‘Days of Wine and Roses’ reviews: ‘Sophisticated’ new musical stars ‘superb’ Kelli O’Hara, Brian d’Arcy James
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Sixty-two years after the release of the film “Days of Wine and Roses,” the Oscar-winning movie by writer J.P. Miller and director Blake Edwards, a musical adaptation has opened on Broadway with a score by Adam Guettel. The story of two characters brought together and torn asunder by alcohol stars Kelli O’Hara and Brian d’Arcy James in the roles played in the movie by Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon. The production opened at Studio 54 on Jan. 28.
In addition to reuniting Guettel and O’Hara, who collaborated on “The Light in the Piazza,” the librettist Craig Lucas from that musical contributed the book for this new venture. The ensemble cast includes Tabitha Lawing and Byron Jennings in pivotal roles under the helm of director Michael Greif.
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Theatre critics were largely positive about this new Guettel musical. It earns a Critic’s Pick from Laura Collins-Hughes (New York Times), who praises the “superb” performances, “sumptuous” score and “tone-perfect” production. She describes the piece as a “jazz opera melded seamlessly with a play” and in particular calls out the “sublime” O’Hara, writing, “Her nuanced and variable performance is as technically impressive and fully human in its acting as in its singing.”
Adam Feldman (Time Out New York) offers a similar assessment, giving the musical four-out-of-five stars. He calls the show “ambitious, artful and musically sophisticated” with an “elegant and focused production” from director Greif and two “superb” stars in O’Hara and James.
Even critics who were less enamored with the musical overall had much to commend. Naveen Kumar (Washington Post), for example, dings the work for its “relatively mundane plot” and says that “inebriation isn’t ultimately all that interesting to watch.” He nevertheless applauds the “poetic, dynamic songs” that make up a score that is “rich and undeniably gorgeous.” He also gives flowers to O’Hara, who is “radiant, crystalline and transcendent.”
Sara Holdren (Vulture) also offers mixed sentiments. The musical feels “constrained, a little narrow and flat,” has a “stultifying neatness” and is “inhibitingly tidy,” she writes, but she still has much to praise about its performances. Both the leads are “at the peak of their artistry”: James has a “suave, deceptively mutable and poignant baritone” while O’Hara’s voice “is the kind of instrument that sends people scrambling for metaphors.” They both work in service of the “voluptuousness” of the score.
Based on these reviews, it is clear that the performances of O’Hara and James are the main attraction in “Days of Wine and Roses,” and both have earned the kind of plaudits that make them serious contenders come the 2024 Tony Awards season. Neither are strangers to the awards, after all. O’Hara has seven nominations — her first came for her collaboration with Guettel on “Piazza” — and won once for “The King and I” in 2015. James is a four-time Tony nominee, most recently just last year for “Into the Woods” but has not yet won. Both enter the awards race strong, and O’Hara has the type of material and rave reviews that could signal a second Tony victory.
This is Guettel’s long-awaited return to Broadway as composer of music and lyrics, coming almost two decades after “Piazza.” In between, he composed music for the Aaron Sorkin-penned “To Kill a Mockingbird” stage play. He won two Tonys for “Piazza” for score and orchestrations and earned a nomination for “Mockingbird.” Another nomination for his “Wine and Roses” score is absolutely in the offing. He is working once again with librettist Lucas, who has been nominated for four Tonys in the past, including one for “Piazza.” He has been commended for fleshing out and smoothing over some of J.P. Miller’s screenplay for the stage, which may be enough to break through a crowded field.
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Director Greif has not had a new musical on Broadway since “War Paint,” before the pandemic began. He makes up for that gap in time this season, though, with not only this new musical, but also “The Notebook” and “Hell’s Kitchen” incoming in the next few months. Although he has earned Tony noms for the blockbuster musicals “Rent,” “Next to Normal,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and the industry favorite “Grey Gardens,” he has never won before. With three shows opening this season, that could definitely change, if voters decide which of the projects to rally behind. The flashier fare of the other two shows might supersede his work on this chamber piece in the eyes of Tony nominators.
With likely support for its actors and score at a minimum, how does “Wine and Roses” look for a Best Musical nom? These overall strong notices will no doubt help it stand out amongst the slate of so many new musicals opening between now and the nominations cutoff in late April. It’s also advantageous that the show will run through that period — it is currently slated to close on April 28 — as the upcoming months will see the buzzy opening of shows including “The Notebook,” “Water for Elephants,” “The Outsiders,” “Lempicka,” “Suffs,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “The Heart of Rock and Roll” and “The Great Gatsby.” This musical will certainly be the incredibly unique offering amongst the spring lineup, which might appeal to the small pool of voters.
“Days of Wine and Roses” has scenic design by Broadway newcomer Lizzie Clachan, costume design by two-time Tony nominee Dede Ayite, sound design by Tony-winner Kai Harada, lighting design by four-time nominee Ben Stanton and choreography by Tony-winner Sergio Trujillo and Karla Puno Garcia. In the design categories at the Tonys, look out for Stanton for his lighting, which many critics noted; Collins-Hughes described the production as “seductively lit.”
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