“Allegro,” the misunderstood 1947 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein concept musical currently being revamped at Signature Theatre by director Eric Schaeffer, is one of those “the one that got away” shows, a piece of unfinished business that haunted Mr. Hammerstein until his death in 1960.
While still problematic, “Allegro” gets a fascinating second chance at Signature with a rewritten book by Joe DiPietro, a satisfying reshuffling of songs and achingly beautiful orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, who did such wonders last season with “110 in the Shade.”
An ambitious and expensive musical, “Allegro” could be described as an existential version of “Our Town” — only with show tunes and expressionistic choreography by Agnes de Mille. Originally a critical and box-office dud, it quickly passed into cult status. Lauded by Stephen Sondheim (who, at 17, was a gofer on the show) as the first good experimental musical, it paved the way for such theatrical trailblazers as Michael Bennett, Bob Fosse, Tommy Tune and Susan Stroman.
After Mr. Hammerstein died, leaving only several revision notes for “Allegro,” the torch was passed to his youngest son, Jamie Hammerstein, who met with Mr. DiPietro (author of the zippy musical, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”) on rewrites before suddenly dying of a heart attack in 1999.
Jamie Hammerstein’s wife, Dena, was determined to go forward with the new “Allegro” and allied herself with Signature, which also tussled with the notoriously difficult Richard Rodgers Estate to re-stage the musical.
The result is more a gorgeous curiosity than a wholly satisfying theatrical experience. If anyone can make “Allegro” work, it is Mr. Schaeffer, who simplifies and purifies the show. The first scene reminds you of the opening of “Sunday in the Park With George,” with the frozen, frieze-like stances of the cast, the painterly light and the richly detailed costumes by Gregg Barnes that employ an ivory and mauve palette evoking the turn of the 20th century.
“Allegro” is an Everyman fable about Joseph Taylor Jr. (Will Gartshore), the adored son of a small-town, Midwestern doctor (Harry A. Winter) and his devoted wife, Marjorie (April Harr Blandin). “The world belongs to Joe,” the chorus trills in the opening numbers, and it seems like his life’s path will unfold before him like a splendid carpet. But life has a way of tripping you up, and Joe gets further and further away from his core values and true purpose as he passes into adulthood.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Joe becomes a doctor. However, an internship in the big, bad city of New York tests his mettle, as Joe and his childhood sweetheart, now wife, Jenny (Laurie Saylor) — who is both lovely and manipulative — start worshipping the almighty dollar and Manhattan’s myriad temptations.
The various musical vignettes take you from his prosaic childhood — brought to life through Michael Clark’s evocative projections — through college life and the overworked days of a young doctor in a major hospital. Through it all, Joe is torn between re-inventing himself in New York and his responsibilities to his parents and hometown.
Experimental as “Allegro” might have been during its time, it is not subtle. The evil city versus the good, heartland America theme is a cliche, the only wrinkle being that Jenny is a small-town girl with a heart of tin. Act One is pretty enough, but insipid. The show takes off only in Act Two, beginning with the nervous, jangly rhythms of the opening song, “Allegro,” a jumpy tribute to the pace of the big city. The staging of this number is electrifying, with the sharply costumed cast moving with neurotic grace and singing the lyrics with cynical bite.
The energy of the second act continues with “The Gentleman Is a Dope,” a response to the song “The Lady Is a Tramp,” delivered by Tracy Lynn Olivera — playing Joe’s spurned but still loyal college girlfriend — with snap and style shaded with just enough vulnerability to make it a showstopper.
Miss Olivera is a standout, as are Miss Saylor as the deceptively simple Jenny and Donna Migliaccio in a variety of roles ranging from a pill-popping society doyenne suffering from “ennui” to a compassionate small-town matron. Will Gartshore as Joe possesses a killer voice, but he is curiously distant. He just seems to drift through life, nothing really sticking to him or changing him. And, for a guy torn between two women, there is scant evidence of convincing passion.
Despite an inexplicably lackluster first act, “Allegro” is gorgeously staged and sung, and musical theater aficionados will want to rediscover this neglected work, which Signature has given vibrant, and quixotic new life.
*** 1/2
WHAT: “Allegro” by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein
WHERE: Signature Theatre, 3806 S. Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Feb. 22.
TICKETS: $28 to $42
PHONE: 703/218-6500
MAXIMUM RATING: FOUR STARS
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