NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT – Reviewed by Stephen Radosh

There are several types of ‘Jukebox Musicals.”  There are bio-musicals like “BEAUTIFUL’ and “JERSEY BOYS” which use the music of music makers as a timeline.  Then, there are those that pick a decade and use songs from that period to tell the story, like “&JULIET” which uses music from the 80’s.  Then there are those that don’t even try to assemble a book and are, basically revues, such as “SOPHISTICATED LADIES” or “SMOKEY JOE’S CAFÉ.”  Then there are the Jukebox Musicals comprised of songs by George & (usually) Ira Gershwin.  Their songs, written almost a century ago, were often written for their early musicals and came out of specific situations and sung by distinct character types. Therefore, their repertoire can work in newly devised shows which present similar moments and situations for the new characters being created.  These songs, therefore, can still be found in newer shows like “MY ONE AND ONLY” and “CRAZY FOR YOU” and now in “NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT.”  The score is awash with Gershwin classics like “Someone To Watch Over Me,” “’S Wonderful,” “I’ve Got A Crush On You,” and of course, the title tune.  It also features some rarer gems from the Gershwin catalogue such as the comic numbers “Treat Me Rough” and “Looking For A Boy.”  The entire score is a joy to listen to and hardly shows its age. I doubt if 100 years from now we might be saying the same thing about, say, Britney Spears’ songs?  But I digress…..

The plot (book by Joe DiPietro) is really a pastiche of 1920’s and 1930’s musical comedies like “OH KAY!” from which this plot is loosely based.  In these musicals, logic takes a backseat to big production numbers and corny jokes and happily ever after endings.  DiPietro’s book throws a few too many ingredients into the blender, making the book somewhat convoluted and sub-plot heavy.  An often-married Society Playboy, Jimmy Winter (Hayden Stanes) is about to tie the knot again to Eileen (Emily Unnasch), an egocentric modern dancer who is the daughter of Senator Max (Jack McGee).  The Senator is joined by his anti-alcohol and all-around killjoy of a sister, played by Cathy Newman, who is determined to close all speakeasys and make Prohibition the way of the country.  But then Jimmy meets the gun-toting bootlegger Billie (Jennifer Knox) and his world begins to collapse all around him.  Billie and her fellow bootleggers Cookie (Douglas Graham) and Duke (Brett Cole Young) decide to hide cases of gin at Billie’s Long Island Mansion which causes them to take on the roles of butler, maid and cook.  Things get messier and messier until Jimmy’s mother, Millicent (Joyce Bulifant) in classic deus ex machina style arrives in the nick of time to wrap up each of the many plot threads.  This is a subplot-heavy musical if ever there was one!

Luckily, Director/Choreographer David Eggars has assembled a pretty strong cast and keeps it moving to not let it (and the audience) get bogged down whenever logic seemed to have left the characters.  As the central couple, Jennifer Knox and Hayden Stanes are charmers blessed with wonderful voices and bring a sense of romance to “S’ Wonderful”, their long dance number which recalls Fred & Ginger as they danced their way to romance.  Douglas Graham’s gangster butler pulls off his many zingers as he interacts with the upper crust.  Rachel Kay scored big laughs, as Jeanine, the chorus girl with her eyes on the British Throne.  I especially liked Cathy Newman as the Duchess looking to keep America sin-free until she gets her lemonade spiked and lets her hair down.  Even though she does not appear until the musical is almost over, in the plot-resolving role of Millicent, Joyce Bulifant brightens up the whole stage and gives the musical a much needed energy boost to get it across the finish line.

Even though it is missing some of the Art Deco feel present in most of the films and musicals set during this period, especially amongst the upper crust, Jimmy Cuomo’s set design does a yeoman’s task of clearly representing the many different locales called for by the script. From a luxurious bath to a low-down speakeasy and everything in-between, we are never at a loss as to where we are in the play’s busy universe. 

I have to say, I was a bit disappointed in the costumes designed by Emily Tappan. A few dresses had some elements from the Flapper era such as fringe, but they looked added onto the outfit rather than being an integral part of the design. Other outfits, like those worn by the chorus girls in the opening number seemed to be completely out of style for the era.

But despite these minor complaints there is much fun to be had from start to finish, no to mention those fabulous songs.

“NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT” is at CVRep’s theatre in Cathedral City and plays through April 28, 2024.  For tickets and/or further information, visit their website at www.CVRep.org.