|
NEW YORK - Broadway
theater, already arguably the most
prestigious in
the world, has taken another leap forward
with two ground-breaking
musicals: the historical panorama
"Ragtime" and the fantastical "The
Lion King."
The Tony Awards race just got hot.
While there will be other entries in the
best musical category, it's
evident that these two shows, which
illuminate all the glorious
possibilities of live theater, are going
to be the ones to beat.
The beautifully conceived "Ragtime," with
a powerful story line that
kaleidoscopically spans the early decades
of the 20th century and
engaging music that ranges from syncopated
to deeply melodic, has more
substance, while the dramatically
imaginative "The Lion King" is
perhaps the most visually amazing
production ever seen on stage.
Both shows are emotionally affecting -
"Ragtime" expectedly so, "The
Lion King" surprisingly so.
Graced with a truly melodic title song,
the epic "Ragtime" is a story
of a country's growing pains. In a
changing social climate, well-to-do
WASPS, gorgeously depicted in pastels and
parasols, beleaguered blacks
and desperate immigrants begin to cross
each other's paths. In a
telling, stylized segment, the three
groups warily circle one another
in tight little segregated clumps. The
moment is symbolic of a nation
that's changing too fast for some, while
moving tragically slowly for
others.
"The Lion King," inspired by the popular
1994 Disney cartoon feature of
the same name, is an allegory that centers
on the adventures and
misadventures of a careless young lion cub
who finally matures into the
far-thinking, inspiring leader his
followers need. The bright musical
with its amazing masks and puppets,
rhythmic African-inspired music and
chants, and choreography that mixes
African and modern dance and
hip-hop, is a story of personal growth.
Emotionally satisfying, and a
visual feast, "The Lion King," too, is an
improvement over the original
concept, thanks to director/costumer Julie
Taymor's singular
imagination. RAGTIME
The most powerful tale in this intertwined
trio of stories is that of
the tangled relationship between a young
black couple, Coalhouse, a
ragtime piano player, and Sarah. Brian
Stokes Mitchell, an actor
blessed with a rich, warm baritone and
charismatic presence, is
memorable as a man doomed by his
(justifiable) pride and anger. And
Audra Ann MacDonald is heartbreaking as
Sarah, who, after being
abandoned, then wooed back by Coalhouse,
later dies trying to intercede
on his behalf.
Their story is as fascinating as it is
tragic, punctuated with songs
ranging from the lively "Getting Ready
Rag," as Coalhouse prepares to
go after Sarah, to the soaring, hopeful
"The Wheels of a Dream," an
anthem to the future in a country that, as
Coalhouse sings, "lets a man
like me own a car ... raise a child."
But alas, it is not to be. A gang of
firehouse toughs, bigoted Irish
immigrants envious of Coalhouse's
beautiful new Model-T Ford and his
perceived uppitiness, desecrate and
destroy the vehicle, and Coalhouse
declares he can't marry Sarah until the
injustice is righted.
And when Sarah tries to plead for
Coalhouse's cause before a visiting
president, she is killed by agents fearing
an attempted assassination.
The bitterly enraged Coalhouse forms a
gang of equally angry young
blacks (whose high-collared suits, jaunty
derbies and long dusters are
just one of the period musical's costuming
coups) and they threaten to
blow up a public library.
Father (who is well-acquainted with
Coalhouse) tries to avert bloodshed
and promises Coalhouse safety if he will
throw down his arms and
surrender to "honorable men."
But we in the audience know death waits,
and we're so caught up in the
story it's all we can do not to shout out
a warning.
Then there's the WASP saga, set in
upper-class, all-white, New
Rochelle. Father (Mark Jacoby), a
successful fireworks manufacturer,
goes off to explore with Admiral Peary,
and, in his absence, the
cossetted, protected Mother (warmly
interpreted by Marin Mazzie) comes
into her own. Suddenly she's handling
money and making decisions,
including one to take the abandoned,
desperate Sarah and her baby into
the home she shares with her young son and
her restless younger
brother. Mother even welcomes
Father, a conservative to his core,
returns to find a black woman and
child living in his attic, and a black man
playing piano in his living
room. It's a harbinger of things to come
("New Music").
Then there are the Latvian immigrant,
Tateh and his little daughter,
whose story is that of all the tattered,
hopeful European immigrants,
"coming so far, expecting so much."
Instead of streets of gold, Tateh (an
intense Peter Friedman) and his
daughter find only dirt, desperation,
anti-Semitism and poverty as bad
or worse than what they left behind.
But Tateh has a skill. He cuts out and
sells silhouettes. As time
passes, he creates "a little book of
silhouettes that simulated
movement," then invents a projector, and
by the end of the musical
Tateh has become a moving picture director
who can dress his daughter
in frills and ruffles befitting a little
princess.
