Choreography by Joshua Bergasse (outstanding in On the Town), has moments of imagination, though plenty of animation. Natasha Katz’s lighting efficiently shifts to the beach sequences and brings some of the old-time glamour of Maxim’s, with a ubiquitous Can-Can. Strangely, we still see the Eiffel Tower in the background. Nevertheless, it is not a show-stopper and the book and score of Gigi lack the joy and spark of other Lerner and Loewe shows, even with the soap bubble shower at the end.ĭerek McLane’s set is a cast-iron structure resembling the foundation of the Eiffel Tower with cast-iron stairs. While the score itself does not compare with Camelot or My Fair Lady, four additional songs by Alan Jay Lerner (books and lyrics) and composer Frederick Loewe were added to the stage production, including, “In This Wide, Wide World,” which ends the show. ” Always ebullient is the jaunty “The Night They Invented Champagne,” inspiring Mamita, Gigi and Gaston to dance around the apartment when Gaston offers to take them to the beach at Trouville. They recall the good old days in a duet of “I Remember It Well” and, later, agree “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore. Howard McGillin is likeable as Honoré Lachaille, a boulevardier and once Mamita’s suitor. While Hudgens has a strong voice, it is unsure and uninteresting in renditions like “The Parisians.” Cott delivers a lush version of the title song. Even after they fall in love, there is little charisma to speak of between the two. Gigi’s love interest, the blasé “sugar prince” and man-about-town, Gaston Lacgaille, is now younger and played by Corey Cott ( Newsies)who looks barely out of college. Hoty is convincing as a haughty former courtesan and knows the techniques of luring wealthy men, acquiring the finest jewels, and living the high life. For final touches of sophistication, Mamita relies on her sister, Alicia (Dee Hoty). She lives with her grandmother, Mamita, played with engaging warmth by Victoria Clark. In her Broadway debut, Gigi is portrayed by a super-gamine Vanessa Hudgens ( High School Musical), whose childish playfulness and animated twirling makes her more like a hyperactive ‘tween than a bewitching pixie. Sort of creepy and therefore under Eric Schaeffer’s direction, the song is performed here as a duet by Gigi’s grandmother, Mamita, and cosmopolitan great-aunt Alicia.īased on Colette’s novel, Gigi was originally a 15-year-old girl in training to find a rich lover and become a courtesan and now, to avoid political incorrectness, Heidi Thomas’ ( Call the Midwife) current adaption, Gigi is upgraded to age 18. There are, admittedly, some pluses, like the belle époque charm of Paris with lush pastel costumes by Catherine Zuber, enduring songs like “The Night They Invented Champagne” and “I Remember It Well.”Īlso to remember, “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” made famous in the film by the Maurice Chevalier playing an aging libertine strolling in a park. It is there where Marie Antoinette and King Louis the 16th as well as many others had their heads chopped off in the guillotine while mobs of people watched and cheered.With outstanding classic musical productions like On the Town, The King and I and An American in Paris to choose from, Gigi, is a No-No. It was there, probably right where the fountain is, that they had the Guillotine and platform during the Revolution of the late 18th century/1789. And very significant to the history of Paris. I loved being there when I visited, except for that heavy traffic and with crowds everywhere it can be a bit dizzying. This is considered the very heart of Paris, the very middle dead center of Paris. It sorta didn't look like Place De La Concorde because it's at night and you can't see the other stuff like the Obelisk and the Hotel Crillon, etc. It was always a tourist-beloved site and you can see the fountain and the Place (town center) in many postcards and illustrations of travel books of the period (1900/1901-1911) turn of the century. Gigi takes place in the year 1900, and it was definitely there. The fountain has been at the Place De La Concorde for many many years.
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