Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by David Zippel and Book by Larry Gelbart. Hayes Theatre. 23 Jun – 23 Jul, 2023.
Cy Coleman’s City of Angels is possibly my favourite musical, it’s definitely in the top five. A sparkling, jazzy score filled with wickedly saucy lyrics and melodies only a professional could master. A book laced with double entendres and homages to classic noir cinema. It’s a sexy show with some brilliant tunes. I knew I loved the base material, but would this new production at the Hayes Theatre stack up to my expectations? For the most part, it’s a big yes.
It’s 1940 and Stine (Glenn Hill), the successful writer of noir fiction, has come to Hollywood to write the screenplay to the adaptation of one of his books featuring his hard-boiled private investigator Stone (Aaron Tsindos). In the story, Stone is hired by mysterious femme-fatale Alaura (Penny McNamee) to find her missing daughter, Mallory (Chantel Cofie) but Stone quickly learns things aren’t what they seem. In the real world, Stine is learning that screenplays aren’t books, and studio boss/director Buddy (Paul Hanlon) is walking all over him to change his beloved story… If only Stine were as strong as his character Stone.
The one thing you can rely on Hayes for is terrific vocals, and this ensemble doesn’t disappoint. These tight harmonies and tricky scales feel effortless – the music sounds as hot as it should. Glenn Hill is well cast as Stine, the writer at the centre of the tale. Bookishly neurotic and simmering with growing resentment at his situation. Aaron Tsindos is suitably gruff and dishevelled to play the fictional P.I. Stone – they make excellent mirror images of each other. McNamee is having a ball playing the vamp, Allura. Shannen Alyce Quan has the toughest role, playing both Buddy’s ignored assistant Donna, and Stone’s fictional secretary Oolie (she also gets one of the show’s best numbers, ‘You Can Always Count On Me’).
But there are the chronic Hayes issues to contend with like the rattle and rumble of clunky sets being wheeled in and out of the small space. Simon Greer’s set design instantly brought to mind Star Trek’s ‘transporter room’, but on closer inspection I could see the floor represented both a six-shooter and a film reel. I feel like a few wonderful singers are miscast in their roles – if only everyone could interpret a scene as well as they could interpret a song. The staging of some of the numbers is disappointingly static.
The one thing this production of City of Angels is lacking is sex – despite sex being laced through the story. When Alaura enters, Stone comments on her legs… which are inexplicably hidden underneath her pant suit. Come on, she’s a noir femme fatale, give a girl a slit up to her armpits to flash a little leg why dontcha? The various flirtatious numbers, like ‘Lost & Found’ are as chaste as a church choir. ‘The Tennis Song’ is particularly lacklustre despite being one of the show’s most titillating numbers. If you muted the song and just watched the action you’d have no idea this was foreplay. Every character in the show wants to fuck but this production has no libido.
Luckily the material is so strong it overcomes these shortcomings to still be a hilarious, entertaining show, and with this cast the music simply soars. City of Angels is easily the best thing I’ve seen at Hayes for some time, hopefully we can convince them to stage Coleman’s The Life next!
Cultural Binge 
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