Groucho and Harpo Give 'Animal Crackers' Its Bite

Animal Crackers

By George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, Composed by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, Adapted by Henry Wishcamper

Directed by Spiro Veloudos, Musical Direction by Catherine Stornetta, Choreography by Rachel Bertone; Scenic Design, Brynna Bloomfield; Costume Design, Charles Schoonmaker; Lighting Design, John Malinowski; Production Stage Manager, Nerys Powell; Assistant Stage Manager, Cat Dunham Meilus

CAST (in alphabetical order): Jordan Ahnquist, Leigh Barrett, Calvin Braxton, Merissa Czyz, Aimee Doherty, Ed Hoopman, Grant MacDermott, Nael Nacer, Alycia Sacco

Performances through June 4 at Lyric Stage Company; Box Office 617-585-5678 or www.lyricstage.com

Laughter is the best medicine and the Marx Brothers are among the finest purveyors of the remedy, more than a century after their debut in Vaudeville and decades after they departed the mortal coil. Animal Crackers, their third and final Broadway production in 1928, wraps up the season at the Lyric Stage Company, replete with puns, banter, and badinage, and enough double entendres to choke an elephant. (Note: This is the one that features Groucho's famous line, "I once shot an elephant in my pajamas; how he got in my pajamas I'll never know.")

Groucho (Ed Hoopman) had me at "Hello, I must be going," and Harpo (Alycia Sacco) captured my heart with the first honk of his (her) horn. With a winning smile and a laid-back air, Nael Nacer brings out the slyly lovable side of Chico the con artist. However, things slow down considerably if neither the mustachioed maniac nor mop head mute is on the stage. Their energy and charisma cannot be overstated. The spot on performances of Hoopman and Sacco is the primary reason to see this show.   

The rest of the characters in the play are like the contents of a box of animal crackers - you know, there's always the requisite camel, elephant, tiger, etc. - and have no more depth than the flat cookies. It's up to the actors to pump air into them and inflate them into watchable beings. That is easier said than done for the likes of starving artist John Parker and his doting girlfriend Mary Stewart whose storyline is lackluster. Grant MacDermott sings sweetly and does his earnest best as Parker, but the guy, as written, is a soporific. Stewart's personality doesn't light any fires either, but Merissa Czyz ups the ante by adding her lovely voice to the couple's two duets.

Czyz shows spunk in her other role as the scheming Grace Carpenter who, in tandem with the reliable Aimee Doherty as the deliciously evil Mrs.Whitehead, works to foil the best laid plans of tony Mrs. Rittenhouse (Leigh Barrett). Hosting a party at her fancy Long Island house to honor the African explorer Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding (Groucho), the matron has borrowed a famous painting "After the Hunt" to proudly display to her guests. In a convoluted criss-crossing of intentions, Parker hopes to replace the original art with his copy of the work in order to get noticed; zealous to find her a mate, Mrs. Rittenhouse wants her unmarried daughter Arabella (Doherty) to attract the attention of society columnist Wally Winston (Jordan Ahnquist) who is covering the party; and the two aforementioned scheming women would like to embarrass Mrs. Rittenhouse by having the painting stolen.

Madcap becomes mayhem when the trio of unlikely visitors - Capt. Spaulding, Emanuel Ravelli (Chico), and the Professor (Harpo) - is loosed on the premises. Of course, little they say or do makes any sense in terms of the plot (such as it is), but their presence is the raison d'être of Animal Crackers and the rest is filler. Most of the musical numbers showcase other characters, but Spaulding croons nicely with Mrs. Rittenhouse in "Show Me a Rose," Ravelli is light and tuneful in "Everyone Says I Love You," and Harpo gets the chance to mime skillfully on a faux harp. Ahnquist and Doherty smoothly trip the light fantastic together in a pair of duets, putting a nice shine on Rachel Bertone's stylized choreography.    

Barrett's take on the lady of the manor is less sophisticated than that of Margaret Dumont (in the familiar film version), but a little ditzy and a lot flappable. She makes eye-rolling an art form and, as usual, is in very fine voice. Calvin Braxton contributes his dulcet tones in the dual roles of Hives, the Rittenhouse's genteel butler, and the bombastic, larger-than-life art patron (with an intriguing past) Roscoe W. Chandler. Catherine Stornetta wears two hats, serving as Musical Director/Keyboard player at the head of a six-piece orchestra that sounds bigger. The design team of Brynna Bloomfield (set), Charles Schoonmaker (costumes), and John Malinowski (lighting) convey an apt illustration of the era.

Director Spiro Veloudos is adept at juggling multiple storylines and guiding actors who must take on two or three roles. Evidence of his comedic aplomb and steady hand are all over this production, and he is due praise for having Hoopman, Sacco, and Nacer honor, rather than strictly mimic, the great brothers. However, even with strong direction and steady performances by Veloudos and company, Animal Crackers gets soggy unless its two leading men are milking the audience for laughs.   

Photo credit: Mark S. Howard (Nael Nacer, Aimee Doherty, Leigh Barrett, Alycia Sacco)

 

  

 

 

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