By Ruth Ross
For decades, the venerable Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn has been wowing metropolitan New Jersey audiences with their lavish productions of that most American of art forms: the musical comedy. Now, in the first offering of the 2014-2015 season, they don't disappoint. This time out, they present the first revival in over 60 years of the 1953 Cole Porter-Abe Burrows musical spectacular, Can-Can. And to borrow a phrase from the great Porter himself, C'est magnifique!
For this production, Joel Fields and David Lee have revised the script, but so seamlessly that it's difficult to tell just what has been tweaked and what not. Best of all, the show features some of Porter's most memorable classics such as "I Love Paris," the aforementioned "C'est Magnifique" and "It's All Right with Me," along with show-stopping choreography, colorful costumes and a beautiful set that makes it all fresh—and very entertaining.
The plot involves two sets of lovers. The main couple are Pistache, the owner of a Montmartre nightclub called Bal du Paradis, and her former lover (now a Paris judge) Aristide Forestier. It seems that Pistache wants to feature the scandalous Can-Can dance in her club, but defiance of the Parisian morals laws might bring an end to both her business and her love life. The other couple experiencing romantic difficulties are seamstress Claudine and her beau, Bulgarian sculptor Boris. Against his wishes, she wants to join the Can-Can line; he wants her to get a vitriolic critic to review his work—preferably with favor. Of course, after a great deal of finagling and romantic wrangling, both women get their way and all ends well.
Under the fine musical direction of Steve Orich and the sure directorial hand of David Lee, this production shows it has the chops for a planned trip straight to Broadway after it closes on October 26. The action is so nonstop that it's hard to find a second to take a breath.
And it sure helps that Lee has assembled a wonderful cast to perform on the Paper Mill's capacious stage. Kate Baldwin (Dolly in Paper Mill's Hello, Dolly!) is a beautiful Pistache, the young nobody from the country who has transformed herself into a sultry, crafty businesswoman and entertainer. With her magnificent voice and great stage presence, Baldwin really puts across the three Cole Porter songs that made the Top 40 charts in 1953: the paean to love, "C'est Magnifique," the bittersweet "Allez-vous-en" and the haunting "I Love Paris." Her mane of red hair and full-throated voice makes her easy on the eyes and the ears. As Aristide, Broadway veteran Jason Danieley (above, left, with Baldwin) is equally as fine; he has to overcome the character's initial impression as a bit of a prig, but in fine voice and comportment he demonstrates the power of love and thus gains our sympathy.
Megan Sikora is a winning and winsome Claudine; Greg Hildreth is a hoot as the boorish Boris who, with his artistic sidekicks (played by Mark Price and, Justin Robertson; left, with Danieley), brings down the house with the musical admonition to "Never, Never Be an Artist."
Rounding out the principal roles are Michael Berresse as the oily critic Hilaire Jussac and Michael Kostroff as Jean-Louis, the Bal du Paradis's master of ceremonies. Although the roles as written are somewhat cartoonish, both actors perform with polish and wit. Kudos are due the sprightly Can-Can girls and the superbly acrobatic dancing waiters who get to perform Patti Colombo's intricate, wild choreography with high spirits and great energy. And fight director Tim Weske is to be commended for the agile duel between Aristide and Hilaire (below).
Rob Bissinger's scenic design stylishly transports us from nightclub to Montmartre rue to the rooftops overlooking Paris in the wink of an eye; a nice touch are the slides on the scrim reminiscent of the placards used in the 1890s. Ann Hould-Ward's eye-popping costumes are lush and playful at the same time. She has a great way with fabric and trim! Michael Gilliam's lighting design and Randy Hansen's sound enhance the slightly disreputable atmosphere of Montmartre, then Paris's red-light district!
Perhaps because it has not been revived multiple times, this production Can-Can never feels outdated. Its sheer exuberance and fine musicality bring this old chestnut—a stellar example of the American musical comedy—to vivid life once again. C'est magnifique!
Note: As a dance, the Can-Can was considered immoral because the girls showed their underwear when they lifted their skirts and kicked. The Can-Can Suprème took it to a new low when the girls danced without...well, you figure it out! This production can be rated PG, but just the thought of it is enough to call forth the gendarmes!
Can-Can will be performed at the Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, through October 26. For information, performance times and tickets, call the box office at 973-376.4343 or visiting www.PaperMill.org online.
Photos by Matthew Murphy and Jerry Dalia.
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