Call Me Madam
The dancing, the music and the acting of Call Me Madam, originally produced in the 1950s, display much simplicity. The musical is tightly put together in every sense, yet it manages to feel fresh and breezy. Infusing the show with an old Broadway innocence, while adding subtle modern touches, is key to the production’s success.
That, and knowing its own limitations. Unlike other musicals on stage at the moment, "Call Me Madam" does not try to do too much. It knows what it is: a funny story about a rich American woman with a big personality and a can-do attitude navigating the sterile waters of international politics.
And it knows where it can go: romance, cultural differences, more romance, and in the end, cultural similarities. The funniest moments happen when Sally’s let’s-throw-a-party-to-solve-this-crisis approach clashes with the suffocated-by-protocol political world surrounding her.
It’s no coincidence that "Call Me Madam" succeeds at being simple in its presentation. 42 Street Moon, the theatre group, specializes in staging classic Broadway musicals, but usually avoids elaborate sets and costumes in order to let the material be "the star," as stated on their website.
This holds true for the music as well. 42 Street Moon does not use a digitally engineered sound system. A live piano, a flute, and the performers’ voices are all it takes to fill the theatre with good music. The songs stay in your head for days after the performance.
But not everything works perfectly. The dancing is the lowest point of the production. At best it is fun and uncomplicated. At worst, you find actors awkwardly standing around while somebody else sings. But that’s a minor point. And, in any case, minimalist movement is at least coherent with the show’s overall aesthetic.
The best part is Klea Blackhurst. She makes Sally both brattish and irresistible. Her singing engages the audience and smoothly carries forward the songs of the Tony-winning score by Irving Berlin. She complements the rest of the cast when cooperation is needed and displays daring intensity when in the spotlight.
Also, Sally Adams is made to look like Sarah Palin. This move subtly modernizes the show while giving it a political dimension. It is just one of many details that speak of the care and intelligence with which "Call Me Madam" has been put together.
It runs at Eureka Theater through Oct. 18.
