A Tutor, a Triangle and Hearts That Sing


By BEN BRANTLEY
Published: November 18, 2005

Bravely flouting centuries of accepted scientific theory, the creators of "The Woman in White" have set out to prove that the world is flat after all. Inspired by the spine-tingling Wilkie Collins novel of 1860, this latest work from the poperetta king Andrew Lloyd Webber, which opened last night at the Marquis Theater, seems to exist willfully and unconditionally in two dimensions.

It's not just that this import from London, directed by Trevor Nunn and designed by William Dudley, has rejected a conventional set in favor of computer-animated projections that make you feel as if you're trapped inside a floating upscale travel magazine. It's that everything concerned with this reshaping of a landmark English mystery novel (adapted by the playwright Charlotte Jones, with lyrics by David Zippel) gives the sense of having been subjected to a similar process of flattening and compression.

Plot, characters, words and most of the performances in this tale of love, deception and unspeakable secrets in Victorian England emanate the aura of autumn leaves ironed into crisp immobility between sheets of waxed paper. There is, of course, Lord Lloyd Webber's music, which swirls and slides and glides its way into your inner ear, where it will rest for many a day, whether you want it to or not.

But even the music has the feeling of freeze-dried Lloyd Webber motifs to which water has been added for the occasion. Like the show's visuals, its sounds - with British folk and liturgical accents, along with occasional atonal ominousness, spicing the usual melodic stew - tantalize with a promise of substance that is seldom delivered.

Before we go further, let's cut to the real drama of "The Woman in White," which has nothing to do with ghostly apparitions in churchyards and virgins in jeopardy. As was reported in this newspaper, the show's star, Maria Friedman, received a diagnosis of Stage 1 breast cancer on Oct. 31, and after performing in only five of the show's previews, underwent surgery. A week later she was back onstage, in a physically and vocally taxing role.

In the best tradition of backstage stories of determination and triumph, Ms. Friedman, a longtime favorite of London musical audiences, makes an impeccably professional Broadway debut. Portraying Marian Halcombe, the plainer and cleverer of two sisters exploited for evil ends by a sinister nobleman, Ms. Friedman is required to be incorrigibly perky and to scamper a lot in heavy period dresses, a form of movement that should be forced upon no one over 12.

But when she sings of hope and heartbreak and honorable vengeance for dirty deeds, her deeply expressive voice has the sheen of emotional truth. Ms. Friedman's Marian clearly believes every word she sings. Would that the audience could share her conviction.

Lord Lloyd Webber has described his latest score as his most operatic and complex. And when the show begins, amid clouds of stage smoke, Lloyd Webber fans may be slightly disappointed by the fragmented, dissonant quality of the music, more reminiscent of Benjamin Britten's "Peter Grimes" than of "The Phantom of the Opera."

But within 10 minutes, that familiar glucose sweep of melody has begun. And while the score periodically wanders into less sweetly harmonic territory, as in a wedding sequence that turns the carol "The Holly and the Ivy" into a dirge out of a Hammer horror movie, you can always feel the music ready to return to its natural valentine frilliness.

If in Lloyd Webber productions like "Cats" (the longest-running musical on Broadway) and "Phantom" (poised to surpass "Cats" for that same distinction) the music seems on the verge of segueing into an aria by Puccini, in "The Woman in White" you often expect the songs to mutate into older Lloyd Webber beauties like "Memory" and "All I Ask of You."

Such numbers are here mostly sung by the love triangle made up of Ms. Friedman's Marian, her beauteous half sister, Laura Fairlie (Jill Paice), and Walter Hartright (Adam Brazier), the handsome young man who comes to tutor the girls (orphans, of course) in art on the grand country estate of their hypochondriacal uncle (Walter Charles). (A shriller counterpoint is provided by a pre-Raphaelite madwoman, screeched by Angela Christian as the title character.) Though much of the novel's tension stems from feelings repressed or unacknowledged, the characters here find their hearts right away. Belonging to Lloyd Webber land, those hearts refuse to stay quiet.



