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Glimpses of the Moon The Algonquin Hotel has always held a fascinating mystique for me. As a New York writer and admirer of all things entertaining, witty and just plain fabulous I’ve often had fantasies that include lunching at The Oak Room while writing the next great American novel. Of course, I’m wearing a stylish hat adorned with feathers and netting. This legacy is what makes The Oak Room an intriguing cabaret and musical theater venue. I had the opportunity to spend a very glamorous evening of theater at the famed hotel and must admit the atmosphere of the room is the thing.
“Glimpses of the Moon,” a jazz age musical, is currently running every Monday at The Oak Room through March 10th. It’s a darling little play that has the odd struggle of being a full fledged piece of musical theater staged in a small cabaret space. While it can be frustrating for the audience to temporarily lose site of a cast member, director Mark Bruni and choreographer Denis Jones do their best to stage the piece within the confines of the space and ultimately succeed. The play is kept alive by a very strong supporting cast with stand out comedic turns from Beth Glover, Laura Jordan and Glenn Peters. The energetic supporters are a much needed diversion from a clichéd and stale love story between our two dull romantic leads. This has more to do with a lack in the writing than Patti Murin and Stephen Plunkett’s performance abilities. Hey, even the romantic leads in the best of musicals can be kind of boring. We are all guilty of fast forwarding Tony and Maria’s tunes just to get to the luscious Anita and the tense rumbles in West Side Story. Aren’t we? The score, music by John Mercurio and lyrics by Tajlei Levis, works well and does its job by gleefully moving the story and characters along. The cast of pros provide a nice mix of strong voices on the group numbers. I did feel it would benefit Ms. Murin’s character if the tone of her voice were not quite so modern. For a musical that is set in 1922, Murin’s voice is distractingly contemporary and has a Broadway belting quality that compromises the shows authenticity. Overall, the show is entertaining however I would not have enjoyed it as much if it were at another venue. The Algonquin adds so much rich atmosphere which truly created a very enjoyable experience. With Valentine’s Day coming up, “Glimpses of the Moon” is a fun and original idea to surprise your sweetie with. The Oak Room provides the opportunity to impress your valentine with dapper dress, a fine meal, divine cocktails and few songs for your entertainment. So, why not do it up in style? An elegant night at The Algonquin will romance any woman of taste. For more information: www.glimpsesofthemoon.com |
