Arkansas Rep's new production of an old flop, Pal Joey, struggles to overcome its inherent oldness about a half-hour longer than I was able to sustain any interest in its success.
After the first plodding, billowy ballad sung by Mrs. Milkmoney, the story bogs down. My 89-year-old mother, an easily confused person who likes sleeping through live theatrical productions, began asking when we could leave. After every number, "Is it time to go now?"
Sister-in-law Kathy and I have been trying to figure out what went wrong. Why is a show with such a beautiful set, such talented singers and dancers, so very dull?
Sometimes the fast pace of dancing and singing placed almost too big a burden on the ridiculously gifted leading man, and his sweating and huffing and puffing were distracting. We couldn't buy into his supposedly irresistible charm.
Be we think the main problem is pacing in general. The time spent serving Mrs. Milkmoney, sharpening her little corner of the love quadrilateral, is time wasted. She delivers all of her character-revealing songs while lounging — on a sofa, in her bed. And she has an old-fashioned voice that I'm sure is meant to imply quality and power but that just lacks excitement.
No movement, and the plot doesn't advance.
If she absolutely has to sing so often, why not let her be a self-deluded aspiring thespian? It would make her falling for a con job more credible, and she could at least do a little soft shoe.
Also, the final movement in the story has Linda, the good-hearted waitress and pretty bad portrait painter taking back the rotten rat Joey. Presumably they will live happily ever after. That's just wrong. He has not been redeemed, merely disenfranchised.
A much better ending would have Linda, Teddy and Mrs. Milkmoney gotten together to sing a big happy number about how they see through him now.
No comments:
Post a Comment