Set in the magical world of La Belle Epoque in turn-of-the-century Paris, GIGI is a timeless romantic comedy about a young woman groomed in the custom of her family to be a companion to a bored, wealthy playboy, until the two unexpectedly realize this is in fact true love.
This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the debut of Gigi on Broadway. Lerner and Loewe's Tony Award-winning score was first heard in the 9-time Academy Award-winning Best Picture of the same name, directed by Vincente Minnelli. The movie, which was the last of the classic MGM musicals, was based on the Broadway play by Anita Loos and the popular novella by Colette.
Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's beloved musical GIGI will return to Broadway in a production directed by Tony Award-nominee Eric D. Schaeffer (Follies), in a new adaptation by acclaimed British playwright and Emmy-nominated screenwriter Heidi Thomas ("Cranforde," "Upstairs Downstairs," "Call the Midwife".)
Refashioned for the 'High School Musical' generation, 'Gigi' has been scrubbed and polished so that its heroine is now sassy, headstrong, and spunkier than a barrel of Disney princesses. The one thing she's not is French, and, of course, there's nothing terribly risqué or even controversial about her situation anymore. As Gigi, Vanessa Hudgens sings and moves well and looks stunning, and if ever they get around to turning 'Pretty Woman' into a Broadway musical, she won't have to change a thing...That Gigi holds out for marriage and the greater security it provides, well, that's the real story of a modern material girl. Despite presenting such a newly ambivalent character, Clark emerges as the only actor on stage who evokes turn-of-the-century Paris...While Cott has a great singing voice, his tenor turns squealy when he shows much emotion, and at times he comes off more petulant than Gigi herself. Since it involves such a small directorial touch...couldn't Hudgens's all-American rambunctiousness been dialed back a bit?
The new Broadway production ofGigi (**½ out of four), starring an adorable Vanessa Hudgens, begins with a giddy orgy of pastels...The choreography...is exhilarating, the mood buoyant. If only the fun would last. Unfortunately, in her current incarnation, the heroine...is showing signs of age, and self-consciousness...Ironically, though, Gaston's courtship of Gigi comes across as creepier here than it did when a thirtysomething Louis Jourdan pursued a dewy Leslie Caron (then Hudgens' age) onscreen...Cott's Gaston, under Eric Schaeffer's direction, rather suggests a handsome but awkward college boy who turns into a stalker upon recognizing his female friend's newfound maturity. The wistful romantic ballad that is Gigi's title song is staged as a near-nervous breakdown, with the robust-voiced Cott breathing heavily and looking alarmingly unsettled...This Gigi fares much better when it emphasizes old-fashioned virtues. Bergasse and Schaeffer provide several exuberant production numbers, and Hudgens, despite over-enunciating her lines, does perky and elegant with equal poise. Little girls, clearly, still grow up in the most delightful way.
2015 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
Kennedy Center Production Washington, DC (Regional) |
2015 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Catherine Zuber |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Victoria Clark |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Victoria Clark |
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