Don't Miss This Train

Every once in a while, I go to a Broadway show and everything works for me.  It happened just a few months ago with the original and super-clever "Honeymoon in Vegas."   It was the same just last week when I saw the recently-opened revival of "On The 20th Century."  It hit me just right.  From the raucous cheers of the audience, we all got hit with the same serendipitous lightning.

I feel like such a Broadway maven.  The show had only opened the previous Sunday and the reviews, even from the always cynical New York Times, were raves.  I had an evening where I had to be in the city for an early client party.  That location was conveniently two blocks away from where "20th Century" was playing at the American Airlines Theater, which, by the way, gave me no leg up because of my flying Platinum status.  Nevertheless, I scored myself a single orchestra ticket and on the aisle, to boot.  I paid full price.

And it was worth every single penny.  Because this revival of the 1978 musical comedy by the legendary and now late Betty Comden and Adolph Green is pure gold.

Moreover, this production stars Kristen Chenoweth and, if she wasn't already a full-fledged star, this show would make her one.  I've seen her both in concert and in a show, "Promises, Promises," where she was sorrowfully miscast.  There are times where her talents don't fit the venue or material and vice versa.  With "20th Century," it all melds together for Kristen like one of those long, white gloves she wears for the finale.

Now here's the thing with this show.  I know I saw the original some years ago but I remember little about it.   I remember that the magnificent and sorely-missed Madeline Kahn was the first to play the starring role back then, but she left that production early on due to some vocal cord damage.  I know I did not see Madeline.  But I can recall nary a moment from that night.  Unmemorable and apparently, at the time, unremarkable.

Not so with this production.  It shines so brightly and is one of those Broadway blockbusters that becomes a hot ticket for a while.  Indeed, as I surveyed the audience around me, it was more of the old-style Broadway crowd.   The older folks in town who live in a posh but rent-controlled apartment on the Upper East Side.   They see everything as soon as it opens, making sure to get there before the dreaded tourist crowd of Mort and Marge from Bumfuk, Iowa walk into the theater with their Reeboks and a bag of Cheetos.  

Yep, this was a Broadway crowd.  And they got a superlative Broadway show.

"On The 20th Century" is part farce, part operetta, and part screwball comedy.  The latter fits because it was based originally on the hilarious 1934 film starring John Barrymore and Carole Lombard.   The plot on Broadway is as simple as it was on the big screen.  Downtrodden but egotistical Broadway producer Oscar Jaffee is traveling by train from Chicago to New York and hoping to entice his former discovery and now Hollywood diva Lily Garland to star in his new play.  She's riding the rails with her lunkhead/actor/boyfriend Bruce Granit and, as a result, wants nothing to do with Oscar.   That's it.  

But there are so many glorious twists and turns to the tale that it's hardly as basic as it seems.   There's an Evangelist on board who is escaped from the mental institution.  Every train employee seems to have written a play that they want to pitch to Oscar.  And, in case there is a lag of ten seconds or so, there are four high-stepping and tap-dancing Red Caps who earn cheers every time they show up on stage.

There's clearly money behind this superlative production and it definitely shows up on the stage.  From the 30s Art Deco motif and costumes to movable sets and a locomotive which, at one point, seems destined to plow right into the first four rows.  All of this was most certainly designed to be nothing more than sheer entertainment and it delivers.

Peter Gallagher has just the right pomp and bravado to be Oscar Jaffee.  Meanwhile, the supporting cast is equally as spot-on.  Mark-Linn Baker, who everybody remembers as the "kid" in "My Favorite Year," plays Oscar's older press agent and that bit of casting is sure to age everybody in the audience just a bit.  Mary Louise Wilson has some wonderful moments as the Bible-toting nut job.  And Andy Karl, who recently played Rocky Balboa on Broadway, steals a scene or two as Bruce Granit.   In one segment, he continually gets in the face with a swinging door and it makes me wonder if this role is indeed more painful for him than the one where he was repeatedly punched in the head.   Count on Tony nominations for Gallagher, Wilson, and Karl.

But, at the end of the evening and the "arrival" of the train in Grand Central Station, this show belongs to Kristen Chenoweth.  She arrives at the right role at the right time and in the right place for her career.  Her performance easily moves from ultra-slapstick to operatic-like solo to wry dialogue comedy.  There are moments where, unintentionally, she channels up the best moments of Madeline Kahn, which is fitting since Kristen has even named her dog after her idol.  But, while you're thinking about Madeline, you also realize that this is truly now a Kristen Chenoweth role.  You want proof?

There are, of course, always dissenters.  As I took the customary urinal break at intermission, two old Broadway mavens were deliberating on-line ahead of me.

"Don't you think Kristen is terrific?"

"Yes, but I saw the original.  Trust me, she's no Madeline Kahn."

Uh-huh.   And I'm thinking that, ten years from now, the same conversation will be comparing some new Broadway discovery in the same way.

"Er, she's good, but she's no Kristen Chenoweth."

So, Chenoweth and company will likely clean up on Tony Award night.  Meanwhile, this is a limited engagement and set to end in early July.  If there's money to be made, they'll certainly extend.

But don't wait that long.  Get your full-priced tickets now.  

"On The 20th Century" is the ride you've been waiting for.   All aboard.

Dinner last night:  Sandwich and salad.