Ghost Light Monday--Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, British Television adaptation on DVD

The year 2011 is the centenary of playwright Tennessee Williams and I've been considering some sort of personal Williams project. Maybe the Year of Williams Thinking? Too derivative?

While I was a theater major in college, I have seen and read very little of Williams'
work--just the occasional film adaptation and I'm sure I had to read Glass Menagerie for some class. Oh, and I was in a production of Summer and Smoke in college. I've always had the (unsubstantiated) thought that Williams told the same couple of stories over and over. Perhaps I should read and see a little more before I make such a bold and damning statement.

Well, while I consider that project, I ran across a television adaptation of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that I thought might be interesting, so I checked it out from the library and enjoyed watching a version created for Granada Television in 1977. Such a quintessential American play seems an odd choice for the British Television company, but this was part of a series of performances produced and starring Laurence Olivier, who must have seen the role of Big Daddy as a good fit for him at the time.

The production is well done with a seasoned cast of mostly Americans. Natalie Wood is memorizing as Maggie and while I found her performance a little too twitchy even for this twitchy character, I couldn't take my eyes off her. Ms. Wood's husband Robert Wagner portrays Brick, Maggie's downward-spiralling husband. I enjoyed Mr. Wagner's performance as well. He is very still for much of it, particularly in contrast to Maggie.

If I do take on Tennessee, one question in my mind is the structure within his plays, both the overall structure and of the scenes and beats within the plays. If feel that maybe he is a good structuralist and gives actors lots of moments to build and release the tension in a scene. At least that is my first impression based on this one television version. Given the loads of Williams plays to investigate (by reading, seeing live, or viewing on film) that question alone could fuel a year's worth of discussion.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
by Tennessee Williams in 1955
This production for Granada Television produced in 1977 as part of Laurence Olivier Presents
Starring Laurence Olivier, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Maureen Stapleton

It's Always Fair Weather--film on DVD

It's pure Hollywood invention on film for today--no Broadway antecedent, unless you count On The Town which is sort of a pre-quel to It's Always Fair Weather.

The stories for both Town and Weather come from the pens of Comden and Green, who between their stage and screens credits are leading the race for the most mentions in my Year's entries. The two stories also each feature three WWII GIs; In Town it is sailors on 24-hour leave in Manhattan. In Weather, we have three soldiers who reunite 10 years after they are discharged.

I have only heard of Michael Kidd as a choreographer; I didn't know about his cinematic past. I had never heard of Dan Dailey at all, although his bio says he was a former vaudevillian who was also in the original cast of Babes in Arms on Broadway. Both have a likable screen and musical presence, although they pale a bit in comparison to Gene Kelly's wattage. I'm sure that was part of the point of their being cast.

The story of this film is very down, and the behind-the-scenes extras on the DVD rightly credits that aspect with the film's initial failure. There are some wonderful dance and musical moments, but they didn't add up to enough to draw me into this film.

One bright spot in the show is Dolores Gray who does an hysterical turn as a television talk show host and musical performer--imagine Dinah Shore meets Rachael Ray. No Rachael is too folksy, but I can't think of another female talk show host I find as cloying as Ms. Ray. Anyway, Ms. Gray is a versatile musical performer who portrayed Lalume in in the film version of Kismet, had starred as Annie Oakley in the London production of Annie Get Your Gun, and was nominated for a Tony award for Destry Rides Again on Broadway (directed and choreographed by Michael Kidd).

The late Cyd Charisse is the leading lady opposite Mr. Kelly, and while I find the dancing Ms. Charisse performs in the film to be wonderful, her character and performance left me dry. The music as provided by Andre Previn and the legendary Arthur Freed Unit--ditto.

It's Always Fair Weather
Music by Andre Previn
Book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Released by MGM in 1955
Cast: Gene Kelly, Michael Kidd, Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Dolores Grey,
Directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen

Damn Yankees film on DVD

My second Adler and Ross show this Year is Damn Yankees. Since George Abbott produced and directed both the stage versions and screen versions, I have to assume that the film is fairly true to the original, although I've never seen it on stage. Ray Walston and Gwen Verdon reprise their stage roles for the film. Jean Stapleton, in a small role, was also in both. Ms. Verdon's husband, Bob Fosse, choreographed both versions and appears in the film.

Ray Walston won the Tony for this role, and I have to say Applegate seems like a fun role, but I don't see Walston really savoring it much. Perhaps the very two-dimensional staging and camera angles are partially to blame. This seems like a role where you should chew the scenery.

Gwen Verdon as Lola proves herself the perfect embodiment of Bob Fosse's choreography, especially in the "fan club" dance they perform together toward the end of the film. I wonder if there are other examples of the two of them dancing together.

Tab Hunter is sweet as Joe Hardy and seems appropriately stymied by the more polished performances of Walston and Verdon--perhaps part of the point of casting him.

After enjoying Adler and Ross's Pajama Game so much, I was a bit disappointed in the music in this show. "You Gotta Have Heart" and "Whatever Lola Wants Lola Gets" were the only songs I had heard before. The rest of it didn't really do it for me.

A new production of Damn Yankees opens for a short run at City Center today, coincidentally. It stars Jane Krakowski as Lola, Sean Hayes as Applegate and Cheyenne Jackson as Joe Hardy. Seems like a good cast. I won't be able to get to New York to see it, but if you do, give a report.

Damn Yankees
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Ross and Richard Adler
Book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop
1958 film directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen
Cast: Gwen Verdon, Ray Walston, Tab Hunter, Jean Stapleton, Rae Allen, Robert Shafer, Shannon Bolin