“Propelled by muscular dance by a dynamic ensemble”

"On the Town is one of those gems of musical theater that's often quoted, but rarely produced. With a soaring score by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Broadway icons Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the show about three sailors on the loose in the big city has both a high difficulty level and an amusing but paper-thin book bound by musical comedy conventions. Add to that an abundance of heavy duty dance (it's based on the ballet "Fancy Free" by Jerome Robbins with music by Bernstein). Two Broadway revivals have failed. The famous film version with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra threw out most of the score and really starred New York City itself. Happily, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, the anchor of the Finger Lakes Theatre Festival, takes a whirl at "on the Town" with dizzying results…

Although the show is propelled by muscular dance by a dynamic ensemble, the principals tear into Bernstein's music and the comic possibilities with real forties style.”

LEN FONTE