One of the more enjoyable works of the off-off-Broadway season is the Peccadillo Theater Company's presentation of the musical The Talk of the Town . With book, music and lyrics by Ginny Redington and Tom Dawes, the show looks at the lives of Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Alexander Woollcott, Edna Ferber, George S. Kaufman, and other denizens of the 1920's New York literary world. Most of this group were critics, some were playwrights, one was an illustrator, one (Harold Ross - played by Nicholas Belton) was the creator of the New Yorker Magazine.
These figures, along with their cohorts, would meet for lunch at the Algonquin Hotel and, along with talking about the various issues of the day, would dispense rapier wit and caustic comments, ("is there anything rarer than a first edition of an Alexander Woollcott novel?" "Yes, a second edition of an Alexander Woollcott novel"). Their pointed barbs hardly mask the great affection they felt for each other and for their chosen professions. So popular where these gatherings, that they became known as the Algonquin Round Table, and included a cast of characters almost anyone would love to spend a few hours with.
The show nicely recreates the feeling of the roaring 1920s (albeit a romanticized one), an era of good times and parties, where these writers set out to leave their imprint on the world. The music is quite enjoyable, with the characters more than once getting up from the lunch table and breaking into song. Yet the tunes never feel forced or out of place.
However, like any good party, the fun can't last forever (the play spans about 10 years) and the some of the very things that made the Round Table and its inhabitants so popular, ultimately drive them apart as the various members feel the need to follow different paths to success and fulfillment.
Talk of the Town is a feel-good musical and as such, a lot of the darker sides of these people are only briefly touched upon (Parker tried to commit suicide numerous times, Benchley was an alcoholic and Woollcott, the play states, had problems sexually), but there's enough angst to give the story a bit of an edge both through dialogue and several of the songs ("Robert, It Should Have Been You," I'm All Out of Words"). Just as important, the characters are presented fully formed and three-dimensional, allowing the audience to feel their joys and pains, such as the frustration of writer's block, feeling unappreciated by your writing partner, the pain of unrequited love, trying to drown your sorrows in alcohol or having a marriage proposal turned down.
The entire cast is excellent, with high marks going to Caroline McMahon as Parker, Chris Weikel as Benchley, Rob Seitelman as Woollcott and Jeffrey Biering as Kaufman. The show is also helped by very good costume work by Amy C. Bradshaw and fine direction by Dan Wackerman.
If there's a quibble, it's that the show only begins to scratch the surface of these remarkable individuals and you leave the theatre wanting to know more about the characters you've just seen. "Talk of the Town" makes for a very enjoyable evening and one hopes the show will have a life elsewhere after this initial run.
The rest of the cast features Donna Coney Island, Kellie Drinkhahn, Aaron Kaburick and Matthew Tweardy Music director is Jeffrey Biering, with choreography by Mercedes Ellington and assistant choreography by Tracey Bonner.
THE TALK OF THE TOWN
Bank Street Theatre
155 Bank Street
Tickets: $19.00
Reservations: 212-868-4444 or www.smarttix.com
www.smarttix.com
Running Time: Two Hours
Judd Hollander is the New York Correspondent for the London publication THE STAGE and the listings editor for the off-off-broadway review. He is also a member of the Drama Desk and the Drama League.
Feeds