Despite Changes To Original, American Classic Pal Joey Still Impressive

Pal Joey

adapted by Richard Greenberg

at the Huntington Theatre

Through October 17

Pal Joey, John O'Hara's tale of a night club heel, is a classic of the musical theater. The show boasts a beautiful score by Rodgers and Hart, whose numbers read like a who's who of musical theater (Bewitched, I Could Write A Book, Den of Iniquity)

The involving and witty script shocked its 1940 audience (and critics) with its willingness to depict characters and lifestyles which had until then remained taboo.

The eyes of theater fans all over Boston are trained on this particular staging of Pal Joey at the Huntington Theater Company because of its redeveloped book and score. Adapted by director David Warren and Richard Greenbarg, the revised book and several added songs are intended to bring Pal Joey, as the program notes explain, to its "best form," creating a "period musical with modern sensibility."

The Huntington has pulled out all the stops on this production. The lavish scenery and expensive costumes would give any Broadway production a run for its money, and the cast features some top-notch Broadway performers.

Yet despite all its changes, the Huntington's Pal Joeylacks excitement and vitality.

Although Greenberg's plot revisions are reasonable and interesting, the production fails to do equal service to the show's score. Greenberg manages to eliminate some of the weaker storyline and character elements: Ludlow Lowell, the comic gangster who blackmailed Joey in the original, disappears altogether in this production.

The addition of two lesser known Rodgers and Hart ballads do little to develop the characters; rather, they hurt the peace of the show. This Pal Joey runs a somewhat slow two hours and 40 minutes.

The production fails to bring its purported "modern sensibility" to the structure of Pal Joey's musical numbers. Too many of the songs are delivered as nightclub numbers of the show within the show rather that as a natural part of the plot progression. In fact, this production exacerbates this imbalance by adding to the number of songs delivered in this manner.

Two of the musical revisions are successful. The restoration of a beautiful short lyric ("Talkin' To My Pal"), which was cut from Pal Joey before its Broadway opening, is strongly illustrative of Joey's character. The addition of Rodgers and Hart's "A Lovely Day For A Murder" adds depth to Linda English. The sweet and innocent Linda is given an opportunity to be enraged and vengeful, and melodramatically funny: It's a fun, upbeat number that works well.

But Pal Joey is already full of vigorous, upbeat tunes. Why this play needs the added song, except perhaps to offset the weight of the two new ballads, I do not know.

The production certainly has its share of good performances. The character of the sad-sack nightclub manager, developed to take the place of Ludlow in Joey's undoing, is effectively played by John Shepard.

Donna Murphy portrays the middle aged woman who has become "bewitched, bothered, and bewildered" by Joey's youthful impetuousness. As Vera, Murphy's lush and velvety voice brings an added beauty to the already unsurpassingly lovely songs.

Judy Blazer's honest and sincere portrayal of Linda English is also wonderful.

Robert Knepper successfully captures the seedy, distrusful and selfish chum that is Joey. Unfortunately, his vocal delivery of Joey's songs was at times disappointing.

John Arnone's sets and Toni Leslie James' costumes are visually striking and Thommie Walsh provides the production with several well choreographed numbers.

Despite this productions' small flaws, anyone who has never seen Pal Joey should run, not walk, to see it. Even if you have seen it, see it if you have any interest in the development of musical theater.