Anything Can Happen in the Theater: The Musical World of Maury Yeston – The York Theatre Company, New York

(left to right): Alex Getlin, Benjamin Eakeley, Justin Keyes, Jovan E’Sean and Mamie Parris in Anything Can Happen in the Theater: The Musical World of Maury Yeston. Picture: Carol Rosegg.

Anything Can Happen in the Theater: The Musical World of Maury Yeston – The York Theatre Company, New York until 29 December 2020.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

It’s just one song after another, no introductions, no particular context, and except for some situation-setting exchanges at the very opening, no dialogue. But the new Off-Broadway revue Anything Can Happen in the Theater: The Musical World of Maury Yeston is a totally captivating confection.

And if you don’t have one already, you’ll certainly come away with a bone-deep appreciation of both the depth and breadth of the genius of this composer-lyricist. A limited number of the songs are from Yeston’s three Broadway successes: Nine, Titanic and Grand Hotel. But there are many pulled from his catalogue – or trunk – as well as shows that never saw a New York production; they include his version of Phantom of the Opera, just called Phantom, which, while apparently no great threat to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s goldmine, gets lots of international mountings.

The show is an exemplar of Off-Broadway economy, utilising five astoundingly talented and charismatic performers, accompanied by only one inexhaustible pianist at the handsome grand that dominates the miniature concert hall look of the set.

Credited for both concept and direction is Gerard Alessandrini, the creator/writer/director of the long-running series of Forbidden Broadway shows, which regularly turn up to skewer with the sharpest satirical knife possible the hits, flops and denizens of New York theatre. But here Alessandrini leaves in the wings his bent for mockery to give us a highly appreciative and quite selective journey through the Yeston canon, putting the music and the words into the forefront.

Alessandrini gets a tremendous assist from the vivacious choreography of Gerry McIntyre and the keen music direction of Greg Jarrett. The latter is also the regular accompanist, but at the performance attended Danny Percefull, who plays at “select performances”, was at the keys and masterfully so.

The show opens with the jaunty title song, in which the five performers expound on what actors will go through to get and fulfil a part, starting with the oft-humiliating audition process. It’s probably the most obvious revue-type offering in the show, but the five performers put it over with pizzazz. But from then on, each song is a miniature masterwork of presentation, creating its own briefly-lived world. Each one is a highlight, and in no particular order here are some of them.

Benjamin Eakeley with a dynamic baritone rides the soaring romanticism of ‘Love Can’t Happen’ from Grand Hotel, and later pierces the deep affection of a father teaching his son ‘New Words’ (such as moon, stars and love) from a show entitled In the Beginning, which told biblical stories through the eyes of ordinary people.

Still later in the playful ‘Only with You’, he assumes the wandering libido of the fabled film director Guido of Nine to flirt with the two ladies in the company, as well as one in the audience and even the male piano player.

Jovan E’Sean further burnishes the romantic aura with a lush ballad ‘I Had a Dream About You’, from a song cycle entitled December Songs, and then infuses a laid-back charm through the bluesy pop confection ‘Mississippi Moon’.  He also shares the comfort of comradeship – or is it love? – in a duet entitled ‘You’re There Too’ with the third guy in the company, Justin Keyes. The song is another from In the Beginning.

Meanwhile, Keyes, in chef’s gear, gets to romp through culinary innuendo in the novelty ‘Salt n’ Pepper’, in which he sings “you’re gonna get me in the kitchen tonight”, and he promises to “grind your coffee just right”. He shows his more plaintive nature in a ballad ‘Halloween’: “Treat me extra nice on Halloween.”

On the distaff side, Mamie Parris is all playful vamp in a medley of ‘Shimmy Like They Do in Paree’ (from the Off-Broadway musical Death Takes a Holiday) and ‘I Want to Go to Hollywood’ (from Grand Hotel). She becomes even more athletically seductive climbing the grand piano in ‘Call from the Vatican’ (Nine), and then, in a breathtaking change of pace, lifts ‘Unusual Way’, also from Nine, to an operatic grandeur.

Last but not least, Alex Getlin imbues a stand-alone haunting love song entitled ‘Strange’, with a Cole Porter-like aching yearning, after showing her playful side in a trio with E’Sean and Keyes, all decked out  in 18th century operatic costumes and singing ‘I Don’t Want to Rock ‘n’ Roll’.  “I’m gonna boycott all the radio stations/That won’t play the Goldberg Variations,” they sing.

Getlin and Parris also join for a feminist moment as they recount the Holy Book’s endless male “begats” in yet another song from In the Beginning entitled ‘No Women in the Bible’. (Alessandrini once directed a production of In the Beginning up in the state of Maine, which may explain his fondness for its score.)

There are also a host of ensemble numbers which distill the verve of Broadway, including the full-company ‘The Mardi Gras Ball’. It’s from an aborted musical adaptation of Le Cage Aux Folles that was called The Queen of Basin Street.

The show closes with two gorgeous chorales, ‘Home’ from Phantom, and finally, the song Titanic fans were all waiting for, the ecstatic and foreboding ‘Godspeed, Titanic’. It may leave you with a lump in your throat.

The production is also enhanced by the imaginative lighting of Jacob Zedek, bringing extra dimension to the scenic design done by York’s customary set designer, its producing artistic director Jim Morgan. Melinda Hare’s plentiful costumes also help in giving each number its own storytelling validity.

All in all, it’s a show that makes Yeston’s musical world a surprisingly rich universe. You leave wanting to hear more.

Ron Cohen