Could be. George C. Wolfe’s rousing production captures the poignant gaiety of this wartime fable. Three sailors turn their 24-hour New York leave into a quest for fun and romance, propelled by Bernstein’s immortal score, the brainy ebullience of Comden and Green’s book and lyrics and the brilliant choreography of … That’s the problem. Robbins’s choreography broke new ground; Eliot Feld’s covers old ground. Robbins’s return would have ensured a move to Broadway. Reportedly, Feld has offered to withdraw, saying, ““All I want is what is best for the show.’’ As it is, ““On the Town’’ is great fun, with an engaging youthful ensemble and a career-igniting performance by Lea DeLaria as a man-eating cabbie. But the producers who put more than $1 million into this production know they have work to do to make another ““Chicago.’’ One, Roger Berlind, says guardedly: ““I think next spring we’ll see it on Broadway.’’ Vision: here comes Robbins, choreographing his white horse as he rides to the rescue.
Subject Terms:
