The glitz of Sin City meets the razzle-dazzle of Broadway in HONEYMOON IN VEGAS, the new musical that Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls "A classic, with a revelation of a score," cheering "You know you're listening to the sound of success."
Honeymoon in Vegas tells the story of Jack Singer, a regular guy with an extreme fear of marriage. When his girlfriend Betsy puts the pressure on, Jack finally pops the question and they head to Sin City for a whirlwind wedding weekend. But when Vegas wise guy Tommy Korman catches a glimpse of the stunning bride-to-be, and notices her uncanny resemblance to his late wife, he does everything possible to break up the romance and get his own second chance at love.
Stage and screen star Tony Danza ("Who's the Boss?," "Taxi"), Tony nominee Rob McClure (Chaplin), and Brynn O'Malley (Annie) star in this uproarious Broadway premiere with a book by Andrew Bergman (screenwriter of the hit film Honeymoon in Vegas), music by Tony winner Jason Robert Brown (The Bridges of Madison County, Parade), direction by Gary Griffin (The Color Purple), and choreography by Denis Jones (Legally Blonde). Bet the house on this insanely funny new musical full of skydiving Elvises, sexy chorus girls, red-hot romance... and really cold feet.
Here and there, 'Honeymoon in Vegas,' the musical, is better than good, with most of the good being Jason Robert Brown's very plentiful score, which shows him in a much lighter, less ponderous mood than his work on 'Parade,' 'The Last Five Years,' and 'The Bridges of Madison County'...He's committed to writing a traditional Broadway comedy score, and he fully succeeds, offering up witty lyrics with the occasionally laugh-out-loud rhymes, as well as jaunty tunes, some of which are sly riffs on beloved standards...Sad to say, the show also needs some radical recasting. Smarm needs charm, and none of the three principals have the latter...McClure doesn't delight, he just grins manically. O'Malley delivers one good silent comic moment, playing Tommy's overly tanned dead wife, but as Betsy she is made up to look like one of the more desperate Housewives of Orange County, which pretty much sums up her approach to the role. Danza can't sing or dance, but he seems to be enjoying himself immensely on stage. It's a kind of charm.
Tony Danza...engages in crowd-pleasing, low-impact tap dancing, strums a ukulele and makes a valiant effort at singing (the show's big numbers aren't written with him in mind). As it is, the most killer thing about Danza is his threads...Meanwhile, the hero, a mama's boy who self-identifies as a 'schmuck'...McClure sells this show every moment he's on stage...As Betsy, the schoolteacher eager for Jack to put a ring on it already, O'Malley has all the best qualities of a leading lady. The supporting cast members are stand-outs...Composer Brown has crafted an exceptional score, particularly in its more morbid incarnations...'I Love Betsy,' meanwhile, is as charming a curtain-raiser as I've seen this millennium, with its instantly recognizable urban homages, down to the D'Agostino delivery cart. Brown's legion of fans are apt to consider this one of his finer achievements, in spite of the source material's garish qualities...'Vegas' ends up feeling a lot like 'Bullets Over Broadway'...though at the end of the day this new musical has the benefit of a novel original score.
2014 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2017 | West End |
West End Concert Production at London Palladium West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Nancy Opel |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Jason Robert Brown |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Jason Robert Brown |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Don Sebesky |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Larry Blank |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Jason Robert Brown |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Charlie Rosen |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Scott Lehrer |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Drew Levy |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Rob McClure |
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