New York, New York
St. James Theater, New York City ★★☆☆
The true star of Broadway’s New York,
New York is “right there in the title,” said Naveen Kumar in Variety. The new musical, which piled up nine Tony nominations last week, is “a love letter to Manhattan so unabashed that its vibe might be best expressed in cityscape and heart-eye emojis.” Adapted very loosely from the 1977 Martin Scorsese film of the same name, New York, New York “has much of what Broadway lovers would want from such a musical.” Broadway titans John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote most of its songs, including the title theme, made eternal by Frank Sinatra and
performed here as “a big-band finale turned audience sing-along.” In a story set just after World War II, a flailing white musician played by Colton Ryan and an aspiring Black singer played by Anna Uzele provide the central romantic drama. But the show tracks a wide range of bright-eyed folks chasing their dreams. “Cynical? These New Yorkers? Fuhgeddaboudit!”
“Sadly, none make much of an impression,” said Elisabeth Vincentelli in The New York Times. This “surprisingly dull” show mires its characters in “a syrupy muck of good sentiments and civic cheerleading.” The central love affair lacks conflict or spark, and as each of the various other stories unfolds, “any sign of wrinkle has been smoothed out.” The show’s relentless rah-rah tone becomes all the more frustrating because the famous lyrics of the title song caution against overoptimism, noting that the city, not the dream, may dictate an individual’s fate here. That tension has vanished. “In this rose-colored vision, trials are temporary, everybody gets along, and nobody runs up against New York’s bad side.”