Idina Menzel enters to enthusiastic applause. The audience knows her and loves her, and the star, best known for her role as green witch Elphaba in the smash hit Wicked and for singing “Let It Go,” the big hit from the movie “Frozen” (and yes, for having her name mangled beyond recognition by John Travolta at the Oscars), needs to cash in on that affection as much as possible. Her character, Elizabeth, is just plain not very likeable. She’s totally self-involved, self-pitying, and pretty much devoid of a sense of humor. And yet, like the equally non-charismatic Bobby in Company,everyone she knows is completely taken with her, and wildly interested in what she does and with whom she does it.
Having left a bad marriage and a dull life in Phoenix, Elizabeth journeys to New York for a chance at adventure and romance – though she hardly believes in the possibility of either one. And this is where the schizophrenia of the evening begins. Elizabeth’s reality splits, but not neatly. In one, she’s adventurous Liz, off to do spontaneous stuff without a moment’s hesitation. In the other, she’s Beth, serious and hardworking. The problem is, not only is Elizabeth’s life fractured, but so are the lives of her friends. Kate, a free-spirited lesbian, is played by the glorious LaChanze, whose dazzle and energy brings the show to the peak of enjoyment whenever she graces the stage. Lucas is a bisexual best friend and onetime/sometime lover of Elizabeth. Josh is a stranger who’s just returned from active duty; he becomes (or doesn’t become) Elizabeth’s true love. Stephen is Elizabeth’s flirtatious old friend, and it is he who gets her a dream job in urban planning.
Trying to keep track of the various avatars and machinations of the characters becomes as confusing as attempting to remember every painted pony on an ever-accelerating merry-go-round. Why is the supposedly intelligent Elizabeth having unprotected sex with any man, let alone someone who’s openly bisexual? Are we supposed to be rooting for the married Stephen to hook up with Elizabeth? Have Kate and her partner really split up, or are they actually together?
Fortunately, the wildly innovative stage design is fluid and informative. We always know where we are, even if we don’t know what’s happening. The music is not particularly memorable, and as even the most ardent fans of Idina Menzel must concede, her voice can be piercing. If Anthony Rapp never does seem to fire up the audience with excitement, LaChanze comes on the stage in every scene with both guns blazing. The message is clear. There is a duality to existence, a path not taken, an alternate reality where everything is different. When we leave home in the morning, do we turn left, or do we turn right? Smile back at the attractive stranger who smiles at us? One thing we know for sure: we’ll never stop loving musicals, and we’ll keep hope alive that the next one we see will be more compelling.
