A Catered Harvey Affair

Friends Tony and Santo (not on LJ, the slugs) and I caught a performance of the new musical adaptation of A Catered Affair last night at the Old Globe Theater.  Book by Harvey Fierstein (the pic at left from the cast biographies must have been taken when he was 10), music and lyrics by John Bucchino, the show (destined for Broadway, I gather) features a small cast, simple sets, and a minimalist 'orchestra'.

The cast is quite a talented lot.  From the show information...

"A stunning Broadway-bound musical featuring four-time Tony Award® winner Harvey Fierstein, Tony Award winner Faith Prince (Guys and Dolls), Tony Award nominee Tom Wopat (Annie Get Your Gun), Matt Cavenaugh (Broadway’s Grey Gardens) and Leslie Kritzer (Broadway’s Legally Blonde)."

Telling the story of a poor but hard working family, the show begins just as Aggie and Tom (Prince and Wopat) return from Washington, DC for the military funeral of their son.  They arrive to learn that Janey (Kritzer), their only other child, is about to be married in a civil ceremony and drive cross country with her new husband.  Not good enough insists Aggie, she wants to send her daughter off with a big wedding, a catered affair, spending money that Tom had hoped to invest in the ownership of a taxicab he's been driving for years.  Add in Winston (Fierstein), Aggie's 'confirmed bachelor' gay brother who has been forced to live with him as he's estranged from his partner of 17 years and you have the basics.

The show is sweet with a gentle blending of humor, pathos, and music.  This is not a bloated warhorse (seahorse? trojan horse? trojan condom? Codomleeze Rice? but I digress...) like Phantom of the Opera but rather a setting from which strong performances can stand out.  Faith Prince, who has the largest and most complex role, sang with authority, acted from strength and garnered tremendous applause from the audience.  I could easily see how her Guys and Dolls Miss Adelaide would be worthy of a Tony.  Wopat had a much smaller role but he held his own whenever on stage.  Kritzer's Janey had the second heaviest singing role and pulled off her character, an independent, smart young gal just beginning her adult life, with aplomb and style.

And what of Harvey?  His Winston was funny and just gay enough.  His role gave him nearly all the comedy lines... 

(while speaking to the catering director) -

Winston:  My people are expert at handling this
Director:  Oh?  Are you Irish?
Winston:  (rolling of eyes) OK, let's go with that!

Lastly, the songs in the show don't offer a lot of shock and awe, but they are pleasant and fit the storyline.  I doubt however if they'll ever be featured on iTunes.

So, overall, a very enjoyable evening.  The Old Globe (actually several theaters, all relatively small) had excellent acoustics and great seating.  There's no doubt that I'd go to see A Catered Affair again and would definitely recommend it for viewing once it gets to Broadway.