There's only one Flower Drum Song now playing on Broadway. Somehow, the reviewer for the New York Times seems more concerned with a production 40 years ago than the one now on the boards. Maybe he has a time machine, and that's why he persists in advising us to see a show that no longer exists. The new production is a terrific show about a Chinese girl's try at becoming an American, with spectacular staging by Robert Longbottom and flashy, inventive, humorous costuming by Gregg Barnes.
Lea Salonga's clear beautiful voice enchants; Sandra Allen's beauty, sexuality and fine voice is a turn on, Randall Duk Kim as the classical square who is transformed is delightful, and Jodi Long's brassy Rosalind Russell character all provide us with a joyous musical evening. With a stylized T'ai Chi opening, a splashy first act, a too-plotty, predictable second act and a strong finish, the audience walked out of the Virginia Theater smiling and humming "I Enjoy Being a Girl." After all, this is a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, and they're a song duo for the ages, regardless of plot.
