Susan Granger’s review of “Hot ‘n Cole” (Westport Country Playhouse ’08)
Musical revues are a staple of summer theater and director James Naughton hits many of the right notes with this tribute to Cole Porter, who wrote the music and lyrics for many top Broadway shows, like “Kiss Me Kate,” “Can-Can,” “Silk Stockings,” “Red, Hot and Blue,” “Du Barry Was a Lady” and “Gay Divorcee.”
While there’s no prevailing theme, Hugh Landwehr’s elegant set resemble a giddy party at a chic Manhattan loft. Grouped around two pianists (Mark Berman, Steven F. Silverstein), six singers, separately and together, warble a variety of ditties, often indicating their relationships.
Vocally, the men seem more deft than the women, particularly Lewis Cleale, whose Broadway credits include “Spamalot,” “Once Upon a Mattress” and “Swinging on a Star.” His rendition of “Let’s Do It” is compelling, along with the lesser-known “Tale of the Oyster” Shonn Wiley scores with “I’m a Gigolo” as does Peter Reardon with “Miss Otis Regrets.” Their combined rendition of “I Happen to Like New York” is magnificent.
Most memorable on the distaff side, there’s Whitney Bashor’s “My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” Donna Lynne Champlin’s “Get Out of Town and Andrea Dora’s “Let’s Not Talk About Love.”
While James Naughton obviously has a great affinity for the material, his cast seems to feign the requisite sophistication and world-weary nonchalance of Porter’s lyrics – and they’re stretched beyond their comfort zones by Lisa Shriver’s overly complicated choreography augmenting the 42 numbers. Purists will note that arrangers David Armstrong, Mark Waldrop and Bruce W. Coyle have changed Porter’s musical structure, often introducing dissonant jazz harmonies that are not always to the song’s advantage.
Despite these reservations, there’s no doubt that “Hot ‘n Cole” is a charming crowd-pleaser, offering diverting entertainment for a warm summer evening.