By Harry Forbes
MasterVoices, under the assured and ever-curious leadership of Artistic Director Ted Sperling, ventured beyond its customary repertoire of Gershwin, Weill, and Sondheim for this year’s annual Broadway musical presentation.
Instead, the company offered a lovingly reconsidered revival of Marvin Hamlisch’s Sweet Smell of Success, the ambitious 2002 musical that, despite its pedigree, lasted only 109 performances on Broadway. In MasterVoices’ hands, however, the piece revealed fresh vigor—and, more importantly, fresh reason for admiration.
Drawn from the 1957 film by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman (from Lehman’s own novella), the musical follows a ruthless gossip columnist, unmistakably modeled on Walter Winchell, and the hungry young press agent he draws into his orbit.
Hamlisch’s score, among the most musically substantial of his theatrical career, surged with new clarity under Sperling’s baton. Conducting and directing the semi-staged production, he led his 17-piece orchestra through William David Brohn’s original orchestrations with exuberant sweep and crisp detail. The result was a sound both muscular and propulsive—an engine powering the drama forward.
Though an early sound glitch required a brief restart, the evening soon settled into confident form. If Rose Hall’s wide stage occasionally challenged the storytelling’s focus, the performers met the moment with such presence that the narrative’s shifting tensions ultimately landed impresssively.
Raúl Esparza, stepping into the role originated by John Lithgow, gave a chillingly charismatic performance as J.J. Hunsecker, confidently poised and commanding vocal authority. The irony that Esparza once might have been cast as the younger, scrappier Sidney Falco was not lost; that part was expertly handled by Ali Louis Bourzgui, whose breakthrough turn in last season’s The Who’s Tommy has clearly marked him as a rising star. His rendition of “At the Fountain,” his character’s recurring theme, was delivered beautifully.
Lizzy McAlpine offered a luminous presence as Susan, J.J.’s sheltered sister, imbuing her songs with a quiet sensitivity. Noah J. Ricketts, as her musician-lover Dallas, lent the evening some of its warmest vocal moments, particularly in “I Cannot Hear the City” and his duet with McAlpine, “That’s How I Say Goodbye.” And Aline Mayagoitia, as Sidney’s neglected girlfriend Rita, all but stole the show with a sultry, roof-rattling “Rita’s Tune.”
Part of the production’s fascination lay in the participation of lyricist Craig Carnelia and book writer John Guare, who helped refine the material for this presentation. Their reinstatement of earlier passages—including replacing the original opening number, “The Column,” with the number “Rumor”—and their bold rethinking of the ending gave the work a renewed sense of dramatic coherence.
Andrew Palermo’s choreography invigorated several sequences, while the MasterVoices Chorus—arrayed on three imposing tiers behind the action—provided a sonic richness that deepened the production’s emotional and musical palette.
Even with the orchestra prominently placed onstage, Ryan Howell’s scenic design, accented by Isabella Byrd’s atmospheric lighting, effectively conjured the city’s murky underbelly. Tracy Christensen’s period-perfect costumes were another plus on the creative team.
MasterVoices’ Sweet Smell of Success may not erase the musical’s complicated Broadway past, but it offers a persuasive argument for its artistic worth. Under Sperling’s stewardship, the piece feels not merely revived, but rediscovered.(Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center; 10 Columbus Circle;; mastervoices.org; Nov. 21 and 22 only)
Photos by Toby Tenenbaum:
Top: (l.-r.) Ali Louis Bourzgui, Raúl Esparza
Below: “Sweet Smell of Success” ensemble