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MOST HELPFUL READER REVIEW
The Lady in White Masterpiece, December 22, 2005

Reviewer: mariojuarez
“The Woman in White” was well worth the trip from California to New York. The incorporation of the visual projections with the theatrical sets was magnificent and spellbinding. From the moment that the set started to breath and became alive I was taken back to another time and another place for a fine evening of theatre. Not knowing anything about the plot or having read the novel I was taken by the mystery of the Woman in White and the unfolding of the truths that would be revealed by the end of this musical experience. The great ensemble cast on the evening of December 15, 2005 was flawless with the wonderful music and a magnificent orchestra. There were technical problems with the set this evening and thus a break in the play. This break provided a few moments to contemplate the reality of the moment and the special theatrical evening that can only be found on Broadway, the show went on. Bravo to everyone associated with the realization of this grand musical. I am looking forward to revisiting this play many more times. Sincerely Mario-Valdez Juarez / Hollywood,
California.

iew from London, December 26, 2005
Reviewer: 2cineaste
With other visiting Americans, this viewer enjoyed "The Woman in White" on the West End in September chiefly because of its scenic innovation resulting in cinematic fluidity.

A hearing of the free compact disc distributed to those leaving the Palace Theater reveals that the musical score that traveled to Broadway might be better than originally perceived. First impressions found the music very reminiscent of "Phantom of the Opera," but a second hearing disproves that.

Performances (sans Michael Crawford) were substantial in all departments and the evening offered a thought-provoking and entertaining theater piece.



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. . . .
See it! (But not for the music...), October 31, 2005
Reviewer: tljcarr
Andrew Lloyd Weber's latest production qualifies as a show that fans of his--and of quality theater--should definitely see, but typical of Sir Andrew's offerings, the staging and performances overwhelm the story and the music:

A well-done use of computer graphics creates fascinating visual effects that everyone should find impressive--even those who liken it to a video game projected on a very large screen. It allowed the actors to be quickly transported to many different locations that traditional staging could not have done.

The performers--from the leads to the ensemble--were uniformly excellent. Both the cast from London and the new players all ooze talent and offer powerful performances.

Even the Victorian story was captivating. Characters were well developed and the twists and turns of the plot line held everyone's interest.

Only the music fell short. While the score was certainly original, it was far from compelling. I had two particular disappointments. The intermingling of complex symphonic tone poem passages with cutesy jingles more like those you'd expect from Beauty and the Beast was off-putting. And several numbers, which clearly had little to do with advancing the story, were inserted to showcase lead characters. While entertaining shtick, they were pointless.

Bottom line: The things that impressed you in past ALW offerings will impress you here. The things that let you down, unfortunately, still do!


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. . . .
Brantley's Folly, November 18, 2005
Reviewer: anovich22
Ben, what has happened to you? Are you taking curmudgeon pills? It's not that you trash Woman in White, which, while not ALW's best effort, is still at least a decent one. It's that you neglect to heap praise on the formidible work done in the area of set design. These computer generated graphics which become THE show are so stunning that they left me totally in awe, and I am not a young girl! It is the principal reason for anyone to see the show, and in my humble opinion, well worth the price of admission. This show is stunning to look at, not at all bad to hear, and much better than most of the stuff we see each year. The average theatergoer will be seeing this long after Sweeney has closed due to lack of interest, good reviews or not. Ben, one must give high praise to work which supercedes anything that has ever been done before, and Woman in White is unique in this regard.

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. . . .
Extraordinary! See It!, November 9, 2005
Reviewer: gioia1
I was fortunate enough to see the show on the first night of previews, and I was blown away. All the leads give fantastic performances, especially Maria Friedman, Angela Christian and Jill Paice. The show has an exciting mystery at the fore, but the show really belongs to Friedman’s character, Marian. You really feel for her and Friedman brings a great sense of humanity and realism to the role. The projection sets take a few minutes to adjust your eyes to, but are used to great effect. Go see this show if you want to see something serious and romantic on Broadway. The score is ambitious, lush, and filled with some great melodies that will fill your head after you’ve left the theater, in a GOOD way. If you liked Phantom, you will love this show.

