newjerseynewsroom.com

Stephen Sondheim songs are used to depict parallel New York lives

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

OFF BROADWAY REVIEW

A collection of relatively obscure songs by Stephen Sondheim are wedded to an agreeable concept to make “Marry Me A Little,” a 1980 show co-created by Craig Lucas and Norman Rene.

These 20 or so songs, usually regarding the ups and downs of romance, are arranged with a word-free scenario involving Him and Her, two young New Yorkers living in different studio apartments in the same building. Through the songs, both of them are depicted as experiencing ultimately disappointing affairs with other (unseen) people before finally encountering each other.

One setting serves as both apartments, so the two characters blindly brush past each other during most of the show’s 70-minute proceedings. Such propinquity lends ironic charm to the piece.

It is too bad that Keen Company’s revival of “Marry Me A Little,” which opened on Tuesday on Theatre Row, is performed by two actors who display exceedingly little charm. Their inadequacy as vocalists is compounded by director Jonathan Silverstein’s dubious staging choices intended to update the silent scenario to the present day.

Better known as a dancer, Jason Tam sings his numbers in a rather toneless head voice. Lauren Molina usually sounds shrill. Neither is much of an actor, unfortunately, so the clever subtleties of Sondheim’s lyrics are not interpreted effectively. Whatever, they tend to make the least of their excellent material.

The director dresses the actors in rather ugly contemporary clothes (Jennifer Paar is the costume designer) and gives them hand-held electronic devices to suggest nowadays communications. But when Him sings “Bring on the Girls,” he is cruising a porno site on his laptop. And when Her wriggles through a blatantly single-entendre interpretation of “Boy, Can That Boy Fox-Trot,” she is sexting racy photos.

Fortunately, musical director John Bell – who plays the piano in an adjacent apartment – accompanies the performers very well, so the tunes often register nicely in spite of their coarse vocal interpretations.

“Marry Me A Little” continues through Oct. 27 at the Clurman/Theatre Row, 410 W. 42nd St., New York. Call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.keencompany.org.

RECENT REVIEWS BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

REVIEW: ‘Ten Chimneys’ paints an affectionate show-biz portrait

REVIEW: ‘Through the Yellow Hour’ provides a nightmare

REVIEW: ‘An Enemy of the People’ lumbers to Broadway

REVIEW: ‘Red Dog Howls’ over a horror story