Reviews

This week I have been to the Liverpool Empire to see “Guys And Dolls”, a lavish musical about New York in the 1950s, and also to LIPA for the low-key European premiere of “Once Upon A Time In New Jersey”, a little known musical, again about New York in the 1950s. “Guys And Dolls” is subtitled “a musical fable of Broadway”, while the very title, “Once Upon A Time In New Jersey” implies a fairy tale. Both musicals feature comic book characters, gangsters who aren’t the slightest bit scary, and very happy endings. I thought that “Once Upon A Time In New Jersey” might be a parody of “Guys And Dolls”, but being set a few years later, rock’n’ roll and teen culture play a prominent role in the score.

“Once Upon A Time In New Jersey”, which was written in 1996 by Susan DiLallo and Stephen Weiner, has played with some success off Broadway and it is an engaging, light-hearted story very much in the tradition of “Grease” and “Little Shop Of Horrors”. They would, I think, be very pleased with this production directed by Marec Joyce, which features some fine comic acting and singing and employs a charming set in which cafeteria tables are converted into gondolas.

Vincent (Thomas Latham) works for his mother (Ingrid Windsland) in an Italian delicatessen in New Jersey. He loves Angie (Christina Michael), who also works there, but he has never had the courage to tell her. She is being strung along by the local stud, Rocco (Charlie Ryan), who is also dating a dance teacher Celeste (Emma Higginbottom). He also sees the girls at the bowling alley (Emma Davis, Nicola Miles, Valerie Noell). Rocco is a self-loving greaser in the Fonz and Danny Zuko tradition, but his lovemaking activities land him in trouble and Celeste’s husband, Billy (Endre Jensen Haukland), a local hood wants to shoot him.

Instead of leaving town, Rocco trades places with Vincent. The nerdy and clumsy Vincent becomes a stud (and nobody realises that this isn’t the real Rocco!), while Rocco works in the shop and won’t sell gorgonzola because it is mouldy. Everything is resolved in the end: nobody is shot, the gangster reforms, Vincent and Angie fall in love, and Rocco becomes a priest.

“Once Upon A Time In New Jersey” is complete nonsense but it is performed with tremendous panache by the cast and the songs, mostly pastiches, are wholly enjoyable. Angie and Celeste sing “Quiet Little Dinner” while they both wait for Rocco, and Angie shows her feelings in “Someone That I Hate”. I’m a sucker for doowop so I loved both “One Of A Kind” and “Little Girl Beware”. My favourite moment was Rocco’s “Quando Scungilli” which he sings in cod Italian – Alfa Romeo means “Tell her you love her” and “Perry and Como” means “Come to me now.” It reminded me of the extraordinary fact that Dean Martin’s classic song, “That’s Amore” was written by someone from Liverpool, Jack Brooks.

LIPA often presents cutting-edge drama but this was a light-hearted romp: no swearing, nothing steamy and all good fun. It was as cheesy as the deli but the audience loved it and so did I.