Aired on PBS Great Performances 24 Nov 2017
Roundabout Theatre Company's live stage production or Irving Berlin's musical about a singer who leaves show business and converts an old Connecticut farmhouse into a performance venue.
Director: David Horn
Writers: Gordon Greenberg (book), Chad Hodge (book)
Stars: Corbin Bleu, Bryce Pinkham, Lora Lee Gayer, Megan Sikora.
Denis Jones ... choreographer
Watched with PBS Passport, available until
No songs in the Soundtracks, plenty onstage.
Remake of Holiday Inn (1942), 8-, a tough act to follow.
Yes, CB (b. '89) was one of the 6 principals of HSM 1-3 ('06-'08), my ratings 6, 6-. He looks middle-aged here, and is playing the F.Astaire part, a very hard act to follow. He even did a tap dance with fireworks.
The '42 film is romantic and intimate. This stage production is broad and brassy (not a class of musical instrument) almost to the point of being shrill. But I was watching on Chromebook, with volume turned up for dialog, and that made the musical numbers too bright/sharp/loud.
Didn't love the voice of the B.Crosby character, very B'way tenor. Didn't love the microphoned vocals in general. The female lead in '42 wasn't strong, so no comparison needed here.
The story seems about the same; it really didn't engage me too well.
Rated 7.2 (117)
BroadwayHD, dir. Horn; 6-
Update 15.Dec2020: I have the exact same reaction as 21 months ago. Given how well they're mic'd, why can't they play it more intimately? The chorus sounded awful singing Easter Parade, and it was presented brassily, which felt wrong. Lot's more songs than the '42 film. If they took out the story, this would work better as a revue of Berlin tunes.
