With its Broadway-bound revival of Cole Porter’s musical, CAN-CAN, the folks at Paper Mill Playhouse have done it again! The company has put together a revival of a Broadway classic to rival the best. Not that this should be a surprise. The New Jersey company has a long-standing tradition of developing productions that are more than worthy of a place on the Great White Way, regardless of whether the original intent was to take them there.
The classic musical takes us to 19th-century France where we meet Pistache (Kate Baldwin), a lovely Parisian dance hall owner who decides to feature the scandalous CAN-CAN – a dance that could be a bit too revealing for its day – and risks losing her business and her true love in the process. Baldwin’s portrayal of Pistache is effortless, and she creates a rapport with the audience almost akin to Miss Mona of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Jason Danieley plays Pistache’s love interest, Aristide, who finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place as he fights his emotions to save his career.
CAN-CAN is a true song and dance spectacle, featuring showstopping choreography by Patti Colombo (Peter Pan, On the Town, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) and solid direction from David Lee (Frasier, Cheers) that will propel the show to its new Broadway home. Fabulous costume design from Ann Hould-Ward ties the show to 1893 Paris, and her extensive research is evident in her creations. This production simply works. With the complexities of Cole Porter’s score combined with the compulsory jaw-dropping choreography, the execution has to be spot on — and it is.
CAN-CAN is a thoroughly modern musical with a truly old-fashioned vibe that will warm your heart and put a skip in your step. C’est magnificque! See it now at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ through October 26, 2014. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.papermill.org.
