Two shows tied for the Tony for Best Musical in 1960. The one that City Center’s beloved Encores! series is reviving this week is definitely not “The Sound of Music.” Instead, we’re getting treated to its lesser-known co-winner, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s “Fiorello!”
This seems counterintuitive, but Encores! doesn’t traffic in enduring blockbusters. What it presents, in impeccable concert stagings for a roomful of devotees, are misshapen curios with bad books and good scores. Or once-popular hits now remembered only by hard-core fans. Or spotty tuners from pedigreed teams.
“Fiorello!” — yes, it’s about New York’s legendary mayor, Fiorello La Guardia — is a bit of all three. And its brief return will delight musical-theater freaks.
In addition to the Tony, “Fiorello!” also won the Pulitzer and ran for almost two years. Bock and Harnick are a terrific team — they wrote a little something called “Fiddler on the Roof.”
But “Fiorello!” has never been revived on Broadway. The last time it got close was the production that inaugurated Encores! in February ’94 — the new one kicks off the series’ 20th-season celebration.
The thing is, the show’s got issues. The score is a marvel of melodic tunesmithing and smart lyrics, but it doesn’t have a hit song. As for the clunky book, it spends an awful lot of time on peripheral comic-relief characters and ends with La Guardia becoming mayor.
But none of those things will get in the way of you enjoying this lively evening. Zippily staged by Gary Griffin, it boasts a high-energy turn by Danny Rutigliano as the title’s “Little Flower,” as well as terrific support from Erin Dilly as La Guardia’s steadfast secretary, Shuler Hensley as a district leader and Jenn Gambatese as a factory worker.
But as with all Encores!, it’s music that’s the real star here — not for nothing is the 28-piece orchestra in full view onstage.
While no song became a standard, Bock and Harnick seemed unable to pen anything dull.
With hilarious novelty numbers (“The Name’s La Guardia”), torchy ballads (“When Did I Fall in Love?”) and ensemble showcases for grumpy politicians (“Politics and Poker,” “Little Tin Box”), the show has a fleet-footed, quick-witted momentum. We can only wish current maladjusted musicals were half as entertaining.