, he and his various collaborators explored new directions and forms, integrated multiple styles of music and dance, and imbued the music, songs, and dance with dramatic life rarely seen. In Wonderful Town (1953), we see Bernstein and his collaborators, Betty Comden and Adolph Green for a second time celebrating Bern-stein's adopted city, New York; the first time was the successful On the Town (1944). In Wonderful Town, Bernstein infuses a rather traditional musical entertainment with his trademark eclecticism that reaches maturity in West Side Story (1957) and Candide (1956).

Wonderful Town is based on the book My Sister Eileen by Ruth McKenney, and subsequently dramatized by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov. Designed as a vehicle for the talented Rosalind Russell, the collaborators create a humorous portrayal of the inhabitants of Greenwich Village. The show follows two Ohio transplants, Eileen and Ruth, as they struggle to make it in the Big Apple as singer and writer, respectively. On their way to success, they encounter a not-so-bright ex-football star, and a hard-nosed magazine editor and a host of unique characters inhabiting Christopher Street. Wonderful Town was revived in 2003 and subsequently closed January 2005 after playing almost the same number of performances as the original opening when it won a Tony award as Best Musical of 1952–3.

The EuroArts DVD performance is not staged but retains the exuberance of a Broadway show. Everyone, from the orchestra members to the Rascher Saxophone Quartet, from European Voices (the chorus) to the principal singers, seems to be having a grand time under the direction of an ebullient and often laughing Simon Rattle. Concert venues everywhere could take a cue from the lighting design which becomes an expressive component of the performance. While the video was excellent —the camera shots were well-timed, varied, and tasteful—the producers could have exploited the possibilities of surround sound more fully. Certainly during the musical performance, we hope we are sonically placed in the best seat in the house, which we were. However, the expected spatial separation was minimal and was rarely reflective of the visual element.

The principal singers, Kim Criswell (Ruth Sherwood / Violet), Audra McDonald (Eileen Sherwood), Thomas Hampson (Robert Baker), and Brent Barrett (Wreck / Guide / First Editor / Frank Lippincott), successfully walk that fine line between Broadway and opera vocal production which is so often missing in concert performances of light American music theater. European Voices and the soloists from that group are up to the task, including some New Jersey accents!

You know when the members of the Berliner Philharmoniker begin to grin, there is magic in the air. The Rascher Saxophone Quartet, added to the pit, assist with that "Big Band" sound. And Simon Rattle is clearly in his element, handling the popular styles with appropriate vigor and finesse. When Rattle encourages the entire Berliner Philharmonie (performers and audience alike) to sing and dance the "Conga" around the theater one is reminded of Bernstein's relationship to his own audiences. I think he would have been pleased!