Review Roundup: Critics Visit DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES Starring Kelli O'Hara & Brian d'Arcy James

Atlantic Theater Company presents the world premiere musical Days of Wine and Roses. Adapted from the 1962 film and original 1958 teleplay, the new musical features a book by Tony Award nominee Craig Lucas, music & lyrics by Tony Award winner Adam Guettel, and direction by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif. Read reviews for the new musical here!

Days of Wine and Roses stars Kelli O'Hara (The King and I) and Brian d'Arcy James (Into the Woods), with Steven Booth (Tina: the Tina Turner Musical), Sharon Catherine Brown (Caroline, or Change), Bill English (Anything Goes), Nicole Ferguson (Merrily We Roll Along), Olivia Hernandez (Plaza Suite), Byron Jennings (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), David Jennings (Tina: the Tina Turner Musical), Ted Koch (To Kill A Mockingbird), Ella Dane Morgan (Waitress), Scarlett Unger (Off-Broadway debut), and Kelcey Watson (The Oresteia).

On June 23, 24, and 25 Kelli O'Hara will not be appearing in Days of Wine and Roses. The role of Kirsten Arnesen will be played by Elena Shaddow (The Visit) at these four performances.

Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'Arcy James star in a searing new musical about a couple falling in love in 1950's New York and struggling against themselves to rebuild a family.

Adapted from JP Miller's 1962 film and original 1958 teleplay, composer & lyricist Adam Guettel (Floyd Collins) and playwright Craig Lucas (An American in Paris) reunite in their first collaboration since their acclaimed The Light in the Piazza. A world premiere musical directed by Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen).

Days of Wine and Roses features choreography by Sergio Trujillo & Karla Puno Garcia, scenic design by Lizzie Clachan, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design by Kai Harada, music direction by Kimberly Grigsby, music contractor Antoine Silverman, orchestrations by Adam Guettel, additional orchestrations by Jamie Lawrence, hair and wigs by David Brian Brown, and casting by The Telsey Office; Craig Burns, CSA. Judith Schoenfeld serves as the production stage manager. 

Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York Times: Lucas (book) and Guettel (music and lyrics) occasionally presume the audience’s familiarity with the plot, or steer so far clear of melodrama that they veer into emotional aridity. But they also capture unmistakably the bliss that Kirsten and Joe feel inside their bubble of a threesome: just the two of them and alcohol, throwing a private party that goes on and on.

Peter Marks, The Washington Post: The song soars with their drunken rising spirits, the permission that singing it together gives them to just let go of shame and inhibition. Rarely does a piece of music define so profoundly the benefits of a mood swing engendered by artificial means. And rarely, either, does a musical commit so generously to the synergy between star-crossed central characters. Besides Lila, the only other complex character is Kirsten’s taciturn father, portrayed with an intriguingly enigmatic ache by Byron Jennings. Morgan’s Lila is herself a splendidly specific portrait of the daughter of alcoholics, a child who has to learn not only that grown-ups are not reliable, but also that she has to be a parent to them.

Chris Jones, The New York Daily News: At this juncture, “Days of Wine and Roses” has two beautiful performances from mature actors (Byron Jennings plays the father), whose exquisite instruments fill the tiny Atlantic theater space. It has a suite of beautiful songs, although it lacks a fully introspective, cumulative ballad for both of its lead characters, the provision of which would be a great improvement. Some of the lyrics strike me as overly situational, although perhaps inevitably so. Still, we look to Guettel always for the big picture and alcoholism is a wonderful subject for his artistry, given its paradoxical combination of inherited vulnerability and the drinker’s making of lousy choices. Those are the songs that still need to fully arrive although, heaven knows, there are glimmers already:

Rex Reed, Observer: It arrives with impressive credentials. The score is by Adam Guettel, who is as much of a draw as the piece and its history, but his reluctance to write anything melodic or memorable enough to invite a dreaded comparison to his immortal grandfather Richard Rodgers robs the show of anything that might be labeled beautiful. Call me old school or old fashioned, but I like musicals with songs composed of clever verses, moving harmonies, and resonating refrains. I loved the music he wrote for his career-changing Light in the Piazza, but what he’s written here is bluntly conversational, often consisting only of a paragraph, without musical punctuation. The narrative is a sad treatise on the stark festering of love by self-destructive obsession. It wouldn’t hurt to insert a love song. But with titles like “The Story of the Atlantic Cable” and “As the Water Loves the Stone” it’s a show that fails to touch the heart in any significant way.

Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Theatre Guide: Guettel’s Tony-winning score for Piazza was shot through with romance and memorable melodies. His work here is gritty, sometimes jazzy, often operatic and soaring. Songs are more fragmentary and abstract and, ultimately, come and go without much impact. Despite some moving moments, Days of Wine and Roses is a downbeat musical cocktail that doesn’t expand or enhance the source material. That’s no reflection on O’Hara and James, who do 99% of the singing, with Morgan shouldering the other 1%. Other characters in the show fill the frame but don’t sing. James hits all the right notes as Joe goes from slick and debonair PR pro to a desperate husband and father seeing his life slipping from him. O’Hara’s voice soars; if music reflects inner feelings, this secretary is in intense turmoil. Beyond her vocals, O’Hara’s assured and powerful acting really impresses.

Robert Hofler, The Wrap: Lucas and Guettel never open up the source material. Instead, they restrict it, and despite a few scenes taking place in Joe’s place of business, there is no ensemble “Turkey Lurkey Time” showstopper a la “Promises, Promises” to sweeten up the melodrama. While Lucas’ book extends Joe and Kirsten’s estrangement, he skimps a bit too much in establishing their relationship. D’Arcy James is nearly as ebullient and driven as Jack Lemmon (the movie’s Joe) in his pursuit of Kirsten. O’Hara, on the other hand, is far less prickly than Lee Remick (the movie’s Kirsten) in her initial rejection of Joe. As written and performed, Kirsten is now as ready as Joe to launch into an affair. That approach certainly gets things moving fast. Perhaps too fast.  A little conflict gives the Kirsten character more depth. (Also, I really missed the great “I hate peanut brittle” scene as performed by Remick.)