The Team of the Century

There is only word to describe last night’s Actors’ Fund Benefit Concert of On the20th Century: Triumph! The production was a scintillating smash with an ideal cast, all at the top of their game. Douglas Sills as Oscar Jaffe and Marin Mazzie as Lily Garland gave magnificent musical comedy performances in roles that demand nothing short of greatness. Sills was a deliciously cured ham and Mazzie gave the performance of her career, raising herself to a level of stardom we didn’t think possible. (Then again, how often does an actress get a role this good?)

Supporting players Christopher Sieber, Brad Oscar, and Brooks Ashmanskas were perfection; and even though Joanne Worley (as Letitia Primrose) was essentially playing herself, she made it work. Adding to the fun were cameo appearances by Robert Cuccioli, Kathleen Turner, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and the four original Altar Boyz: Cheyenne Jackson, Andy Karl, Tyler Maynard, and David Josefsberg.

What came through in this sterling production — besides waves of laughter — was the realization that Oscar Jaffe was the Max Bialystock of his day. In fact, this show is almost a blueprint for The Producers; Jaffe even refers to himself as “The King of Broadway,” and both shows are about down-and-out, comically conniving producers. The Twentieth Century score, by Cy Coleman (music), Betty Comden and Adolph Green (lyrics), harkens back to the operettas of Gilbert & Sullivan, particularly in the duets.

Kudos to producer-musical director Seth Rudetsky, who was at the center of the wheel; also to Peter Flynn for his imaginative direction and Denis Jones for his stylish choreography. On top of everything else, this terrific show renewed our appreciation for the musical’s source material; if you get a chance, see the 1934 non-musical movie starring John Barrymore and Carole Lombard.

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A Flood of Talent

There was something unabashedly honest in Ben Vereen’s pungent speech at Broadway’s Celebrity Benefit for Hurricane Relief about why New Yorkers should go the extra mile in giving support. “The world came to our aid after 9/11,” he said. “Now it’s our turn to help; it’s time for us to ante up.” Well, the Broadway community came through big time on Sunday night, and we’re not just talking about the dizzying array of talent onstage at the Gershwin Theater. The audience did its part by just about filling the house, and though tickets ranged in price from $100 to $300, those in attandance definitely got their money’s worth.

The highest of highlights was Liza Minnelli singing “What Did I Have?” from On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. It was a well-chosen song that resonated with meaning: On one level, Liza seemed to be singing about her personal life; beyond that, she was metaphorically remarking on the losses in New Orleans. (What did we have that we don’t have now? Bourbon Street, Dixieland, Mardi Gras, and so on.)

Song selection would prove to be the key to success throughout the evening — or not, as in the case of Susan Lucci. Although the soap diva and erstwhile Broadway star was kind enough to lend her name and talent to the event, she performed a song extolling the virtues of New York that was simply wrong for the occasion. On the plus side, New Orleans native Bryan Batt opened the show with an extraordinarily moving rendition of “Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans,” setting the bar high for everyone who followed. Julia Murney offered an obscure song titled “It’s Amazing the Things That Will Float,” which was eerily apt; she sang it beautifully, and we (and the audience) were impressed with her thoughtful choice of material.

Bill Irwin cleverly got past the issue of appropriate vs. inappropriate material by joking that this serious event still needed some “baggy pants comedy.” He provided it with a hilarious pantomime of the seven ages of man. The cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee surprised everyone with their modern dance interpretation of the reaction of President Bush and his administration to the hurricane’s devastation. It was inspired satire. Other standouts were the cast of Avenue Q performing a defiant “For Now” from that show and Bernadette Peters singing “You Are Not Alone” from Into the Woods.” Extra credit goes to the cast of Wicked for spearheading the effort to present this benefit.

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David Strathairn’s Good Luck

For David Strathairn, the opening of the 43rd New York Film Festival was, indeed, a good night. The veteran theater actor has garnered enormous praise for his portrayal of legendary television newsman Edward R. Murrow in George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck. This is the greatest role of Strathairn’s already impressive career, and he makes the most of it. Playing a man who’s piercingly smart and darkly comic, Straithairn creates an indelible portrait of Murrow at the crucial point in his career when he decides to take on the red-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy. We’ll be very surprised if he doesn’t earn an Oscar nomination for his performance.

The movie has its problems, chiefly in that it tries to explain too much about who Murrow was and what he accomplished, rather than showing us. Nonetheless, the verisimilitude of Good Night, and Good Luck is impressive, the characters are vibrant, and the conflicts are very real. The combination of archival footage and the black and white photography of the film itself is artful without being pretentious.

When we spoke privately with Clooney at a press conference for the film, we asked him about hiring a cast full of theater-trained actors, including Frank Langella (magnificent as William S. Paley), Patricia Clarkson, and Jeff Daniels. He didn’t hedge in answering. “There was so much improvisation on the set that I needed people with theater training,” Clooney told us. “And you can’t go wrong with Frank Langella,” he added with a smile.

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[To contact the Siegels directly, e-mail them at siegels@theatermania.com.]