When his traveling ministry breaks down in a small Kansas town, part-time reverend and full-time con artist Jonas Nightingale (Raul Esparza) quickly pitches a tent and invites the locals to a revival. The town sheriff, Marla Humes (Jessica Phillips) is determined to stop him from separating the townspeople from their money.
What 'Leap of Faith' lacks are sweat and heart, the absence of which will be bothersome only if you permit yourself to imagine how this well-oiled applause machine might have run had its creators taken the plot seriously. Real emotions, raw and hurtful, are at stake in 'Leap of Faith,' and on occasion they bob to the surface, as in the scene in which a frumpy, desperately unhappy woman (well played by Dierdre Friel) drops her wedding ring in the collection basket. Adam Guettel or Michael John LaChiusa would have made the whole show as gripping as that one short scene. Not so the makers of 'Leap of Faith,' who are, like Mr. Esparza, content to skate glamorously atop the surface of their characters' feelings. If that's good enough for you, then you won't be sorry you came.
The stage musical improves on the original simply by settling on a point of view. But despite Raul Esparza’s hard-working lead performance and some rousing Gospel numbers from Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, the story remains stubbornly unappealing. Opening on Broadway the same week as the slavish screen-to-stage transplant of Ghost, the musical Leap of Faith earns points by at least rethinking its source for another medium, often in smart ways, too. Adapting her screenplay, Janus Cercone has collaborated with playwright Warren Leight (a Tony winner for Side Man, and showrunner on Law & Order: SVU) to clarify plot themes, redefining some characters while inventing or excising others. The resulting show has more heart than the movie, but still not enough.
2010 | Los Angeles |
World Premiere Los Angeles |
2012 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Raul Esparza |
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Warren Leight |
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Janus Cercone |
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Sergio Trujillo |
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Christopher Ashley |
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Alan Menken |
2012 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | 0 |
2012 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Raúl Esparza |
2012 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Leslie Odom, Jr. |
2012 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Production of a Musical | 0 |
2012 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Raúl Esparza |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Relativity Media, LLC |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Steve Kaplan |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Rich/Caudwell |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Center Theatre Group |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Michael Palitz |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Richard J. Stern |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Melissa Pinsly |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Celine Rosenthal |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Independent Presenters Network |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Diana Buckhantz |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Pamela Cooper |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Vera Guerin |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Leading Investment Co., Ltd |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Christina Papagjika |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Victor Syrmis |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Semlitz/Glaser Productions |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Jujamcyn Theaters |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Daryl Roth |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Michael Manheim |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | James D. Stern |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Douglas L. Meyer |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Marc Routh |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Richard Frankel |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Tom Viertel |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Steven Baruch |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Annette Niemtzow |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Leap of Faith |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Robert G. Bartner |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Steven Silva |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Shanna Silva |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Endgame Entertainment |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Patricia Monaco |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Debi Coleman |
2012 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Dancap Productions, Inc. |
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