Director/choreographer Warren Carlyle of Finian's Rainbow and associate producers/casting directors Nikole Vallins and Jay Binder found their pot of gold at the end of their rainbow: Their sensational cast.
The Broadway revival of Yip Harburg/Burton Lane/Fred Saidy's 1947 fantasy musical, Finian's Rainbow just transferred to the St. James from its Encores! concert has such perfectly cast leads as Olivier and Tony winner Jim Norton (The Seafarer), Kate Baldwin, charismatic Cheyenne Jackson, and multi-talented dynamo Christopher Fitzgerald. The show has great voices in Baldwin and Jackson; however, they are not alone. Who knew Norton and Fitzgerald could put over songs so well?
Luckily, it also boasts a magical score that ranges from beguiling ballads and blues to spirited gospel. It includes such now-classic tunes as "Old Devil Moon," "If This Isn't Love," "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?," "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love (I Love the Girl I'm Near)," "Necessity," "That Great Come and Get It Day," "The Begat," and "Look to the Rainbow."
The 30+ cast includes more than its share of scene stealers: Fitzgerald, not so long ago wowing audiences as Young Frankenstein's Igor (Tony, Drama Desk Featured noms), as Og the leprechaun; stage/screen veteran David Schramm and power bass Chuck Cooper (Tony, Featured Actor, The Life; Caroline, or Change) as the bigoted/benevolent Senator Hawkins; veteran belter back on the Main Stem for the first time in nearly 30 years, Terri White; and former ABT dancer Alina Faye. Add to this the sensational dance ensemble, which boasts those awesome high leapers Tyler Frey, Tyrick Wiltez Jones, Joe Aaron Reid, and Steve Schepis.
Finian's Rainbow is the whimsical, socially conscious story that literally dances (thanks to Faye) between romance, satire, and fairy tale. Set in the mythical Deep South state of Missitucky, an Irish dreamer, Finian (Norton) arrives with a pot of stolen gold from the end of a rainbow and beautiful daughter, Sharon (Baldwin). Complications ensue - like romance, with Woody (Jackson), a farmer just back from adventures in NYC to save his land; and land grabbing in the wake of the TVA.
In an era when segregation was in place, black and white mingle, socialize, and dance together - most likely because this is a Broadway fantasy musical. Bigotry does raise its ugly head in the form of a robust Senator who attempts to seize Woody's land.
Og, the pesky leprechaun, arrives in search of his gold and finds he's becoming human. This is something he resists, as it will mean the loss of his magical powers, until he falls for Sharon. Standing a bit too close to the buried treasure, she makes a wish that turns the plot topsy-turvy and a white man black - and, eventually, vice versa.
"There are major differences between the Encores! staging," says Carlyle, "and Broadway. Arthur Perlman adapted the Harburg/Saidy book from David Ives' Encores! revised book. I've built on my original concept by re-imagining every design element."
Tony/Drama Desk-winning designer John Lee Beatty (with 14 DD and 12 Tony noms) has created a fully realized set, which is filled with Toni-Leslie James's eye-popping costumes (over 200 of 'em). The orchestra has moved from stage to the pit. "The latter decision provided me with more opportunities to fully choreograph," adds Carlyle. "In addition, bits of magic have been incorporated."
One element of the original production remains: Robert Russell Bennett and Don Walker's orchestrations. Music direction is by Rob Berman (Pajama Game revival), also on Broadway with Irving Berlin's White Christmas.
Though it's said that this Rainbow is the first Broadway revival of the classic musical in nearly 50 years, that's not literally true. After running an impressive 725 performances and winning three Tonys, including one for David Wayne, portraying Og, and legendary choreographer Michael Kidd, in his Broadway debut, it was revived twice in limited engagements by the then City Center Light Opera Company, once on Broadway at the 46th Street Theater, now the Richard Rodgers.
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