The Unsinkable Molly Brown
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Cititour.com Review
Most people today know Molly Brown (if at all) from her appearance in the 1997 film blockbuster “Titanic” (where she was portrayed by Kathy Bates) than from Meredith Willson’s musical “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” which debuted on Broadway in 1960 (with Tammy Grimes winning a Tony Award for the title role) or its 1964 film adaptation (with a plucky Debbie Reynolds as Molly).
But here’s the thing. The talented librettist Dick Scanlan has decided that none of us really know the “real” Molly and has tried to remedy that fact – up to a point – with his long-aborning “revised” take on the show. Now being presented by the Transport Group at the Abrons Arts Center, the show offers a truly dynamite central performance by the fiery Beth Malone, some first-rate choreography by director Kathleen Marshall (although one number, “Belly Up to the Bar,” is way too reminiscent of Michael Kidd’s work in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”) and a tuneful-enough score to create a diverting entertainment.
Still, I think too much energy has been expended on the production given the pleasant if less-than-revelatory end result. To accomplish his goal, Scanlan has jettisoned almost all of Richard Morris’ original book and only kept a handful of Willson’s original songs intact, including the anthemic “I Ain’t Down Yet.” (Other songs retain Willson’s music but feature some revised lyrics by Scanlan, while still others use Willson melodies with completely new lyrics.)
As in the original show, Molly – born poor and illiterate -- initially really wants little more than her place in Denver society (and, this time, eventually gets it through slightly sneaky means) after she becomes filthy rich through her marriage to clever miner J.J. Brown (the booming-voiced if slightly stiff David Aron Damane). But social-climbing stops being her end goal long before the show concludes, which this time around involves a reunion between the long-separated couple (as a result of his brief dalliance with a local dance-hall girl) after she survives the Titanic shipwreck. Their romance is sweet, but Leo and Kate, this ain’t.
More importantly, the Molly we now meet is, like her real-life counterpart, a suffragette, a political activist and, eventually, an advocate for the survivors of the Titanic, among other things. Indeed. Molly is so headstrong that it’s almost surprising J.J. doesn’t walk out. She is definitely a Molly for the “Me Too” Generation, which is all well and good, but she’s also a bit of a Molly for the Me Generation, which can be a bit off-putting.
Moreover, while it makes perfect sense that Molly is the center of the show, she’s practically the only multi-dimensional character onstage, which proves slightly problematic. Her best friend, Julia (the lovely Whitney Bashor, struggling to keep her English accent), is mostly priggish; socialite Louise Sneed Hill (a very amusing Paula Legett Chase) is mostly snobbish; and mayoral wife Baby Doe Tabor (a very good Nikka Graff Lanzarone) is mostly pushy. And J.J’s friends, Vincenzo (the gorgeous-voiced Omar Lopez-Cemero), Erich (a cartoonish Alex Gibson) and Arthur (an underused Paolo Montalban) are barely allowed to make any kind of impression.
“Share the luck,” Molly sings on more than occasion. Perhaps “share the wealth” – which Molly does literally – might have been a little more appropriate advice in terms of making us care about more than our unsinkable heroine.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://transportgroup.org/project/the-unsinkable-molly-brown/
Cast
Beth Malone, David Aron Damane, Whitney Bashor, Alex Gibson, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Paolo Montalban, Karl Josef Co, Paula Leggett Chase, Tyrone Davis, Jr, Gregg Goodbrod, Michael Halling, Keven Quillon, Kaitlyn Davidson, Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Shina Ann Morris, and CoCo Smith
Open/Close Dates
Opening 2/26/2020
Closing 4/5/2020
Theatre Info
Abrons Arts Center
466 Grand Street (at Pitt Street)
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
New York, NY 10002
Map
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