Review: Pamela’s First Musical (Two River Theater)
Two decades ago, Wendy Wasserstein had a dream. That dream became a children’s book, and that children’s book became the ear-catching and colorful stage show “Pamela’s First Musical,” which had its world premiere at Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey. With book by Wasserstein and Christopher Durang, music by Cy Coleman, and lyrics by David Zippel, the show is a love letter to Broadway and a touching reminder of why so many of us chose a life in the theatre — or rather, why theatre chose us — at a young age. The text is brimming with references to other musicals, and features a show within a show that includes nods to “The Sound of Music,” “Annie,” and “Oliver!” to name a few. Director and choreographer Graciela Daniele delivers all the necessary camp and pizzazz, but also gives us beautiful moments of stillness.
The story follows an imaginative young girl named Pamela, played by 12-year-old Sarah McKinley Austin, who has lost her mother and feels misunderstood by her father (Howard McGillan.) Three-time Tony nominee Carolee Carmello plays Pamela’s eccentric Aunt Louise, who whisks her away from Connecticut to New York for the day to see her first Broadway musical. Pamela starts to feel like she’s “Where All the Pieces Fit” once she meets a fabulous brigade of theatre folk, including David Garrison as producer Bernie S. Gerry, Michael Mulheren as director Hal Hitner, and Andréa Burns as Broadway diva Mary Ethel Bernadette. Mr. Garrison’s deliciously-executed performance of “I Know What I Like,” a critique of theatre critics, is a definite highlight.
Ms. Austin holds her own among a cast of Tony nominees, giving a crystal clear performance vocally and emotionally. However, the obvious standout is Ms. Carmello, whose colorful performance is offbeat and charming. She lands every joke, note, and physical moment with such beauty and ease. In a tender moment on a motorized scooter, Pamela hugs her aunt’s waist, and the look in Ms. Carmello’s eyes communicates so much — undying love and understanding for her niece, a possible longing for a child of her own, perhaps a glimpse of remembrance of herself as a child.
The scenic design by David Gallo and Viveca Gardiner is striking, save for a precarious-looking staircase in the show-within that made me sweat any time Ms. Burns was required to run up or dance down the steps in her character heels. “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” indeed. The lighting by David Lander was impeccable, particularly in the second act when the stage is illuminated by a ghost light. It sets an appropriate emotional tone for Aunt Louise’s showstopping ballad “It Started With a Dream” as well as Pamela’s heartwarming reunion with her father in “You Make Me Proud.” Ms. Daniele makes excellent use of the rounded area at the lip of the stage downstage of the pit, especially in the introduction to New York, “Manhattan Moves Me.” Some of Gabriel Berry’s extraordinary costume designs, a delightful mix of modern and vintage, are on parade in this number, though my personal favorite piece in the show is Aunt Louise’s fabulous sequined jacket.
“Pamela’s First Musical” transported me back to when I was a similarly precocious child seeing my first Broadway musical, a feeling of nostalgia that is, to me, more than worth the price of admission. While the show is written for a theatre-savvy crowd, it can still be enjoyed thoroughly whether this is your first musical or your thousand-and-first.
Through October 7 at Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ
