Here We Are

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HERE WE ARE

Photo: Emilio Madrid

Cititour.com Review
Here we are indeed, at the day many of us dreaded: Watching the last musical for which the late, great Stephen Sondheim composed an original score. Or in the case of “Here We Are,” now having its world premiere at The Shed, watching an inventive, ambitious, brilliantly acted musical without a full score by the master – and with almost every note confined to the mostly jaunty act.

But sing no sad requiem, because what’s here is choice – echoing both melodically and thematically many of Sondheim’s past scores, including “Company,” “Passion” and “Into the Woods,” and reminding us (as if we needed it) of his gift for creating ultra-clever rhymes and allowing his characters to express overwhelming feelings through song. That said, these are not tunes you are likely to hear in any upcoming cabaret act; they flow organically from David Ives’ script, sounding more like dialogue set to music than a stand-alone showstopper.

Further, Sondheim score isn’t really the show’s focal point; that “honor” belongs to Ives’ script, which takes elements from two of Spanish writer-director Luis Bunuel’s most famous films, the Oscar-winning “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” and “The Exterminating Angel,” and crafts them into single story. I suspect the pairing might not feel like the wisest idea if you are a true Bunuel aficionado; otherwise, it seems seamless.

Still, no one can deny that a magnificent cast of 11 award-winning (and award-worthy actors) performing under Joe Mantello’s precise direction do everything possible to bring what becomes a sometimes contrived and simplistic – if ultimately rather moving -- scenario to vivid life.

Indeed, the story is initially slight. Rich and happy couple Leo Brink (a blustering Bobby Cannavale) and his seemingly simple-minded wife Marianne (a luminous Rachel Bay Jones) are surprised when their close friends Paul Zimmer, a rather vacuous plastic surgeon (a nicely understated Jeremy Shamos) and his wife, the high-strung entertainment executive Claudia (a properly brittle Amber Gray) show up for a brunch – one that only Paul seems to have on his calendar.

Also on hand are Marianne’s feisty sister Fritz (the incredible Micaela Diamond), a lesbian (well, maybe not) who is helping to plan a revolution that will destroy the world. Finally, there’s Raffael (a suitably suave but vocally underused Steven Pasquale), the ambassador of the fictional country of Morranda -- and who is pursuing both Marianne and Claudia sexually while also involved in some unsavory business dealings with Leo and Paul.

Soon, the group is on the road driving from trendy restaurant to trendy restaurant – smartly delineated by scenic designer David Zinn (also responsible for the show’s spot-on costumes) and lighting designer Natasha Katz. But they never find sustenance, just attitude and ineptitude from a variety of waiters (all excellently embodied by Denis O’Hare) and female employees (all played with great panache by Tracie Bennett).

Eventually, they encounter a brusque homeland security officer (a fine Francois Battiste) and his loyal soldier (a fantastic Jin Ha) – who instantly falls in love with Fritz – before they all end up at Rafael’s embassy. Soon, a confused, shoe-loving priest (a droll, dry-as-gin David Hyde Pierce) joins them, and a fabulous feast orchestrated by Rafael’s manservant Windsor (O’Hare, remarkable) is prepared.

Once satisfied, though, serious complications ensue, and the extreme shift in tone that follows the meal – a last supper of sorts -- may unsettle audiences, in both good and bad ways. However, as the act threatens to outstay its welcome, one begins to wish that Ives had both sharpened the criticism of the capitalist class and made his characters a bit more three-dimensional, something one becomes acutely more aware of with the void left by the lack of a score.

That said, for whatever reason Sondheim ended up leaving music out of the show’s much darker second act, it ultimately makes sense. These people no longer have the voice to sing – they use their mouths instead to scream, to lament, to confess, to harangue, and even to question their existence. Why are they here?

You want to find out? Then be there! “Here We Are” is worth the investment.
By Brian Scott Lipton


Visit the Site
https://www.theshed.org/

Cast
Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Bobby Cannavale, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, Rachel Bay Jones, Denis O’Hare, Steven Pasquale, David Hyde Pierce, and Jeremy Shamos

Open/Close Dates
Opening 10/23/2023
Closing 1/21/2024


Theatre Info
The Shed
545 W 30th St
Neighborhood: West 30s
New York, NY 10001
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