Susan Granger’s review of “Curtains” (Al Hirschfeld Theater)
“Curtains” is a rare kind of hybrid: a murder-mystery musical. It originated in the mind of the late librettist Peter Stone (“1776,” “Will Rogers Follies”), who developed it with composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb (collaborators on “Cabaret” & “Chicago”) before Ebb died. Rupert Holmes (“The Mystery of Edwin Drood”) then took over, teaming with Kander and director Scott Ellis (“And the World Goes Round,” “Steel Pier”).
For this love letter to showbiz and the theater, it’s been a bumpy road to Broadway.
The show opens in Boston, where the talentless leading lady of lackluster new musical-within-a-musical, a wretched Western called “Robbin’ Hood” and set in the Indian Territory of Kansas, is murdered during her curtain call on opening night. When a stage-struck police detective, Frank Cioffi (David Hyde Pierce of “Spamalot” and TV’s “Frasier”), arrives backstage to investigate, he immediately falls in love with the star’s winsome understudy (Jill Paice) and is determined to save the show. Meanwhile, the show’s brassy producer (Debra Monk) wants the lyricist (Karen Ziemba) to take over the star’s role, much to the chagrin of her frustrated collaborator (Jason Danieley), the hapless director (droll Edward Hibbert) and ambitious ingénue (Megan Sikora). Plaguing them all is a ruthless theater critic, the butt of a hilarious number, “What kind of man?”
The creative team includes crotch-centric choreographer Rob Ashford, set designer Anna Louizos, costume designer William Ivey Long, lighting designer Peter Kaczorowski, sound designer Brian Ronan. Although derivative of “Oklahoma,” “42nd Street,” “Kiss Me Kate” and “Annie Get Your Gun,” it’s filled with bouncy numbers, double-entendres and amiable good fun.
But the most memorable song is a plaintive ballad, “I Miss the Music,” sung by Jason Danieley but poignantly evocative of Fred Kander’s loss of his long-time collaborator Fred Ebb.