Then, there are some missteps. The biggest and most obvious for me was the staging of the mirror number. YouTube has probably ruined this for me unless someone can outshine Michael Bennett's original staging. This version fell somewhat flat, being more about the performances of the stars than about the irony and follies of aging. And it didn't have that same surreal quality of youth paired with age as the original production.
The Loveland sequence was nearly sublime. As the quartet was arguing with their younger selves, a curtain fell casting eerie shadows. When it fell suddenly, a brightly colored pink and red floral proscenium emerged and served as a backdrop for the sequence. This glittered with fabulous "period" costumes and the staging of the next numbers was near perfect.
Technically, there were still some kinks. The biggest occurred during Elaine Paige's performance of I'm Still Here. Her mic and follow-spot went out sometime around, "Sorry, I thought you were Whoosis. Whatever happened to her?" It came back right as she was belting her final "I'm still here!" This, of course, led to thunderous applause from the audience and Ms Paige broke character by shaking a fist at the rafters as she walked off.
Highlights from some of the former had to inclde the performances of Mary Beth Peil (as Solange), Jayne Hoodyshell (as Hattie) and Terri White as Stella Deems. However, a soft spot for me rested with Rosalind Elias as Heidi Schiller. Her performance of One More Kiss was glorious; yes, her voice had all of the distinct flaws that it should at 82 years old. But her performance was breathtaking and she blended perfectly with the wonderful Leah Horowitz.
The young versions of the quartet were charming and performed well.
Jan Maxwell as Phyllis really shone. The only quibble I had was with her version of Could I Leave You. She erupted in anger, which really doesn't suit the "cold as a slab" Phyllis Stone. On the other hand, it does give one the sense that she still feels for Ben and makes reconciliation seem more plausible. The dancing boys flubbed her ending of The Story of Lucy and Jessie, which is too bad because it was clearly a highlight.
As her self-loathing husband, Ben, Ron Raines was also quite good. You could see in his performance how Ben could erupt in a breakdown that left him cold, pitiful and alone.
Danny Burstein was sublime. As Buddy, he really brought forth his pain and struggles as he slowly faced up to his predicament of being hopelessly in love with Sally.
Don't flame me, but Bernadette Peters was the weakest link in the four principals. She acted the hell out of the role of Sally. But there is no way anyone was going to believe that she was the depressed, self-described shut-in who has been letting herself and her life go for the past 30 years. Her voice was also off last night, which didn't help any; her register breaks were more apparent than I had ever heard them and she made a bad choice in Losing My Mind to end on the high note--her voice cracked, and I don't think this was a character choice (like the emotional breakdown in the middle of the song, which felt real).
This production far out shined the revival from about 10 years ago with Judith Ivey and Blythe Danner. But the best production I saw has to be the Melrose Theater 1984 production, directed by Gene Nelson (the original Buddy); that small-scale version hit all the right notes. This current one at the Marquis Theater misses a few marks, but overall still has an impact.
