2002 musical
Sweet Smell of Success is a musical created by Marvin Hamlisch (music), Craig Carnelia (lyrics), and John Guare (book). The show is based on the 1957 movie of the same name, which in turn was based on the 1955 novelette of the same name by Ernest Lehman. The show tells the story of a powerful newspaper columnist named J. J. Hunsecker (based on famed New York columnist Walter Winchell) who uses his connections to ruin his sister's relationship with a man he deems inappropriate.
It was a critical and commercial failure.[1][2]
Production history
A workshop was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in August 1998. According to a Livent spokesman "the show had a cast of 18, made up mainly of Canadians. The performers' names were not revealed."[3] The workshop was directed by Nicholas Hytner. The workshop was followed by a reading in November 1998 in New York City, with Jonathan Pryce as J.J. Hunsecker, Brian d'Arcy James as Sidney, Anastasia Barzee, Patrick Wilson, Stacey Logan and an ensemble of 12.[4]
It had a pre-Broadway tryout in Chicago, Illinois, in January 2002.[5] Critics' reactions were not favorable. Chicago Tribune critic Chris Jones found that it had an "identity crisis" and warned that "...[b]etween now and the Broadway opening, director Nicholas Hytner and the other multitalented parties involved had better all get on the same conceptual page, or what’s left of the gossip column fraternity will have a lot to chew on."[6]
Subsequently changes were made to the show, including a new ending.[2]
Modifications to the plot and differences from the film reportedly reflect author Ernest Lehman's original intent.[1] Lehman, the author of the original novelette, was a producer on the musical adaptation.
The musical opened on March 14, 2002 at the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway. Again directed by Hytner, it closed on June 15, 2002, after 109 performances and 18 previews. The show starred John Lithgow as J.J. Hunsecker, and Brian d'Arcy James as Sidney Falcone.
The creative team included choreography by Christopher Wheeldon, sets and costumes by Bob Crowley, and lighting by Natasha Katz.[7] Sweet Smell garnered 7 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical. John Lithgow received the show's only Tony Award, winning Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.[8]
Musical numbers
Source: Playbill[10]
- Act I
- "The Column" - J.J., Sidney, and Ensemble
- "I Could Get You in J.J." - Sidney
- "I Cannot Hear the City" - Dallas
- "Welcome to the Night" - J.J., Sidney, and Ensemble
- "Laughin' All the Way to the Bank" - Club Zanzibar Singer
- "At the Fountain" - Sidney
- "Psalm 151" † - J.J. and Sidney
- "Don't Know Where You Leave Off" - Dallas and Susan
- "What If" - Susan and Ensemble
- "For Susan" - J.J.
- "One Track Mind" - Dallas
- "Act I Finale" † - Ensemble
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- Act II
- "Break It Up" - J.J., Sidney, and Ensemble
- "Rita's Tune" - Rita
- "Dirt" - Ensemble
- "I Could Get You in J.J." (Reprise) - Sidney
- "I Cannot Hear the City" (Reprise) - Susan and Dallas
- "Don't Look Now" - J.J. and Ensemble
- "At the Fountain" (Reprise) - Sidney and Ensemble
- "Act II Finale" - J.J., Susan, Sidney, and Ensemble
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† Not included on the Original Broadway Cast Recording (2002)
Reception
Despite eager anticipation, the musical version received largely negative reviews and it was a commercial flop. Reportedly, it lost its entire $10 million investment.[1][2] One critic lamented that it was "a real heartbreaker; one of those fabulous sounding new musicals with an impeccable pedigree which never quite comes together and ultimately only disappoints."[11]
A 2012 London production of the musical met with mixed reviews. Theatre critic Lyn Gardner of The Guardian praised the score and choreography but found that it: "sugars the pill and never locates the savage, cynical heart... It wants to be a straightforward song-and-dance show – the problem is, this piece is anything but."[12]
