The Bushnell, Hartford CT
through February 8, 2015
by Sharon Smith
“Nice Work If You Can Get It” marks a homecoming for the
musical, which traces its origins to the Goodspeed Opera House down the road in
East Haddam. The show went through many changes on the journey from CT, to
Broadway, to Tony winner, and back again, but in all incarnations the heart and
appeal lies in the classic music of George and Ira Gershwin.
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| Photo by Jeremy Daniel |
In the madcap world of 1927 Prohibition, bootleggers, high
society types, and a bevy of chorus girls collide in a mix of romance,
mistaken identities, and slapstick high-jinx. This is the type of light and
frothy story that finds gangsters posing as butlers and the vice squad partakes
in more vices then it foils.
Mariah MacFarlane as rum-runner Billie Bendix is a splendid
talent, with a strong voice and crack timing. It takes such a balance to sing
“Someone to Watch Over Me” while holding a shotgun. A supporting cast of
star-crossed lovers is top notch. Highlights include Aaron Fried and Stephanie
Gandolfo’s, “Do It Again” and “Blah, Blah Blah.” Reed Campbell and Stephanie
Harter Gilmore’s, “Looking for a Boy” is also a stand out, sung as it is from a
swinging chandelier. In addition to “Looking” the choreography delights
throughout, with the bathtub based “Delishious” yielding a bubbly surprise.
Any “new” Gershwin musical is sure to invoke comparison to
1992’s “Crazy For You” and while “Nice” may not have the rock-solid book of
that show, it does have exciting choreography, delightful performances and the
kind of exuberance that can make any audience temporarily forget the chilly
weather outside.
