This isn’t one of my favourite MGM musicals, but I was still excited to see this production at the Open Air theatre. I love the Open Air theatre - it brings additional magic to everything staged there. So, a perfect setting you’d think for an adaptation of bright, colourful MGM musical. And you’d be right, for the most part.
I saw this on its second night of previews and, given the weather that week, it was probably the first complete run through! That might explain why it felt like there were two different shows rolled into one - one a musical with acting and singing, and the other a ballet - with no smooth transitions or real links between the two. At times it really did feel like “now we’re going to dance” and “now we’re going to sing”.
The dancing was, however, brilliant. Drew McOnie is definitely the choreographer of the moment, and if you’ve seen his other work you will recognise him in this. Of particular note was an absolutely beautiful pas de deux between two members of the male ensemble - I think this was my favourite bit of the entire show. The costumes give a definite nod to MGM, with lots of colour and matching accessories - it makes me unbelievably happy to see beautiful bright costumes with matching shoes! There are no big memorable songs in this show, however, that you go away humming, and I think that this is a major let down for it. The closest you get is ‘New York, New York’, but it’s not as catchy as songs from other shows.
Miriam Teak-Lee as Claire and Lizzy Connelly as Hildy are wonderful and extravagant personalities, who you can’t help but smile at; but Fred Haig and Samuel Edwards, who they play opposite, are slight non-entities and lack any real characterisation as Chip and Ozzie, and lack any real differentiation. Maybe that will come as the production progresses and they develop and grow into their characters. Danny Mac as Gabey was good, a very polished and competent performance, with great dancing, but he didn’t look completely comfortable on stage and his lower register was a little weak. His character was also a little wet and lacked the suave smoothness of Gene Kelly - it’s a comparison that will be hard for him to escape, especially as some of the choreography has Kelly-esque influences. It may have been better to have stayed away from those and given Mac something completely different, but there is no doubt that he can perform them. Siena Kelly as Ivy Smith was also very good, but the problem is that she isn’t given much to work with - even in the movie, Ivy isn’t really much of a character when compared with Claire and Hildy, and this was very apparent. Ivy feels like a non-entity, without any real character or personality, and her storyline in this day and age is ridiculous - it will bewilder a modern day audience, and I know the story and yet it was far too subtle for me to follow in this production.
So, all in all, a nice night out, with some lovely moments, but also room for improvement. I wouldn’t want to see the show a second time, but I’d love to see the pas de deux again.