New York, New York review: Start spreadin' the news... there's a new Phantom on Broadway

When it closed on April 16, Phantom of the Opera left a chandelier-sized hole in live theater. The longest running show in Broadway history, Phantom was the destination for tourists and musical theater neophytes alike — an accessible, simply fine but highly enjoyable show that peaks by the end of Act I.

I was never a fan of Phantom. Or Andrew Lloyd Webber for that matter. His musicals always seemed to have one good song surrounded by a lot of forgettable fluff. But nearly 20 million people can't be that wrong. That's how many people had seen the 1988 Best Musical Tony winner when it closed earlier this month. There's still no shortage of shows to see on The Great White Way, but when it comes to pure populist entertainment, New York, New York might be the closest thing on offer this season.

Paul Kolnik The cast of 'New York, New York'

Loosely based on the 1977 Martin Scorsese picture starring Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli as mid-century musicians turned lovers turned divorcees in the greatest city in the world, this production features some of the songs written for the film by John Kander and Fred Ebb (the dynamic duo behind Cabaret and Chicago) with additional lyrics by some Broadway baby named Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The Scorsese film might seem like an odd choice since it's one of the director's his least successful outings — despite its ubiquitous theme song that's become the unofficial anthem of the city bearing its name. But by 1977, the Hollywood musical was on life support, and New York, New York still bore the dark world view Scorsese had explored to much greater success in the previous year's Taxi Driver.

Paul Kolnik The cast of 'New York, New York'

In the movie, De Niro's Jimmy Doyle walks out on Minnelli's Francine Evans after she gives birth to their son. They don't get a happily ever after. Without giving anything away, the Broadway version makes sure Jimmy (played here by a charmingly eccentric Colton Ryan) and Francine (the effervescent Anna Uzele) do. This is a crowdpleaser, after all.

The script by David Thompson with Sharon Washington is of little concern here. There are a number of generic storylines (big dreams! in the big city!) with equally generic dialogue, intersecting with one another like pedestrians on a busy sidewalk, that ultimately just serve to tie one gorgeous musical sequence to another. But who comes to a musical for the plot? The songs, however, don't fare much better.

Paul Kolnik The cast of 'New York, New York'

Kander and Ebb are responsible for some of the 20th century's greatest and most memorable showtunes, though their most enduring contribution may be "New York, New York." In the video above, Kander reveals that De Niro originally didn't like the song and after they furiously went back and re-wrote it, the result became the classic standard we all know and love. With "New York, New York," in its pocket, which smartly isn't whipped out till the very end, there's a bona fide hit already in the show.

Fred Ebb, who handled the lyrics while Kander tended to the music, died in 2004. Miranda, having some big shoes to fill, infuses a bit of life and Latin flare into some of the songs, but they just aren't it. The performers sell the hell out of 'em... but the effort is visible. The entire show is built around one song, a great song, leaving the rest of the music to serve as a placeholder till we get to it. Thankfully, it's worth it.

Paul Kolnik Anna Uzele (left) and Colton Ryan in 'New York, New York'

Ryan isn't the best singer, but he's a magnetic presence (he may be familiar to some for his fantastic turn as a murderous mechanic on Poker Face) that holds the ramshackle central love story together. And Uzele has a Minnelli-esque commitment and zeal to bringing a show home come hell or high water that buoys the rest of the production. Angel Sigala as Mateo Diaz, a Cuban immigrant determined to pursue his musical aspirations, and Emily Skinner as Madame Veltri, a violin teacher who takes on a Polish refugee as a student, are also standouts.

But the real star of the show is Susan Stroman, whose blockbuster direction and choreography make up for the relatively lackluster songs. Beowulf Boritt's lush, imaginative scenic design at times threatens to eclipse the performers, but they're usually up for the challenge. Each minute of New York, New York is buzzing with life, as background dancers and actors flit in and out of view, telling clever little visual stories, giving New York, New York the energy of its titular city.

Paul Kolnik The cast of 'New York, New York'

It's great when theater is transgressive, or provocative, or culture-shifting, but there's something to be said for pure entertainment. While New York, New York lightly grazes serious social issues affecting 1947 New York, it's main objective is to show you a good time. It's two and a half hours (much like a subway ride: overlong, but crammed with movement) of dancing, belting, dazzling set pieces and costumes, and ending with a big flourish.

Do the songs and the story weigh it down? Sure, but they're both generic and inoffensive as to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Just like Phantom of the Opera. It was poetic, then, as I was waiting to go into the St. James Theater to see New York, New York, that the sets for Phantom were being carted out across the street. Out with the old, in with the New York, New York. Grade: B

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