‘On the Town’ revival earns raves on Broadway

“On the Town” -- the classic musical from Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins -- is back on Broadway in a new revival at the Lyric Theatre, formerly known as the Foxwoods Theatre when it was home to “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”

The new staging, previously seen at the Barrington Stage Company in Massachusetts, is directed by John Rando and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse. It stars Tony Yazbeck, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Clyde Alves as three sailors on the prowl for women while on leave in New York.

“On the Town” hasn’t been seen on Broadway since 1998, when George C. Wolfe staged a revival from the Public Theater. The original production bowed in 1944 with a cast that included Adolph Green and Betty Comden, who wrote the lyrics and book for the musical.

Among the ensemble cast is dancer Megan Fairchild, a principal with the New York City Ballet making her Broadway debut.

The new revival opened on Thursday to stellar review from New York critics.

Ben Brantley of the New York Times described the revival as “jubilant” and wrote that the director “has a loving affinity for this material that dispels the scent of mothballs.” Visually, the production is “designed in a spectrum of jelly-bean hues that makes vintage Technicolor look pallid.”

The Wall Street Journal‘s Terry Teachout called the revival “everything a great show should be. ... Anyone who isn’t thrilled by this tinglingly well-staged production needs a heart transplant.” The biggest surprise of the cast is Fairchild: “Who knew that she could act and sing so charmingly?”

Marilyn Stasio of Variety opined that “although the young and vital cast is light on acting chops, the dancing is sensational.”

USA Today’s Elysa Gardner wrote that the creative team “has mined the show ... for all its raw poignance, without sacrificing any of its jazzy wit or exuberant romanticism.” The New York that is created on stage is “mythical and old-fashioned but, like the flawed, yearning characters who sometimes wander among us, strangely familiar and accessible.”

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT