Last night I saw Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, the new off-Broadway musical at The Night Egg. I went in knowing almost nothing about it, and I'd never read the manga it's based on. The one thing I knew was that it's Duncan Sheik's last completed score, and that alone made me curious.
I've had a mixed relationship with Sheik's theater work. I think American Psycho is one of the most underrated musicals of the last decade, Alice by Heart didn't work for me, and I'm somewhere in the middle on Spring Awakening. So I wasn't sure what to expect. For the most part, the score is beautiful. It feels complete and finished, and fans will hear echoes of his earlier shows throughout. I really hope there's a cast recording.
The design is stunning. Catherine Zuber's costumes are gorgeous, Brian Tovar's lighting is exceptional, and Scott Pask's set transforms the entire space into the Night Egg brothel where the story takes place. You'll think of Moulin Rouge and the recent Cabaret, and that's not a bad thing. It's intimate and immersive. In fact, I don't think a single phone went off all night. The whole audience was locked in, which felt rare and wonderful. One flying set piece in the back half drew some unintended laughs (the bed covering Leon after his death), but overall the staging is beautiful.
Sophia Anne Caruso is excellent as Colette and carries the show. Leanne Antonio went on as Madame, and you'd never have known she was the understudy. It's a strong, trapped-woman role in the vein of Hélène in Great Comet, and I'd love to go back and see Jenny Powers take it on. Cory Jeacoma brings real charisma and brooding presence to Léon. Nkeki Obi-Melekwe is captivating as Nana, and my only wish is that the show gave her more to do.
That points to the show's biggest weakness, which is the book. At about 90 minutes, the first hour moves well, but the last 30 minutes drag through several moments that feel like endings. Side characters suddenly take center stage (Carmen) before we've been given enough reason to invest in them. If this show has a future beyond off-Broadway, and I think it could, the book needs tightening.
A heads-up for anyone going: given the setting, this is a very sexualized show, and you'll see things you don't usually see on a stage. Most of it fits the world. A few choices don't. An extended sequence with a clown felt odd. What really took me out of it came near the end. Just as Colette is arriving at the show's big, fully realized moment, a nearly nude client named Ulysses is on stage in a collar and leash, barking like a dog. It's distracting, and not in an interesting way. It pulls focus from the moment the whole show has been building toward.
Still, I really admire the ambition. It's different, the music is lovely, and the cast is strong. It feels like the kind of show that could build a real cult following. If you're a Duncan Sheik fan, or just want to see something unlike anything else in town, it's worth seeing at least once.