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. . . .
The future is here, set in the past, November 12, 2005
Reviewer: sprecherl
Saw TLIW two weeks ago in London. A great piece of threater. ALWs music is wonderful, as always. His tendency to give you more music than needed is still there, too. The adaptaion of a Victorian pot-boiler works better than seems possible. But the real star of the show is the virtual sets. For the first few minutes the projected scenery is distracting. After that you don't even notice them. The scenery literally flows. This is the future for many large productions. Go see this show!

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. . . .
Best Musical of 2005, November 22, 2005
Reviewer: cats1939
I loved the musical "The Woman In White". The music was beautiful, the stage setings were spectacular, the performers were superb, especially Maria Friedman. This show is a definite must see. Ignore Brantley's scorching review. He is off the wall.

HB

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. . . .
almost left!, October 29, 2005
Reviewer: muggydoo
Interesting to say the least. Opening night was very exciting. Lot's of hub-bub, glitz and glitter. Just a shame the 1st half of the show was as boring as a Knicks' game. Many folks left the theater at intermission and I was almost amongst them. Glad we stayed for the 2nd half. Rated the show a 4 or 5 before intermission and finally gave it a 7+. (Generous). Not one of ALW's best. Could be one of his worst My prediction- won't last 12 months if that. Shame because the cast is outstanding.

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. . . .
ALW tight and scaled down, November 24, 2005
Reviewer: ellen1515
ALW doesn't always impress me -- the more grandiose the staging, the less I seem to like it. Evita was the last one I truly enjoyed-- Cats was so mainstream and Phantom so flamboyant. But Woman in White is more like seeing a well-staged play with a decent plot, executed by good performers, and oh yes, the music is better than tolerable! I found the lyrics worth listening to, clever at times--and to disagree mildly with one other reviewer, they were going for comedy a good deal of the time and it works. This show will never be bogged down with the peer pressure I felt when I didn't like Phantom (didn't you just love it??? asked my friends) You are free to enjoy its light comedy and unimportant but enjoyable music. I found the computerized set interesting but also suspect -- once designers get the hang of it, will it become the new alternative to hammers and nails? See the show, it's fun.

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. . . .

The Woman in White
Average Reader Rating: (3.39 stars, 112 votes)
Number of Reviews: 13


Show Reviews By:
Newest | Most Helpful | Highest Rating

andrew lloyd webber, November 10, 2005
Reviewer: gtclooney
So you go in to this play expecting an andrew lloyd webber. Something with a fantastic musical score and a play that grabs your attention and one that you can't wait to see again when you drag all your friends to it. What you get is a play. A play that isn't awful or boring, but it feels like just another play. You don't walk out humming your favorite song or wondering about a character's intentions, you just leave and say "that was nice." Maybe I expected too much, but I would choose to see something else.

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. . . .
Worst musical ever!, November 20, 2005
Reviewer: hogghigh
I'm not the usual Andrew Lloyd Webber basher but this musical is just plain awful. The music is re-hashed Phantom of the Opera. The lyrics are insipid. I can't believe some of the reviews have actually been favorable. I left at intermission as did 50 other people. It's a good thing for them that this is at the Marriott because it's the only crowd they can count on to come consistently. I don't mean to sound harse but this was the worst musical I have ever seen.

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. . . .
I can't recommend this show to anyone, December 5, 2005
Reviewer: rainrainy
I saw Woman in White on Saturday night and disliked it immensely. The music was not at all memorable, the recitative was ridiculous, and the actors had no time (or direction) to develop their characters. The plot was too convoluted for a musical and the staging was too harried to allow for any emotional attachment.

I felt that ALW was repeating himself with several of the songs (although not very successfully), and even Trevor Nunn was repeating much of the staging he used in Oklahoma!

Although people have commented on the staging, I feel it was more of a distraction than an assistant to the plot. Once again, feeling that TN was repeating his staging from Oklahoma, the few set pieces in the virtual world always felt small and insignificant against the bigger sky. That worked on the Plains of America, but not in the dark, often clouded land of England. A friend who saw it in previews also said that the large screens moving back and forth were really distracting from the balcony.

I wouldn't recommend this play to anyone.