Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire. ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald, Echoes of the Jazz Age

Lemon Tree Productions’ Glimpses of the Moon, a Jazz Age, cabaret-style musical based on the novel by Edith Wharton (perhaps best celebrated for her 1920 The Age of Innocence), is certainly a classy affair. With performances on Monday nights in the elegant wood-paneled Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel, a cast of eight first-class, multi-talented thespians with sophisticated piano and reed accompaniment enact a story set in a fascinating bygone era, lending it style and panache.

Ensconced in the Jazz Age (1922 to be exact) swinging milieu of the well-to-do, flamboyant lifestyles of fashionable Manhattan and class-conscious Newport, the characters seem to be having a grand old time sipping champagne and cavorting in “the modern age.” Young and attractive Nick (smooth and sincere Stephen Plunkett) and Susy (winning and wonderful Patti Murin), who have learned to enjoy the way of life of their wealthy friends but have not been born into the advantage class, meet cute and decide to marry. But raising a family and living out the American Dream are not quite on their minds. Their intention is to live the good life--for at least a year--off of the decadent presents bestowed on them by their rich acquaintances.

A wide range of musical styles are utilized, with often witty lyrics by Tajlei (who also wrote the book) and engaging songs by John Mercurio, to capture the tenor of the times (“Living in This Modern Age,” “Look What Money Can Buy”), romantic longings (“Glimpses of the Moon”) and the ironic consequences of lurid existences (“Tell Her I’m Happy”).

Under the direction of Marc Bruni, the fashionably clad (costume design by Lisa Zinni) performers agilely “work the room” while lending credibility to the sometimes self-absorbed characters: Beth Glover as “old money,” amoral Ellie, Dan Kelly as her not-so-hoodwinked husband Nelson, and Glenn Peters as the opportunistic hypocrite Streffy. Laura Jordan also adds a fine comic performance as scholarly-oriented and a bit square Coral.

Act I sets the stage for the moral and romantic dilemmas that confront Susy and Nick and Act II resolves them (some with little surprise), but not before several delightfully entertaining pleasures. The staging of a Newport Regatta is a dramatic, comic and plot developing tour de force. Additionally, one scene--set in The Oak Room (October 1922)--showcases a different guest star appearing as a cabaret singer performing the appropriate titled “Right Here, Right Now.” At the show I attended actress/singer Jana Robbins stylistically rose to the occasion.

The last scenes in the play also dig a little deeper emotionally, and with particularly arresting performances by Ms. Murin and Mr. Plunkett, one can reflect on Glimpses of the Moon as being thoroughly entertaining as well as dramatically satisfying.