"Are you getting down so low there is nowhere else to go?"
Even the most casual of theatergoers have come to recognize the names of Kelli O’Hara and Brian Darcy James. From The King and I to the most recent revival of Into the Woods the two have made quite the name for themselves with multiple Tony and other prestigious award nominations.
Days of Wine and Roses, the newest musical written by Adam Guttel and Craig Lewis stars the two esteemed actors. The show intends to examine the complexities of alcoholism and addiction as well as the effects it can have on family dynamics and individualized struggles.
Kristen, the character portrayed by O’Hara is seemingly “hard to get” and is thus courted by the ever so charismatic Joe. Kristen begins the show with a firm no. A no to alcohol, a no to Joe, and a no to the ideals surrounding her office's culture. All of which, are shoved to the side as the two fall madly in love and he convinces her to drink despite her initial stance. They fall so madly in love that being without the other is seemingly never a reality they would be willing to face. In turn; however, being bound to one another is the means by which they are hurting themselves.
I wanted to love them, to feel for them, and as the story progressed, I did, but a moment in one of the early numbers following his persistence and the forceful nature of their meeting put an interesting twist on the couple's dynamic for me. Joe's actions left me wondering if we as an audience are expected to feel any specific way towards him in this situation as he pushes Kristen to drink. Is he the antagonist or rather something more neutral? Are we intended to feel angry at his persistence or to find it charming? He does seem nice enough and Kristen seems to really like him, but the whole time the presence of his alcohol dependency looms over them like a dark cloud.
As the show moves forward the two seem to be a mostly happy couple, thriving in their tipsy-turned-drunken bliss as they plunge into the grasp of alcoholism. All the while they have a daughter, work in their respective fields, and seem overall happy, that is until suddenly they are not. When they are not, boy are they not, the show takes a dark twist that left me deeply unsettled, and judging by the energy from the audience, they felt the same way.
Days of Wine and Roses is a phrase that roughly means a period of happiness and growth and with Guytel and Lewis’s creation, we see the growth, albeit in a negative direction of both Joe and Kristen after they are forcefully removed from their drunken bliss. We’re left wondering for the sake of Lila (their daughter) and given minimal closure to a show that prominently showed us one thing we already know; addiction and substance abuse are harmful. My only wish is that this story allows for closure even if negative, and maybe the idea of a nonhappy ending is a touch of reality in the conversation of addiction; however, I was left with a feeling of incompletion. The beginning half of the show moved along in a definitive direction; however, by the time we hit the height of the twos addiction, it felt nondirectional in more ways than one. We saw setbacks, growth, and then moments that were almost liminal in a sort of "will they won't they" type of way. The production has a great deal of potential and I find myself revisiting those moments of disconnect with the book and the score hoping for an answer to the questions that I was left with. That being said the moments that were good, were really good.
The lighting design, by Ben Stanton, was arguably my favorite technical element of this production. The bright flashes of color create stark emotional shifts and do wonders for the creation of stunning symbolic silhouettes against Lizzie Clachan’s chic set design.
Selfishly I will always enjoy an onstage orchestra, and while this says nothing of the production quality I adore seeing the musicians do what they do best, perform. The music in this show sounded very reminiscent of the era in which the show is set: the 1950s. Without branching too far into the modern musical theatre sound, the show lends itself to feeling as if it’s not something new but rather a revival of a story we have seen before with extremely catchy moments. Guttel knows exactly how to write an operatic tune, something Kelli O'Hara jumps and carries the show with. The contrast with the lyrical melodies in comparison to the orchestral melodies did leave room for question on my end; however, having been multiple days since I last saw the show I still can't stop humming the melody from Evanesce. The songs bleed into the scripts giving it a fluid-like notion and not allowing for definitive breaks, something I appreciate, and the score lacks any large over-the-top showy numbers. The latter is a strength for the production as it allows the show's musicality to be at the forefront without flashy or extravagant extras obstructing the intent.
With that being, said Brian Darcy James and Kelli O’Hara command your attention and leave no doubt in any member of the audience's mind that they can and will sing. It’s a raw performance that most musicals do not present upfront. Its predictability lent itself to moments of extreme strength in which the two actors present deep vulnerability and leave me questioning my own habits, but it also left me feeling like there was more to say.
After sitting with this musical for a few days, the more I find myself appreciating it. It was by no means a feel-good musical, or even happy at all, but it looks at a serious topic, addiction, and does so with wildly talented performers who let the topics sit in their discomfort.
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