REVIEW: “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” Sinks
The cast of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”. Photo by Carole Rosegg
The real life Molly Brown (1867-1932) might have been posthumously nicknamed “unsinkable” for famously surviving the Titanic in 1912, but the 1960 musical biography of her life is pretty darn leaky.
Meredith Willson’s “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” hasn’t been seen in New York since it closed at the Winter Garden in 1962. Transport Theatre Group Company’s “revitalized” version that opened tonight at the Abrons Arts Center on the Lower East Side unintentionally explains the reason for that 58 year absence.
Willson’s score is subpar and derivative, a pale shadow of his work on “The Music Man” (1957) lacking distinct character beyond its predictable Sousa pomp, and rarely, if ever, adequately expressing the emotional life of the characters singing it.
What’s more, for this production—in development since 2009—writer Dick Scanlan provides an entirely new book, retaining a single character (you can guess who) and only three lines of dialogue from the original, while substantially re-working the plot, and interpolating “new” songs from Willson’s catalogue—adapted by Michael Rafter with additional lyrics by Mr. Scanlan.
The result? Somewhat mystifying.
The “new” Molly Brown (Beth Malone) is one-dimensionally written, operating in a single, unrelenting mode from start to finish, often sounding like a stand-in for Millie Dillmount, Mr. Scanlan’s other fearless and intrepid leading lady. But where Millie was thoroughly modern, Molly is modally trapped.
She’s a plucky, optimistic do-gooder, a first wave feminist, and a feisty non-conformist way ahead of her 19th century surroundings. But other than sanding her rough edges, ala Annie Oakley, Molly does not change over the course of her story or ever even slip into any mode other than determined whippersnapper—mining disaster, social isolation, infidelity, and shipwreck be damned.
Beth Malone (left) as Molly Brown aboard the Titanic’s lifeboat No. 6. Photo by Carol Rosegg
Instead of changing herself, the world around Molly changes. While that’s appealing commentary, it makes for lousy drama.
Without an overture or opening number, the show begins with a new scene depicting Molly testifying before the U.S. Senate about the sinking of the Titanic, which cringe-inducingly includes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s “nevertheless, she persisted” admonition as dialogue. Subtlety is nowhere to be found in Mr. Scanlan’s book.
Then, we jump back in time to follow Molly’s life chronologically from the silver mines of Leadville, Colorado to the prickly echelons of Denver society, a spell in Europe, and eventually the Titanic disaster.
After spending two hours and 30 minutes with the character, we don’t learn much more about her as a person than we know walking in. She remains a thin sketch, a cartoon, even as passionately performed by Ms. Malone, who unimpeachably shines in a star turn.
Beth Malone (top) and cast. Photo by Carol Rosegg
Director and Choreographer Kathleen Marshall goes into overdrive to provide a sunny and entertaining production, conjuring every musical theatre convention she can stuff into the enterprise, from a square-dance social to an Ascot Gavotte-like number, and even a few can-can girls. The problem is, all of this zazz is in service to a dramatically inert score and book that are at war with each other.
The clash of Willson’s songs and original bookwriter Richard Morris’ 1950s sensibilities with Mr. Scanlan’s 21st century lens is both jarring and unsuccessful. A paean to immigration at the end of show is so heavy-handed that I could feel my eyes rolling back in my head as the production once again, and unnecessarily so, went out of its way to exclaim: “SEE, this is relevant!”. Audiences can make the connection without such obvious pandering.
Yes, Molly Brown was a progressive political activist who championed women’s suffrage and union rights, engaged in charity work for the poor, and even briefly ran for U.S. Senate in 1914, years before women had the universal right to vote.
She is a fascinating figure from history who deserves remembering. But instead of tinkering with the work of artists long-dead, and trying to shoehorn a 21st century approach into the shell of a 20th century musical, a better idea might have been to just write a new musical about Molly Brown from scratch.
Bottom Line: Transport Theatre Group Company presents the first New York revival of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”, featuring a new book by Dick Scanlan. Despite an energetic star turn by Beth Malone, the titular character operates in a single mode, and the Meredith Willson score is unremarkable. This attempt to shoehorn a 21st century approach into the shell of a 20th century musical founders.
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“The Unsinkable Molly Brown”
Transport Theatre Group Company
Abrons Arts Center
466 Grand Street
New York, NY 10002
Running Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (one intermission)
Opening Night: February 26, 2020
Final Performance: March 22, 2020
Discount Tickets
