The musical version of The Sweet Smell of Success opened big on Broadway. The story of the powerful New York gossip columnist syndicated all over the country had music from Marvin Hamlisch and a book by John Guare. It starred John Lithgow as the columnist JJ Hunsecker, with Lithgow winning a Tony for his work. Scott Miller, the founder of New Line Theatre, saw it, loved it – and realized it didn’t belong in a big Broadway house.
He was right. Much of it takes place in smoky nightclubs of the 1950’s and in the equally smoky offices of press agents. Intimacy is good for the music, it’s good for the actors and it’s good for its effect. The only thing New Line’s current production lacks in reproducing that intimacy is actual cigarette smoke.
Hunsecker (Zachary Alan Farmer), who’s based on Walter Winchell, the mega-columnist who was good buddies with J. Edgar Hoover during the McCarthy Red-baiting years, runs into a young, hustling, but unsuccessful press agent named Sidney Falco (Matt Pentecost). Falco is repping a club where Dallas Cochran (Sean Michael) plays the piano. Cochran is in love with a young woman named Susan Hunsecker (Ann Hier). J.J. comes in searching for her and is extremely upset that she’s hanging out there with such guys. Is she J.J.’s wife? No, she’s his kid sister. Falco steps up to (mis)identify himself as a classmate of Susan’s in an attempt to impress her, and things proceed from there.
Hunsecker, powerful in a way that’s hard to understand these days (but Winchell was, with both politicians and show biz folks) is very protective of his sister. The insinuation is that he’s maybe too protective, in fact. She’s bananas for the piano player but terrified of her brother who wants her to date somebody like that young Senator Kennedy he sets her up with. Falco becomes Hunsecker’s protege and figurative bag man, and he’s thrilled that he’s in the big time. But Hunsecker’s moral compass is totally absent except slightly, when it comes to Susan. Betrayal on betrayal follows. This is a little different than the movie, appreciated now more than when it came out, which had a script by Clifford Odets – and in which the piano player was Martin Milner, who went on to “Route 66” fame. But the impact is the same.
Farmer does superb work as Hunsecker. He charms and glares and shouts and sings with a singular purpose, to get his own way, utterly convincing. Ann Hier plays Susan as very young and innocent, just right in this time frame, and sounds great. Her chemistry with Sean Michael as Dallas is palpable. As Sidney, Matt Pentecost works hard, but retains an air of innocence far too long into the story, and has to work a little with some of the songs.
The visual theme is the blue lights of nightclubs, and both scenic and lighting designer Rob Lippert and costume designer Sarah Porter (who plays Sidney’s hat-check girlfriend with elan) go for it. The costumes in particular hit it – take a look at the shoes, for example. Sidney even has a pair of blue suedes. Jeffrey Richard Carter and the New Line band take good care of the score and the sound from Elli Castonguary is nearly perfectly balanced. Taylor Pietz’ choreography – and this is a dance-heavy version of the show – is fun, especially with the chorus, which has some folks who would have been right at home in “Guys and Dolls”. They’re a delight.
Much credit to Miller and co-director Mike Dowdy-Windsor for this show, which manages to be a romp despite its very serious story.
The Sweet Smell of Success
through June 24
New Line Theatre
Marcelle Theatre
3310 Samuel Shepherd Drive