Review: NINE at Kennedy Center

It’s been 40 years since the national tour of the 1982 Arthur Kopit/Maury Yeston Tony Award winning Broadway musical Nine played at the Kennedy Center. It is currently the latest entry into the Broadway Center Stage series and boasts an all-star cast, a large orchestra and an “interesting” concept by director/choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler.

To begin with, Nine has an inherent and maybe unfixable issue within. The lead character of filmmaker Guido Contini, played here by Steven Pasquale, is such a letch and undesirable person that you can’t possibly root for or care about him. His treatment of women is disgusting so by the end of the show when there is a supposed redemption, you can’t buy it. In an attempt to fix this problem, this production softens Guido Contini to being less confrontational and less egotistical. This does not work for the piece because now, the ladies in Guido’s life simply swallow him. Pasquale sings beautifully but he is fighting a losing battle with Blankenbuehler’s approach to Pasquale’s character.

The high points in Nine have always come from Maury Yeston’s score and superb choral arrangements. “Unusual Way” has become a standard for many singers over the years. Yeston’s score is played expertly by a 23-piece orchestra under the direction of Lily Ling. What is missing from the audible experience is proper balance between the orchestra and singers. In a few instances the orchestra is mixed over the chorus. Then we have the head scratching omission in the program of credit for two-time Tony Award winning orchestrator Jonathan Tunick. I’ll just leave that there and remind you all that without the orchestrator it’s just a piano.

Performance wise, there are a few stand outs for me.

Carolee Carmello as Guido’s producer Lilliane La Fleur flat out stops the show with “Folies Bergère” I have been watching Ms. Carmello for a long time and it’s nice to see her have some good material for a change. I’m very much looking forward to seeing in the tour of Kimberly Akimbo when it hits DC.

Lesli Margherita as Sarraghina, along with Young Guido played by charming Charlie Firlik in “Be Italian” is another plus for sure. With all the doom and gloom that comes with this show, that song is a definite boost every time. Fun fact for you musical theatre geeks. “Be Italian” was ghost orchestrated by an unsung hero of Broadway named Larry Wilcox. You might not know his name, but you probably know his work. Even the greatest like Jonathan Tunick need a little help to complete a show. Who knew?

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Guido’s Mother makes the most of her limited stage time.

Shereen Ahmed as Guido's lead actress Claudia Nardi makes you wonder why any women would ever put up with someone like him. Her "Unusual Way" sounds excellent.

Elizabeth Stanley as Guido’s long suffering wife Luisa vocally comes off better during “My Husband Makes Movies” than the latter “Be On Your Own” which sounds over amplified and heavy on the effects to her mic channel.

Derek McLane’s scenic design depicts a film set that becomes multiple locations in Guido’s story. The stage of the Eisenhower makes the set look crammed. The orchestra is also onstage which gives even less space for everything else. The harpist Susan Robinson is separated from the rest of the orchestra and is placed downstage left in full view of the action. 

Cory Pattak’s lighting design is a little to heavy on isolation pools and shafts of light for my taste.

Kennedy Center Honoree Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography shows his ensemble off to full potential but the Fiddler on the Roof circle at the end was definitely a choice to say the least. Also his concept to have various members of the cast appear as if they were conducting Guido’s story became more of a distraction than a plus.

Overall, this Nine showcases a few great performances and Yeston’s score but the issues with its lead character will always make this show hard to produce.

Running Time: Two house and ten minutes with one intermission.

Nine runs through August 11th, 2024 at Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater which is located at 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC.

Lead photo credit: Steven Pasquale and company in Kennedy Center's Broadway Center Stage production of Nine. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.

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