The Off-Broadway revival of the 2002 musical The Streets of New York, adapted from Dion Boucicault’s 1857 play The Poor of New York, itself based on the 1856 Les Pauvres de Paris by Edouard-Louis-Alexandre Brisbarre and Eugene Nus, has received generally positive reviews. The creative team includes Charlotte Moore (adaptation, songs, direction), Mark Hartman (music direction), Barry McNabb (choreography), Hugh Landwehr (sets), Linda Fisher (costumes), Michael Gottlieb (lights), M. Florian Staab (sound), Deirdre Brennan (props), and Robert-Charles Vallance (hair & wigs). The cast includes Amy Bodnar (Susan Fairweather), Amanda Jane Cooper (Alida Bloodgood), Richard Henry (Dermot Puffy), David Hess (Gideon Bloodgood), Ben Jacoby (Mark Livingston), Justin Keyes (Brendan Badger), Daniel J. Maldonado (Patrick Fairweather / Duke Vlad), Polly McKie (Dolly Puffy), Jordan Tyson (Dixie Puffy), Ryan Vona (Paul Fairweather), Price Waldman (Edwards), and DeLaney Westfall (Lucy Fairweather). The production continues its limited engagement at Irish Rep through January 30.
Amanda Jane Cooper (photo by Carol Rosegg)
New York Times (Laura Collins-Hughes): Directed by Moore on an agile, stylized set by Hugh Landwehr, it’s a pleasurable escape, for a tuneful two-plus hours, into a quasi-cartoon version of old New York, where the virtuous struggle and the villainous thrive. … For the most part, the show deftly balances dark and light even as it retains Boucicault’s social critique of the rich nonchalantly crushing the poor. But the ending teeters into treacle with would-be uplift aimed at the audience, which feels out of joint with the rest. That is a minor point, though, in a production that is otherwise wonderfully done. … This is an old-fashioned, get-your-mind-off-things kind of show. Grab your vaccine card, put on a good mask and go.
Talkin’ Broadway (David Hurst): Despite a talented cast who throw themselves into the story with grit and gusto, audiences may have a hard time buying into an old-fashioned production that’s more sigh-inducing than charming. … The pacing is often sluggish and there are vacillations in tone which are problematic. Everyone isn’t working in the same style, which can spell disaster for a melodrama. Fortunately, the cast sings quite well. … As our ingenue leads, Ben Jacoby and DeLaney Westfall both have lovely voices, and they make the most of ballads. … But at two and a half hours, The Streets of New York may be too melodramatic by half.
Theater Mania (Pete Hempstead): The original version of Dion Boucicault’s 1857 play The Poor of New York … lacks plot surprises, character development, and believable dialogue. … Even with song and dance added in, the show is still a hard sell. But thanks to a talented cast that, for the most part, leans into the camp potential inherent in the play’s absurdly artificial language, this current revival avoids going completely up in flames. … Moore’s music is not especially memorable either, but it keeps the otherwise languorous plot trotting along. … By the end, the cast really gets the camp fire crackling. If only it had been going the whole time.
Time Out (Adam Feldman): Just in time for the holiday season, the Irish Rep has cooked up a chestnut. … This play doesn’t stint on old-timey dastardy, reversals of luck, virtuous sacrifice and sentimental romance. Its pot boileth over. Moore’s adaptation embraces the play’s quaint sensationalism and sententiousness with open arms and a wink. … It takes a while for the show to properly settle its tongue into cheek. But it clicks in with “Oh How I Love Being Rich,” a spoiled-brat aria sung by … the marvelous Amanda Jane Cooper. … It’s mostly good, silly fun from then on, buoyed by a talented cast of 12. 4 out of 5 stars.