110 at 54.

I have a confession to make, and it may seem sacrilegious putting it on (blog) paper but I just don't LOVE old musicals. Sure, I grew up watching the MGM classics and have a certain sentimental value associated with many of them but since I have lived in New York I haven't seen many revivals of older material that seemed to infuse it with the modern twist needed to connect to an audience. Preserving, honoring and respecting the creations of the past is incredibly important but most pre-70's musicals end up leaving me a bit cold.

Last night when my friend Lauren accompanied me to Studio 54 to see the new revival of "110 in the Shade," I fully expected to leave unsatisfied. Deep in the back of my head I hoped that Audra McDonald would be able to carry the evening but never did I expect her to deliver quite as beautifully as she did from the moment she took the stage.

"110" is the story of Lizzie, a woman living with her father and two brothers, whose love life is as dry as the rainless countryside they inhabit. Shortly after the show begins, a rainmaker (unfortunately named Starbuck(s)) arrives in town and promises rain for which Lizzie's father promptly pays $100 despite the advice of his sons. Complications ensue and Lizzie is urged to change who she is in order to overcome her "plain" appearance and bag a guy.

No one in their right mind is going to believe that Audra McDonald is "plain" in any sense but I found that she perfectly turned this to her benefit rather than seeming miscast. It all becomes a lesson in something being a self-fulfilling prophecy when people drill a certain trait in. The more she is told she is "plain" the more she believes it, therefore becoming it despite every natural inclination to be extraordinary.

From the moment she takes the stage, McDonald uses every bit of her being to create a perfectly rounded character. She never JUST acts or JUST sings a moment; she seamlessly embodies the heartbroken Lizzie with a downtrodden passion in every silent moment or perfectly sung note. Instead of doing one thing well, she just exists on stage as Lizzie for two hours slowly building the character from beginning to end. In the middle of the first act she sits at a picnic and is told by one of her brothers that she is "nothing but plain" and "not beautiful," as the other brother and father do their best to overrule his opinion. This was the scene for me where Audra McDonald cemented her place in my heart with her incredible stillness and the torment in her eyes as the words hit her like soggy bricks. Sitting with her father and stunned into the reality that she is "plain" she then begins the act one closer "Old Maid." The fear of being alone is something that most people can associate with but as the tears streamed down her face, it has never felt more real.

Even though we had planned to discuss other things during the intermission, all Lauren and I could manage to get out were sentence fragments in awe of Audra. The second act finds Lizzie finding companionship in Starbuck who finally makes her believe she is beautiful and suddenly she transforms before our eyes. She literally and figuratively lets her hair down getting laughs and compassion from the audience with every breath. Her performance fully accomplishes showing the importance of belief in what you are, translating to who you are seen as. Every moment of her performance is thrilling and she is truly one of the greatest musical theater stars I have ever seen.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the entire production, which isn't helped by the fact that the show is fairly uneven. Most of McDonald's numbers are gorgeous character songs and then suddenly we are subjected to bizarre musical theater schlock. "The Rain Song," which includes many routine musical theater dance moves or "Little Red Hat" which seems like a cut number from "Oklahoma" keep this from being an all around great evening. However, the cast is generally solid and John Cullum makes a trusting and sensitive impression as Lizzie's father. No performance makes the audience react quite like the actual rain that pours down in the finale that had them clapping louder than ever. Sometimes I don't understand audiences, they're like puppies that pee on the floor when you hold out a biscuit.

Some may question why a musical such as this is still being produced. With so many (more) classic musicals out there, do we really need a production of "110 in the Shade?" As long as Audra McDonald is involved, absolutely.

Comments

[jolene]

A beautiful review - I agree with you that Audra absolutely embodied every moment she was onstage. Wasn't the rain scene a bit... anticlimactic? And it only rained in one line in the front of the stage too. I was more enthralled with Audra in the more quieter moments of the show.

I'm also with you, I'm not a huge fan of the old musicals as well! Blasphemous, I know, esp that I am such an avid watcher of all the current musicals.

I thought it was hilarious when her brother curses her into old maidendom for life, the entire audience GASPED as if that was the worst curse ever uttered!! It rang especially hilarious on the ears of Jen and I, being two single girls ourselves.

I'm glad I saw it to be able to see Audra live at least once.

[Jennifer]

m, i thought u might enjoy
this. It's "110 in the Shade" abridged. The character Mocha-Latte confused me for about 2 seconds, then I put two and two together :)

i still thought the production was charming. and as a single girl, i felt every bit of audra's pain. she really truly was amazing.

so, who will win the Tony this year, M? Christine Ebersole (in Grey Gardens) or Audra?

My heart is telling me it'll be Christine this year...the character of LIttle Edie was more of a stretch & Christine really embodied that odd character. Would love to hear your thoughts since you saw both musicals as well...