Date: Fri 28-May-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: SARAH

Quick Words:

Goodspeed-Neuberger-Oscar

Full Text:

THEATRE REVIEW: As Is Tradition, "20th Century" Is Another Winner For

Goodspeed

(with cut)

By Julie Stern

EAST HADDAM -- Goodspeed Opera House is a quaint, beautiful old piece of

Victorian gingerbread overlooking the Connecticut River. Ferryboats were

plying on their way over to Gillette Castle, the smell of barbecue was wafting

on the breeze, and faithful season ticket holders were found filing happily in

for another round of Musicals at Goodspeed one recent evening. Goodspeed

musicals are sometimes sheer fluff, but they can always be counted on to be

delightfully rendered.

In this case the show is On The Twentieth Century , and Adolph Green's witty

musical rewrite of the old Ben Hecht-Charles MacArthur play from 1932. The

story was built around the splendor of the luxury train "The Twentieth

Century" and its 17-hour run between New York and Chicago. Boasting Cy

Coleman's award-winning score, the musical version won a whole bunch of Tonys

when it opened on Broadway in 1978.

The plot revolves around the frantic efforts of a maniacal producer-director,

Oscar Jaffee, who is attempting to salvage his career and put an end to his

string of theatrical failures by convincing Hollywood movie star Lily Garland

to sign on to do one more show with him -- a musical about Mary Magdalene.

Unfortunately, these two have so much water under their collective bridge that

Lily is not about to have anything to do with Oscar. To that end, she has

surrounded herself with a pet Hollywood hunk, Bruce Granit.

However, Oscar has a pair of faithful underlings, Owen O'Malley and Oliver

Webb, who in turn make contact with a crazed religious fanatic, Letitia

Primrose, who happens to hold the purse strings to a patent medicine

fortune... and the plot is set in motion, with everything having to happen in

the 17 hours before the train reaches Grand Central Station.

Will Lily sign the contract? Will Oscar's neck be saved one more time? Will

the little men in the white coats come to take Letitia away?

Yes it's silly, but it's fun. And it is particularly conducive to the small

stage at Goodspeed, with its impeccable production standards, great acoustics,

and talented performers. All the cramped luxury of a drawing room suite on a

train is lovingly conveyed, along with the Art Deco motifs of the stations on

the way.

Donna English is glorious in the role of the glamorous Lily, and Newtown

resident Jan Neuberger is highly comical in the second female lead role of

Letitia.

There is lots more comedy here, especially from Michael McCormick and Peter

Van Wagner as Jaffee's reluctant stooges, and as Jaffee himself, Mark Jacoby

is raffishly charming even as you know what a liar and opportunist he is.

There are lots of clever sight gags, and real smoke comes out of the

locomotive when the show begins. It's all done with high spirits and perfect

timing, and all in all is a lovely way to while away a late spring afternoon

or evening.

(On The Twentieth Century will continue at Goodspeed Opera House until July 3.

For curtain information or ticket details, refer to the theatre section in the

"Enjoy" calendar or contact the theatre's box office at 860/873-8668.)