Raising the Curtains

Curtains. Ahmanson Theater. 8/13/06.

Yes, I have already reviewed this show. I attended it for a second time, well after opening night and with my parents. My parents totally loved it, which I expected, and I continue to predict that it will do quite well on Broadway when it gets there, hopefully with much of this talented cast.

I was originally intending to do a close analysis of the differences between the preview and the show after opening, but I think that can be summarized pretty quickly. They streamlined the first act quite a bit, and gave us a decent finale instead of just a reprise of the love song (thank goodness). Overall, the show felt much faster.

Anyway, mostly I just wanted to point to Charles McNulty's LA Times Review, with which I mostly agree. I think his line, however, "Jill Paice, in a performance that hasn't quite gelled," isn't quite adequate. I, too, found Jill Paice, or possibly the role of Niki Harris, the weakest part of an otherwise entertaining show. I've been trying to figure out what about the role or the performance failed for me.

I think that the problem is actually a mix between the role as written and the choice of actress, although I don't question Jill Paice's talent. I blame the pairing of a bland, goody-two-shoes ingenue with someone as understated and fabulous as David Hyde Pierce for Harris/Paice's lack of success. He needs to be paired with someone more vibrant who can balance him more effectively, and Paice might even have been that person with a more sassy haircut and a bit more style and fierceness in the character. The character needs to be so compelling that everyone falls in love with her, and while Paice is lovely, she blends into the background against a cast so full of huge characters. Similarly, Pierce's persona plays on failures of masculinity, fequently demasculinizing him for comic effect. That doesn't work when his partner can't pick up the slack because she's the innocent, feminine one. She needs to be stronger, and not necessarily tough or masculine, but at least independent. It's a slight misstep in an overall super-fun musical, but I think it would be worth some editing.

Other things that I failed to say in my last post include the fact that Debra Monk was fabulous as a tough Broadway producer and that, as my companion at the preview pointed out, the chorusboys should act more gay. It's a rather important plot point that all of the men in the chorus are sleeping with each other, but it doesn't play out except in that one gag. They should be at least flirty with each other throughout the play. Other than that, I think in general there are many fabulous characters in the play and I would like to see more of many of them. Overall, it's a far from perfect show, but a fun one that I expect audiences to love.