I never would have predicted it, but it seems the American musical isn't in such a bad state after all. After the recent triumph of the surprise charmer The Full Monty on Broadway, here we have the belle of them all, A Class Act, which is to mind, the most original and affecting musical since Hedwig And The Angry Inch. There's true magic in it, and I suspect it's because its creators threw away all the stupid notes on how a musical is supposed to manipulate its audience. More than any show (musical or play) I can recall in recent memory, it has its finger on the pulse of why theater is so important and why we desperately need to get back to the basics. Blessedly free of cynicism, beautifully acted and filled with lovely songs that complement each and every action, this gem is exactly the kind of thing we need on our stages.
Based on the life of Edward Kleban, best known as the lyricist for A Chorus Line, A Class Act follows his unruly life from his early origins as a struggling composer to his cancer-ridden final days which lead to his funeral, which is where the play begins. Attended by his closest friends, as well as his two true loves, we hear of his life as a musician, which was not all roses, as one might suspect. This alone is the show's masterstroke. Rather than creating some ass-kissing, tired puff piece about a "great" man who did so many great things, here is an objective, humanly realized portrait of a somewhat failed dreamer. Kleban wrote several unproduced musicals (which create the wonderful tunes for this show) and was a difficult man. He refused to ride elevators out of paranoia, smoked two packs a day, treated the women in his life poorly, and was a stubborn collaborator. And the remarkable thing is, A Class Act knows all this and uses it to its advantage. It doesn't pretend everything he did was right or warranted just because he co-wrote A Chorus Line. It is a heartfelt and understanding piece about an artist and a human being, and despite Kleban's sometimes brittle personality, makes you embrace this man simply for trying to do what he wished to.
Much of the credit for this extremely well-developed musical must go to co-writer/star Lonny Price. An accomplished actor and director, he is still best known for being the nerdy Neil Kellerman in "Dirty Dancing" to U.S. audiences. Hopefully after this, that will be no more. (Reportedly, Price stepped into the role of Kleban after another actor walked, and God bless that unlucky actor for doing that. This is not an easy role to play. Being quirky without veering into obnoxiousness and creating someone viewers will have to follow and somehow respect for 2.5 hours is a real test, especially in a biographical play. But Price does it, and with complete ease and admirable restraint.) They could have made this man a one-note Woody Allen clone (Price even resembles him a little here), but Price gives him an unmistakable dignity. His graciousness with his fellow actors is a treasure, and they are every bit as good as he is.
Nancy Kathryn Anderson, Jonathan Freeman, David Hibbard, Ray Wills, and the ferocious Julia Murney all give finely detailed portrayals, but the show is stolen by two of their co-stars, who give performances as rich as any I've ever seen on stage. That might sound hyperbolic, but it isn't, because I'm often arrested not by what actors do, but what they don't do, and Carolee Carmello and Randy Graff (as Kleban's life loves) fit that bill perfectly. Another of the show's strengths is having two romantic interests that are both, well
.interesting. Graff plays Kleban's first and arguably more adored of the two, and her quiet adoration for Kleban is completely palpable every time she appears. Her one solo number, "Next Best Thing to Love," is as good anything in A Chorus Line but would mean nothing if it didn't have Graff's exquisite gravity. In a song lasting mere minutes, she conveys this woman's entire being, and it's wonderful to behold. And speaking of wonderful, I don't know if any actress alive can make one beam with joy the way Carolee Carmello does. A stunning, relative newcomer to the stage, she positively radiates with good cheer. Simply in the way she looks at her co-stars in this production can melt the iciest of hearts. If the play has a flaw, it's that Carmello doesn't get a number of her own here, but carping about such matters is absolutely ridiculous in a show that gets everything just right.
Now, realizing this is a Manhattan Theater Club production (and boy have they had a great year) and possibly a prep for Broadway, I will cast my vote for its transfer right away. But in a way, the show seems exactly realized as it is. There's something gratifying about the old-fashionedness of A Class Act, something I suspect many people won't appreciate in this age of cynical cowardice. And though Broadway seems to be getting its act together lately, this show may still be a little too perfect to share with the masses. It's the kind of thing you want to be all yours, so whenever you're sitting through your umpteenth horrible hackwork play or musical of the season, there's always one to remind you why you got in the game in the first place. A Class Act truly deserves its title.
