Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents' musical, Do I Hear a Waltz?, is rarely produced -- and for good reason, as the revival at the George Street Playhouse demonstrates. Laurents' book, based on his The Time of the Cuckoo, is characterized by trite situations and some unappealing characters. Leona Samish (Penny Fuller) an unmarried American school teacher, travels alone to Venice with dreams of romance. Staying at a pensione owned and operated by Floria (Lynn Cohen), Leona is stuck with fellow American tourists (Robert Levine, Luce Ennis) who make up their own daily sightseeing agenda, and a young American artist and his wife (Todd Gearhart, Anna Belknap) who are having marital trouble. Her guide is young Mario (Nicholas Cutro), an Italian street kid. When she meets handsome Italian shopkeeper Renato DiRossi (Charles Cioffi), she is ready for a diversion. Discovering that DiRossi is married and broke, she continues their relationship against her better judgment and finds love. The book is not only dated but also dull. The score, by Rodgers and Sondheim, is not up to the standards of these giants of the American musical theater. With the exception of the lovely title song, the ballad "Take The Moment" and the sardonic "We're Gonna' Be Alright," the score is pedestrian. Unfortunately, so is the production at George Street.
While Cioffi is excellent and Fuller tries hard, the remaining principals are inadequate. Ms. Cohen is far too old for the suggested dalliance with the young artist. She cannot sing, and most of the laugh lines are missed. On the other hand, Ms. Belknap plays the young wife as an adolescent rather than a woman striving to save her second marriage. Moreover, she lacks the vocal strength necessary for her musical numbers. Mr. Gearhart fares better vocally, but he is entirely too one dimensional as the faithless husband. Young Mr. Cutro is satisfactory as the street urchin, and Carla Bianco is a delight as the slovenly maid. Inconsistent production values also hurt.
While the setting by James Youmans is excellent, musical director and arranger Sean Patrick Flahaven have problems coordinating the music with the vocalists at times, causing the singers to speed up to correct the obvious gaffes. Both Laurents and Sondheim made changes for the George Street production, but Do I Hear a Waltz? underscores that certain flop shows should not be revived.
