THE BOY FRIEND

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "The Boy Friend" by Sandy Wilson

Date: Weds, Oct 12, 11:04 PM

Quicktake on THE BOY FRIEND

     "The Boy Friend"'s back, some fifty years after this homage to the fun of frivolous musical theatre brought Julie Andrews across the pond to the States. Dame Julie's in charge this time, and her vision of Sandy Wilson's bijou isless a revival and more a fond memory of a time when musicals weren't supposed to be significant. The tunes are actually hummable, the lyrics recall the kind of romance Rodgers & Hart and Irving Berlin were putting out over here, and West End theatres were laying on with regularity in the '20s. The cast captures the bright young things of the period, with a few older folks thrown in for comic relief. The snappy patter is predictable, but the laughs ring true, and the coincidences of the plot go back to the roots of romantic comedy. Choreographer John DeLuca has obvious watched a lot of early movie musicals while paying close attention to current styles, with an emphasis on froth. This is the kind of show where the audience walks out with a grin.

     Almost the brightest part of the evening, however, is Tony Walton's production design, done as a kind of giant toy theatre in illustration style with Kelly Hanson's help. He was assisted on the costumes, which at times steal the show, by Rachel Navarro.When this Goodspeed production is done in New York, which could take a while, expect local musical theatre producers to take a second look at its charms. In the mean time, they might want to search out its sequel, a Noel Cowardish sea-going romp, "Divorce Me, Darling"

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"The Boy Friend" by Sandy Wilson, Oct. 12-23

Goodspeed Musicals at the Shubert

265 Tremont St. , (800) 477- 7400 (TC)