When it’s at its best, Vintage Theater’s “Bullets Over Broadway” is a quick-witted musical that’s a perfect platform for the bevy of talent on display in the cast and production crew. But the highlights are too often interspersed in lulls that knock the performance off just enough to keep it from truly hitting the mark.
“Bullets Over Broadway,” based on the 1994 non-musical black comedy by Woody Allen, takes audiences behind the scenes of a 1920’s Broadway show as insanity and hijinks ensue. The tale centers around an intellectual and uncompromising playwright who does nothing but make compromises and accept credit for the brilliance of someone else, namely a remorseless hit man named Cheech.
That hitman, played by TJ Hogle, is one of the best parts of “Bullets Over Broadway.” Hogle towers over the stage, both with his physical presence and his voice. Some of the best moments of the show are when Hogle is front and center as the hired killer turned budding playwright.
The playwright riding Cheech’s coatilas is David, played by Damon Guerrasio. As is the case of all Allen movies, David is a cutout for the director himself and Guerrasio does his best to bring the neuroses and philandering to life.
An able singer, Guerrasio is at his best comedically when he’s interacting with Bernie Cardell, David’s producer (and the Vintage Theater’s artistic director) and Mary McGroary’s egotistical actress, Helen Sinclair. Both McGoary and Cardell seem to be having too much fun with their characters, with the former seeing to relish every chance to go over the top on her performance, with the latter taking every single opportunity presented for double takes and comedic pauses.
One of the compromises pushed on David is the inclusion of a mobster’s girlfriend in the show, a cheese-grating level annoying character named Olive, whose lack of talent is only matched by her gargantuan ego. Adrianne Hampton strikes the perfect blend of conceited and dimwitted. She handles with aplomb the task of being a good singer who is intentionally singing horribly.
Although she has only a few scenes, Colby Dunn, as David’s girlfriend, Ellen, is one of the best things “Bullets Over Broadway” has going. Dunn is a vocal dynamo, and she doesn’t hold anything back when she’s given the chance to show off. After her first number, it was a disappointment to thumb through the program and see she only had a couple of songs left to go.
While there’s much to love, a big knock against “Bullets Over Broadway,” and in a way its true saving grace, is it takes awhile for all the moving pieces in the musical to get up and humming. It’s an ambitious production, with multiple dance and musical numbers featuring a densely populated ensemble. It seemed to start lumbering out of the gate while it tried to find a rhythm during the first few numbers. Luckily by the time the curtain rose on the second act, the entire production had found its groove and the manic comedy on stage was hitting all the notes.
Three out of five stars
“Bullets Over Broadway” at the Vintage Theater. Playing now through May 27. For more information or tickets, visit www.vintagetheatre.org or call 303-856-7830.