Honeymoon in Vegas
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Cititour.com Review
A gaggle of airborne Elvis impersonators are the high point of the new Broadway musical Honeymoon in Vegas. It’s a shame we don’t see them until the two-hour mark of this silly, slight show based on the 1992 movie. The enthusiasm that greets the late arrival of this crew, led by the wonderful David Josefsberg, only emphasizes how perfunctory much of the preceding proceedings are.
The tuner has been adapted by the film’s writer and director, Andrew Bergman, and skilled composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown. At times it’s a splendid opportunity for Brown, best known for weightier shows like Parade and last season’s solid but unsuccessful The Bridges of Madison County, to flaunt his playful side with a smart, snappy score. Opening number “I Love Betsy,” in which commitment-phobe Jack Singer (Rob McClure) enthusiastically declares his love for his girlfriend of five years (Brynn O’Malley), is filled with clever rhymes, and “Airport Song,” when Jack desperately tries to book a last-minute flight, pokes fun at airline bureaucracy.
But Bergman’s book stretches his 90-minute film into a two-and-a-half-hour show without beefing up either the laughs or the character development. As in the film, Jack, haunted by a promise he made his dying mother never to wed, tries to overcome his fear to avoid losing the marriage-hungry Betsy. He promises an immediate trip to Las Vegas for the nuptials, but once there, Betsy catches the eye of high roller Tommy Korman (Tony Danza), who, struck by her resemblance to his late wife, concocts a scheme to steal her away. When Jack ends up in debt to Tommy to the tune of nearly $60,000, Tommy offers to waive the debt if he can spend the weekend with Jack’s fiancee.
McClure, who proved himself a gifted musical-theater leading man a couple of years ago when he played the title role in Chaplin, is in fine comedic form, and O’Malley makes a graceful, vibrant counterpart. But they’re not a terribly compelling couple, so it’s hard to get invested in their relationship or the outcome of their ill-fated trip. Danza pours on the amiable TV-star charm, his performance is too tame for his menacing character.
Tameness is Honeymoon in Vegas’s problem. Gary Griffin’s production is glossy and energetic, especially as Denis Jones’s best dance numbers reach their heights, but neither outrageous nor deep enough to capture the heart or tickle the funny bone. Tommy’s song about his late wife exemplifies this dichotomy. She died of skin cancer, and Brown’s “Out of the Sun” tries to derive both laughs and pathos from her penchant for tanning, but comes up short on both fronts.
Not even more Elvises could have made it all better.
By Diane Snyder
Visit the Site
http://www.honeymoonbroadway.com
Cast
Rob McClure, Brynn O’Malley, Tony Danza, David Josefsberg, Nancy Opel, Matthew Saldivar
Open/Close Dates
Opening 1/15/2015
Closing 4/5/2015
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 11/18/2014
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
877-250-2929
Theatre Info
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
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