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Finally, a new musical for literate
adults! At a time when Broadway is flooded with moronic juke
box musicals and sanitized stage adaptations of well-known
movies, it takes nerve to present a new tuner based on an infamous
256 year old novel. But that's what the York Theatre Company
has done with Fanny Hill, a giddy tale of prostitution and
love in 1700s London that gives contemporary audiences more
bawdy, melodic fun than we've seen in many a season.
Mind you, I do not mean "bawdy" in
the sense of "obscene," but rather in its alternate
definition -- "boisterously or humorously indecent." This
is most certainly not a show for children, but it handles sex
with a forthright sense of fun that most open minded viewers
will enjoy. Ed Dixon, whose solid acting talents have graced
many a stage, has single-handedly adapted John Cleland's classic
1749 novel with wit, melodic variety, and a shameless stream
of innuendo. In case you are not familiar with the basic story,
Fanny is an innocent country girl who comes to London in search
of fortune, only to wind up laboring in the world's oldest
profession. She finds love in the arms of a naive sailor, who
is swept away, leaving her to fend for herself. By the time
he returns (both wiser and a bit the worse for wear), Fanny
has whored her way into the fortune she sought, and can share
it with her beloved -- with each agreeing to ask no questions
about what the other has been up to.
Like Candide and The Fantasticks,
this show spoofs the often harsh process of losing one's innocence.
The distant historical setting only makes it all the clearer
how universal this experience is. We laugh because we've all
been (or eventually shall be) there at some point in our lives,
that moment when youthful illusion dies in the face of reality.
The novel Fanny Hill is not an easy read today, but Dixon reframes
it in readily accessible terms, balancing farce with just enough
humanity to make that farce meaningful. He avoids the use of
any vulgar language, allowing the pretensions of society to
be the only real vulgarities on display. In truth, none of
the new musicals on Broadway this season have shown a fraction
of this much creativity and intelligence. Fanny Hill may not
be everyone's cup of tea, but I would take it over ponderous
bores like The Woman in White or The Color Purple any day.
James Brennan has staged the
proceedings with great comic energy, making a small cast seem
(you should pardon the expression) several times its actual
size. Imagine nine people convincingly recreating the bustle
of a London street! If at times it all seems a bit frenetic,
I think that is part of the intended effect. Designers Michael
Bottari and Ronald Case have provided a wondrous multi-level
set and period-perfect costumes that aid and abet the action
with style. Gerald Kelly's handsome wigs deserve special praise,
making several quick changes of character all the more effective.
Stan Tucker conducts with a sure hand, and Nick DiGregorio's
intimate orchestrations invoke another age while providing
solid support for the cast.
In the title role, Nancy Anderson
shows why she is one of the brightest new lights in musical
theatre today, making Fanny's journey from innocence to realism
completely believable -- no small accomplishment. She also
provides all the sex appeal and vocal richness any audience
could ask for. If there is still room for stardom in this business,
Ms. Anderson is a prime candidate for it. The handsome Tony
Yazbeck is the perfect cohort as her clueless seafaring lover,
a difficult role that he carries off with deceptive ease.
There is nothing deceptive about
Patti Allison's performance as Mrs. Brown, the hard-nosed madam
who drags Fanny Hill into a life of profitable sin. A veteran
of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Allison embodies the spirit
of old London with raunchy brio, turning her solo lament about
having "Every Man In London" into a show-stopping
highlight. The rest of the cast doubles and even quadruples
in a wide variety of roles. David Cromwell is a standout portraying
Fanny's long line of aging suitors, Adam Monley scores points
as a well-endowed servant, and Michael J. Farina wins laughs
with a series of brief but well-polished supporting characters.
Christianne Tisdale, Gina Ferrall and the divine Emily Skinner
all have superb moments as Fanny's fellow working girls.
Musicals101's core belief is
that good musicals have brains, courage and heart. Fanny Hill
has all three qualities in refreshing abundance, offering grown-ups
a sunny bit of intelligent fun in the midst of an otherwise
chilly and witless theatrical winter.
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