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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Broadway Center Stage: Nine
The limited run allows the Kennedy Center to bring in a generously talented cast led by Stephen Pasquale; three-time Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler as director and choreographer; and Derek McLane's scenic design, which ingeniously creates a series of locations with minimal use of scenery and a lot of billowing, semi-sheer off-white curtains. The musical takes its inspiration from Federico Fellini's film 8½, about a world-famous Italian filmmaker Guido Contini (Pasquale) who has a contract to make a new movie but is unable to concentrate on what he wants to achieve, or even what story he wants to tell. While Arthur Kopit's book is purposely non-linear, the throughline is Guido's fascination with women. Pasquale, who is onstage almost continuously, gives a dynamic performance as a creative artist who fears that he may be losing his creative skills. The scenes allow him to recall his loving mother (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), as well as his 9-year-old self (Charlie Firlik), while his present life centers on his wife Luisa (Elizabeth Stanley), his hot mistress Carla (Michelle Veintimilla), his cinematic muse Claudia (Shereen Ahmed), and his larger-than-life producer Liliane La Fleur (the divine Carolee Carmello). The settings maintain the black-and-white theme, while Alejo Vietti's costumes range from the naturalistic to black lace to enormous fantasy images. Cory Pattak's lighting design is striking in a stylized way, incorporating washes of color and non-realistic beams of light. Special notice should go to the elaborate, early-1960s hairstyles created by hair and wig designer Tom Watson. Carmello captures the audience's attention from her first, imperious entrance through her lavish "Folies Bergère" number; similarly, Veintimilla (with help from Blankenbuehler's choreography) dominates the stage during "A Call from the Vatican." Stanley and Ahmed ably play the more grounded, less self-dramatizing women in Guido's life. Once again, members of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra provide sumptuous support under the baton of Lily King. The Broadway Center Stage production of Nine runs through August 11, 2024, at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theater, 2700 F St. NW, Washington DC. For tickets and information, please call 800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org. Directed and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler Cast: |