Evelyn Nesbit (Lynnette Perry), "the girl
on the swing," who built a
successful vaudeville career from the
notoriety that came from her
husband shooting her lover; the fiery
labor leader Emma Goldman (Judy
Kaye); escape artist Harry Houdini
(another immigrant); cautious,
dignified black leader Booker T.
Washington (Tommy Hollis); automobile
titan Henry Ford; and tycoon J.P. Morgan
all swirl across the
turn-of-the-century panorama.
"Ragtime," which follows the densely
complex E.L. Doctorow novel and
the 1981 movie, works better as a
beautifully presented, richly
rewarding stage show.
The national tour of "Ragtime" is set to
begin in Denver at the Buell
Theatre on Aug. 21. (Ford Center for the
Performing Arts, 42nd St.
between Seventh and Eighth avenues.
1-212-582-1200.)
THE LION KING
Heart-grabbing and jaw-dropping, "The Lion
King" inspires awe from its
opening moment as an African chant rings
through the air and the
theater fills with a parade of fantastic
actor-operated jungle
creatures, including a life-sized elephant
that lumbers down the aisle,
leaping gazelles, stilt-legged giraffes
and a proudly graceful cheetah.
The phenomenal opening spectacle, which
culminates beneath Pride Rock
as the majestic Mufasa (Samuel E. Wright)
and his mate present their
cub, Simba, to the beasts of the jungle
("Circle of Life"), is just a
hint of things to come. The subsequent
marvels include a pride of
female lions that stalks and races through
a hunt. A wildebeest
stampede scrolls like a ribbon as
seemingly thousands of horned, black
animals thunder down a red-hued landscape.
At another point, the air
above the audience fills with swooping,
multicolored birds.
In Taymor's visionary piece, the
actor/dancers even create the
landscape. Especially memorable is the
instance when the dignified lion
king, Mufasa, takes the frolicking Simba
on a hunt through the African
veldt. In this scene, the lions (portrayed
much of the time by human
actors wearing towering, helmetlike masks)
are two small puppets, and
the undulating veldt is created by dancers
wearing tall-grass flats on
their heads.
"The Lion King," with action moved along
by a bright-eyed baboon
(Tsidii Le Loka), centers on young Simba,
played by irresistibly boyish
Scott Irby-Rannia. Simba is restless,
irresistible and impatient. "I
Just Can't Wait to Be King" he sings early
on, not realizing that for
that to happen, his father would have to
die.
Later, when Simba's impulsive behavior
leads him into danger and his
father dies trying to save him, Simba's
plotting, malevolent uncle Scar
(John Vickery) convinces the youngster
that it's his fault.
Devastated, the young lion flees to the
jungle, where he encounters
Timon, a talkative meerkat (Max Casella)
and his smelly, apologetic
buddy, Pumbaa (Tom Alan Robbins), a
flatulent wart hog.
In a lively song and dance ("Hakuna
Matata"), they convince Simba that
an unplanned, irresponsible life with no
worries is best.
Meanwhile Scar takes over the kingdom,
aided by a trio of hyenas, who
are street-talking, greedy creatures
("Chow Down"). Effectively
costumed in dark furry gray, their faces
are set off by wide-gaping
fanged red mouths.
As time passes, hunting is poor, water is
drying up, Scar is crazier
than ever, and to make matters worse, he
has set his lustful sights on
Simba's former childhood playmate, Nala,
who has matured into a
beautiful young lioness (Heather Headley).
Nala fights off Scar's advances, and sets
out to find food for the
starving lions. Far from home, she comes
across Simba, whom she and the
others have long believed dead. Simba
(portrayed by the gorgeous,
golden-skinned Jason Raize) has grown into
a beautiful young lion.
As the two realize their feelings ("Can
You Feel the Love Tonight"),
two lion-costumed dancers in the
background perform a passionate,
beautifully choreographed pas de deux.
But although he's older, Simba is still
racked by guilt and woefully
immature. While Nala wants him to "be the
king he can be," his
preference is to enjoy his carefree life,
rather than return and save
his followers, and they part angrily.
Finally, after some soul-searching, Simba
does rise to his
responsibilities. The young lion returns
home and vanquishes Scar in a
terrible mountaintop battle.
In an ending that will leave you
misty-eyed, the magical musical
concludes as it began, with "The Circle of
Life," as Simba and Nala
stand on Pride Rock and present their
newborn son. (New Amsterdam
Theatre, Broadway and 42nd Street,
1-212-307-4747, groups, or
1-800-223-7565.)
|
