'Giant' the Musical Deserves a Shot at Broadway

Until May 31, theatergoers in the Baltimore/Washington area can still attend a Michael John LaChiusa musical double-header. Check out the admirable See What I Wanna See in the intimate ARK Theatre in the afternoon and then see Giant in the MAX space in the evening.  Is there any other theater in the country that could offer this?

And is it just a coincidence that come June 7 that the Signature Theatre (and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer) will receive the Tony Award for Best Regional Theatre?

The taking of risks is common at the Signature. They risked bringing Les Miserables to their space and walked away with many well-deserved Helen Hayes Awards.

Now they are tackling Edna Ferber's novel about oil and racism in Texas, Giant.

It was the niece of Ferber, Julie Gilbert, who first approached LaChiusa with the suggestion of adapting the novel for the musical stage. Remember, it was Ferber's novel that was the basis of Show Boat.

Under the direction of Jonathan Butterell and a stellar cast, the Signature should be commended for bring this audacious, entertaining, and timely musical to the area.

Yes it is long. Yes, you will not hum any tunes when you leave the theater. But I strongly believe musical theatre aficionados are becoming more willing to accept this new concept of a musical.

About the length. If you complain that baseball games last too long (now averaging over three hours), you will complain about musicals that last longer than three hours. But if, like me, you just like to be entertained throughout your experience in the theater, you will not look at your watch. I didn't. The actors get a chance to rest during the almost four hours. However, the terrific 15 piece orchestra with Chris Fenwick conducting (watch him above the stage dancing his heart out) only rest during the two short intermissions. They deserve a pay increase. Doesn't the Musician's Union look out for them? (I inquired of Fenwick that I noticed that a woodwind player was late for Act I. He confided in me that he was stuck in traffic and the woodwind player from See What I Wanna See substituted for the first hour and then left for his show).

Adding to the enjoyment of the score is the superb orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin.

From the opening "Aurelia Dolores" sung in Spanish by Raul Aranas accompanied by a lovely acoustic guitar, you know you are about to see something different, yet something special.  The use of Spanish lyrics is now becoming more common. In the Heights proved that it was possible. The new Broadway production of West Side Story as well.  Audiences are getting used to listening to lyrics they may not understand. We've been doing it for years with opera (until the recent use of sur titles).

The talented 21 member cast is led by Lewis Cleale as Jordan "Bick" Benedict and Betsy Morgan as his wife Leslie.  They both have tremendous voices and the acting ability necessary for their tough roles. Other leading players are Ashley Robinson as Jett (for most people the role James Dean was noted for), Judy Blazer as Luz and John Dossett as Bawley. Dossett especially seems to take over every time he steps on the stage.

What do Dossett and Cleale have in common? They both played the role of "Sam" in Mamma Mia! (Dossett on Broadway, Cleale in Las Vegas).

I do wish there was more dancing. I'm not sure if I would blame Ernesto Alonso Palma (choreography) or director Butterell. It may just be that the actors weren't chosen for their movement. But there were plenty of opportunities to add more.

Giant ends May 31. For tickets, call 703-573-7328 or visit www.signature-theatre.org.

For comments, write to cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

See the April, 2009 edition of "American Theatre" for a nice article by Celia Wren about the musical.

Photo by Joan Marcus