See What I Wanna See

Like The Apple Tree, Weird Romance and Little Fish before it See What I Wanna See grouped short stories with similar themes. Michael John LaChuisa adapted three short stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa concerning the theme of "truth." The subject matter earns mixed reviews but the compact cast size makes it attractive to smaller theaters.

Weird Romance

This summer Ellen Greene reprised her signature role at the Encores concert of Little Shop of Horrors. The role of Audrey had been written for Faith Prince but a television contract prevented her from performing in the scheduled premiere. The role went to Ellen and history was made.

Ellen had already originated roles in several Off-Broadway musicals and would again. After co-starring in the Little Shop film she reunited with Alan Menken to play contrasting roles in Weird Romance. Both women were trapped inside machines and the shows emphasized ensemble rather than the star. Critics dismissed the show but there are some interesting ballads and comic numbers.

The Apple Tree

Though tuneful and sweet-tempered, this slender series of comic sketches about those silly but overpowering creatures called women was already looking faded in the 1960s, when writers like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem were finding and raising their voices as feminists. But the original “Apple Tree” had the irresistible force of its star, Barbara Harris, on its side. ~ New York Times, Ben Brantley, 2006.

Three short stories made an uneven star vehicle for Barbara Harris but the critics were ready to celebrate her. Sadly she disappeared from Broadway soon after for reasons she kept to herself. When the show was revived with Kristin Chenoweth the critics again felt that the leading lady was grand but the rest of the show was easily forgotten.

The cast album reveals some forgotten gems including “What Makes Me Love Him” and “Gorgeous.”

This concludes my Bock and Harnick series. Next up Jerry Herman's Mack and Mabel.