REVIEW: 1950s ‘Bells Are Ringing’ chimes this weekend

Vintage Comden & Green musical sounds fresh in concert revival at New York City Center

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

OFF BROADWAY REVIEW

Dedicated to briefly (and beautifully) resurrecting neglected Broadway musicals in concert productions, New York City Center's Encores! series begins its three-show season agreeably with "Bells Are Ringing," which runs through Sunday at City Center.

Crafted in 1956 as a star vehicle for Judy Holliday by her chums Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jule Styne, "Bells Are Ringing" was a smash later made as a movie by Vincente Minnelli with Holliday. Aw, you probably know all this: It's scarcely a long-lost musical recovered from a steamer trunk.

"Bells Are Ringing" spins a fairly silly 1950s Manhattan story about Ella, an answering service operator who meddles in her customers' lives. Fortunately, Comden & Green's writing remains as charming as ever while their remarkably fresh, entertaining score with Styne features standards like "Just in Time" and clever comedy pieces like "Drop That Name."

A specialist at polishing up vintage musicals, director-choreographer Kathleen Marshall does typically well by "Bells Are Ringing." The concert unfolds gracefully with pleasing minimal scenery by John Lee Beatty and attractive period clothes by Martin Pakledinaz. Perhaps best, the original Robert Russell Bennett orchestrations are handsomely rendered by the onstage 30-member Encores! Orchestra as swiftly directed by Rob Berman. It's great to hear that classic Broadway sound done full out like that.

Lately the star of "South Pacific," lovely Kelli O'Hara is more of a leading lady than a clown like Holliday, but she gamely gambols through Ella's Miss-Fixit business and touchingly sings "The Party's Over." A relaxed Will Chase smoothly partners O'Hara as the baritone voice Ella comes to love. Their exuberant square dance with the ensemble in a subway car during "Hello, Hello There" looks particularly joyful.

Sporting a goulash accent, David Pittu jauntily portrays a bookie who gets the phone service in trouble with his "Simple Little System." The number, with its amusing musical references to classical composers ("What is Handel? Hialeah! Hialeah!"), nicely showcases the ensemble's solo and choral musicianship.

Bobby Cannavale contributes a funny cameo as a Brando-esque actor, Judy Kaye forthrightly depicts Ella's employer and Brad Oscar is briefly hilarious as a dentist who composes music on his air hose. An energetic Jeffrey Schecter neatly leads the dancers through the Latin rhythms of "Mu-Cha-Cha."

Sure, "Bells Are Ringing" may be a pretty familiar show to fans of old musicals, but the expertise of Marshall's smart production makes it an enjoyable occasion. By way of contrast, the next work up for concert staging will be the rarely-heard dramatic musical "Lost in the Stars" by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson, which promises to be a terra incognita experience for plenty of show tune aficionados.

"Bells Are Ringing" continues through Sunday at New York City Center, 131 W. 55th St., New York. Call (212) 581-1212 or visit www.nycitycenter.org.