Andrew Pandaleon in
The City Club
The reviews for The City Club, a new Off-Broadway musical that opened at the Minetta Lane last week, have been primarily negative. For the record, the creative team is Glenn M. Stewart (book), James Compton, Tony Demeur and Tim Brown (lyrics and music), Mitchell Maxwell (direction), Lorin Latarro (choreography), Rob Bissinger (set), David C. Woolard (costumes), David F. Segal (lights), and Carl Casella (sound). The cast includes Kristen Martin (Crystal), Andrew Pandaleon (Chaz), Ana Hoffman (Maddy), Peter Bradbury (Lieutenant), and Kenny Brawner (Parker).
Elizabeth Ahlfors (Curtain Up): While much of the club’s music is buoyant, a problem arises from cramming as many film noir twists as possible into a relatively simple story. Even though this Off-Broadway version has been extended from the original Edinburgh production to 2 hours and 20 minutes, the show feels overstuffed and the characters are skimpy. … Mitchell Maxwell keeps a quick pace for the show but the songs, dances, plot complications and moral clashes become an untenable jumble. … Unfortunately, The City Club comes down to a case of proving that less is more if you want audiences to emotionally connect.
Sandy MacDonald (Theater Mania): There’s nothing so wrong with The City Club … that couldn’t be cured with a whole new book. … In addition to the witless book, another problem with this show is that the musical selections from composer/lyricists James Compton, Tony De Meur, and Tim Brown – some of which are admittedly quite good – don’t let us know when or where we are. … Fortunately, several cast members almost succeed in overcoming the show’s faux-noir clichés. … Clearly a lot of expense and expertise have gone into this rather lavish production. … But most of their efforts seem wasted, simply because the core text lacks the least scintilla of originality.
Matthew Murray (Talkin’ Broadway): Given its firm reliance on violence, treachery, sex, and jazz, you’d expect the new musical The City Club … to be smoldering almost nonstop. But it’s not until well into the second act that it generates any discernible heat. … For the rest of the show’s uncomfortably long two hours, you’re instead watching a bunch of hard-working performers struggling to kindle sparks in a rain storm. … The good news is that the cast, although not exactly bursting with charisma, is incredibly talented and a lot of fun to watch. … Unfortunately, the writing is just as skimpy as the girls’ clothes, packed with forgettable songs.
Andy Propst (Back Stage): Most of this plot is communicated in short bursts of cliché-ridden dialogue sandwiched among a bevy of musical numbers. The hourlong first act alone brims with a baker’s dozen of songs, leaving no room for any nuance in character development or storytelling. … Director Mitchell Maxwell keeps the action moving swiftly, and the songs – a mixture of blues, boogie-woogie, and jazz – are almost always sizzling, thanks to a swell five-piece ensemble, the performers’ fine voices, and some winning choreography by Lorin Latarro. Ultimately, The City Club might make a terrific revue in some retro supper club.