Girls, What This Show Once Had, It Don't Have Now!!!!

".....how it will astound you,
that the glow of your being outshines every star!"

Those soaring lyrics--when was the last time you heard the likes of them, darlings????-- are from the 1965 Burton Lane, Alan Jay Lerner musical, "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever," which, because of the cast album with Barbara Harris, is beloved among Theater Queens. Several weeks ago, I brought home a copy of this CD, and Monsieur and I just listened, basking in its whimsical glow!!!!!

So, last Fall, when I heard it was to be revived, I got excited. And when I heard it was to be reconceived with more than a subtext of Gay, I thought, "Oh, no! How???" But Monsieur prevailed on me to be objective; maybe it would work. Then came Ben Brantley's review, confirming to one and all that it did not. Still, Monsieur was intrigued enough, and I entranced enough with the score, especially a couple of songs, to risk an evening spent at the St. James Theatre, viewing it.

Alas, the evening is not a waste. It is just not what one would expect. I am not even sure it is 'On A Clear Day', for no longer is this a whimsical fantasy, touching upon ESP and reincarnation, but a dark, altogether morbid, meditation on death, loss, grief, with the central figure now being, not the Daisy character, but Dr. Mark Bruckner-- played by Harry Connick, Jr. as a nasty, self-centered and self-serving schmuck that I had absolute hatred for, by the time the evening ended.

It doesn't help Connick that the writers have reconfigured him this way. It especailly does not help that Connick is not fit to sing on a Broadway stage. While he can channel that Sinatra style that works fine in the smaller cabaret venue, he cannot adapt this to the Broadway stage, for, while he has a nice sound, he cannot project enough to be heard at times. And any time he sings with any of the other actors, who are much more adept in the Musical Theater department, they drown him out!!!!! Brantley, in his review, said he sang the exuberant, hopeful title song like a funeral dirge, and he is right!!!! This is made even more clear when he is joined in the number by Drew Gehling, as David Gamble's boyfriend, Warren Smith, and this young man takes over and shows Connick and the audience how the song SHOULD be sung. Not to mention, Connick brings no passion to the compelling "Come Back To Me," one of the score's highlights. By Act Two, I was ready to shout out, "Get him off the stage!!!!"

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way, first. Michael Mayer (who directed "Spring Awakening"--ugh!!!!) had, like most Theater Queens, always had a fondness for this show, because of the score. But, to support the story concocted--which recycles other stories like the movies "Portrait of Jennie" and "Always," which was a remake of the 1943 "Heaven Can Wait"--he had to jettison most of the original score, because Melinda, in this version is not a period damsel from the 18th Century, but an aspiring and successful Big Band singer from the 1940s. Where is the romantic, whimsical fantasy we wanted????? Gone!!!!!!!!!!

And the songs replaced are pastiches from all over--some forgettable ones from the forgettable Streisand film version, some from the MGM musical, "Royal Wedding." which I still have not seen. More objectionable than this was the lack of courage on the part of Mayer and librettist Peter Parnell to truly "Gay up" the show. Yes, Daisy, is now David Gamble, a gay young man, with a boyfriend, Warren, but his past life is still a woman, Melinda Wells, which allows Bruckner to have a straight romance onstage, because God forbid Harry Connnick Jr. should have a gay one!!! Nowhere is this more apparent than as the curtain comes down on Act One, and the two men lean in to kiss--but never do. As a supposedly (but apparently not very) more enlightened theater audience gasps! in shock. These gaspers would better have saved their breath for "Spider Man:Turn Off The Dark," where they apparently would have a better time!!!!!! In fact, I noticed some of them walked out at Intermission, not returning for Act Two. But if Mayer and Parnell had had the courage to make their love story onstage COMPLETELY gay, this might have made for an interesting re-look at this show. But God forbid Harry Connick (a big old Republican, darlings!!!!) should come off as a fag!!!!! Personally, I think Mayer and Parnell really WANTED to do the show this way, but, to get it produced, with Connick on board for box office, they had to allow Star and Producers to tie their hands!!!!! In other words, another kiss ass sacrifice to Art!!!!! Up theirs!!!!!!!

There are, however, two reasons to endure all this--David Turner and Jessie Mueller, as David and Melinda, both of whom stop the show!!!! David is such a delicious cupcake (more on him another time, girls!!!!) that I hated when he was offstage. He also gets assigned what is my favorite song in the score, "What Did I Have?" which I have never heard a man sing, so I was both intrigued and nervous. David nails this song like you wouldn't believe; in fact his take was so genuinely moving it brought tears to my eyes, and not even Barbara Harris or Eydie Gorme did that!!!!!! It is unfortunate David's past life is as a woman, but it is fortunate to have Jessie Mueller in the role, who stops the show on several occasions, with her electrifying to-be-watched-for Broadway voice, especially in the classic song "Ev'ry Night At Seven." (Which is from "Royal Wedding", darlings!!!) When the curtain came down, the actors took their bows, and I saw David and Jessie walking off together, I saw the two REAL stars of the evening pack up this show, and just walk off with it!!!!!! They are reason enough to see it!!!!!

As stated, Drew Gehling, as Warren, knows how to sing Broadway, too. And so does Sarah Stiles, as Muriel Benson, who needs, though, to tone down that shrillness, as she tries to decide if she is going for Megan Mullally or Alice Playten!!!! Personally, Sarah, I would stick with Alice!!!!!!!

The script is, at times, offensive. There is veiled homophobia, and a verbal retort from Bruckner to his colleague, played by Kerry O'Malley that is so hurtful the audience gasped more over that than the aborted Act One kiss!!!!!!!

I don't know what they really thought they were going to get away with, with this 'Clear Day.' The show isn't even visually attractive; updated to 1974, the cheap looking sets and costumes are garish to the point of psychedelia!!!! There is no elegance here at all!!!!!! As you can see, the creators did not get away with much. The only thing they succeeded in doing is creating a couple of star making moments for David Turner and Jessie Mueller that have to be seen!!!!!!

Catch them quickly, before this show closes, two weeks from today, loves!!!!!