A Tap Dance Tour de Force
The York Theatre Company, a jewel box of a venue on New York City’s East Side, was the perfect showplace from November 7, 2008 through January 4, 2009 for a first rate new musical, “A Vaudeville Man,” based on tapper Jack Donohue’s posthumously published autobiography, “Letters of a Hoofer to His Ma.” Shonn Wiley as Donohue and Karen Murphy in the role of his Irish immigrant mother pulled off a genuine tour de force. They were the only two performers on the stage for the entire two hours. In a marathon of singing, dancing and rapid fire costume changes, they brought to life the painfully familiar story of a talented kid determined to make it in spite of the protests of his family.
The night that I was in the audience, there was an audible groan of recognition when Murphy’s character, the mother, came right out and said, “I’m ashamed of your profession.” In the same way, heads nodded at the irony of the situation when Wiley’s Donohue sang about his mother being the one who had introduced him to the joys of vaudeville in the first place when he was 5. The nodding became even more vigorous when he sang, “That’s when I came alive.” Just as with the true tales that inspired “A Chorus Line,” we got it. This element, coupled with some delicious industry asides such as a joke about Ruth St. Denis, infused the show with a special appeal for dancers. Even so, as evidenced by chatter overheard during intermission, the non-dancers in attendance were definitely enjoying the evening’s fare as well.
The show included a subplot about Jack’s hard-drinking father and Jack’s own descent into alcoholism made for some riveting moments that gave the production an unexpected depth. Wiley broke the fourth wall in the final moments to tell the audience that Jack Donahue died when he was only 38 of drinking-related causes. By then we had come to love the rebellious teen who grew up to be a legendary Broadway entertainer and who even won over his mother and did her proud. Such was the very fine acting on the part of both Murphy and Wiley.
Shonn Wiley and Karen Murphy in scenes from My Vaudeville Man!
Photo by Carol Rosegg
Yet, what’s most important is that this is a terrific tap show. Wiley, who was trained in his native Michigan by his father, had clearly researched the so-called “eccentric” tap style complete with “rubber legs” or “legomania” popular from the 1920s through the 1940s. Although there is no footage of Donahue himself, Wiley told an interviewer that he studied clips of Ray Bolger and other eccentric dancers. Bolger played the role of Jack Donahue in the 1949 film “Look for The Silver Lining.” All of Wiley’s tap solos were rhythmically perfect and stylistically smooth. My hands-down favorite was “Tap Drunk” in which he wielded a bottle of rye and engaged in a competition with other dancers who weren’t actually there, but were figments of his imagination.
Kudos to Jeff Hochhauser for a book with just the right dramatic arc, and also to composer Bob Johnston for a memorable score. The two shared the credit for the lyrics. Hats off also to director and choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett, a Tony Award nominee who has an impressive resume and who is now the principal guest choreographer of the Carolina Ballet. Wiley was listed as co-choreographer. Doug Oberhamer was the music director as well as the pianist in the excellent trio that included Dave Anthony on drums and Scott Thompson playing the bass.
If this offering is any indication of the quality of the shows presented by the York Theatre Company, now celebrating its 40th anniversary, I highly recommend catching future productions. For those of us who frequent New York City’s theaters, the York turns out to be one of the Big Apple’s best kept secrets. Keep it in mind next time you find yourself looking for theater tickets in New York City.