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A Catered Affair
Music and lyrics by John Bucchino
Book by Harvey Fierstein
Directed by John Doyle
Starring Faith Prince, Tom Wopat, and Harvey Fierstein
Walter Kerr Theatre
acateredaffaironbroadway.com
 Tom Wopat and Faith Prince in A CATERED AFFAIR; photo by Jim Cox
Based on the 1956 film of almost the same title (The Catered Affair), which in turn was based on a teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky, the musical tells the story of the Hurleys, a financially struggling Bronx family whose members bicker back and forth over whether to give daughter Janey a dream wedding or spend that money to purchase a taxi medallion for father Tom. This is pretty much the sum total of the plot; the film, which stars Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, and Debbie Reynolds, is far more successful as a character study than as a gripping tale of lower-middle-class angst. In adapting the source material, Fierstein had made some intriguing changes, such as the introduction of the idea that the money to be used for the wedding has come to Tom and Aggie Hurley in the form of a bereavement benefit for their son's death in the Korean War. But Fierstein has erred in reconceiving the role of Uncle Winston as a gay man, played by himself. There's no question that the situation of a homosexual living an uncloseted life in the years before Stonewall is interesting enough to warrant exploration in a play or musical, but the character simply doesn't fit well into this pre-existing story and therefore throws off its delicate balance.
Unfortunately, the problems of A Catered Affair are far more pervasive than the introduction of a gay uncle. The fact that the show begins with a 10-minute dialogue scene is our first indication that Fierstein and Bucchino don't really have handle on how to musicalize the story, and that impression is only confirmed as things progress. The songs sort of wander in and out of the action, sounding more like recitative than anything else, and their placement is not especially skillful. Fierstein has added some good jokes, but the first few scenes could have used a lot more humor to allow us to bond with the Hurleys before all of the bickering starts. And it's a huge disappointment that, although this show cries out for a full-out fantasy wedding sequence, we only get the merest hint of one.
Bucchino has written many wonderful, stand-alone songs that have become staples of the cabaret and concert circuit, but his contributions to this endeavor lack the melodic inspiration of his “Grateful,” the rhythmic drive of his “Taking the Wheel,” and the insight of his “Sweet Dreams.” (That last-named song, about two minutes in length, is more emotionally involving than the entire score of A Catered Affair.) Whether this is because Bucchino simply can't write in a traditional theatrical style or because he just doesn't have an affinity for the source material won't be answerable until such time as he attempts another musical.
An on-the-nose criticism of A Catered Affair was offered by my theater companion, who said he felt that the music added nothing to the story. I'd go even further and say that some of the songs actually detract from the overall experience. For example, Faith Prince and Tom Wopat do stellar work in a wrenching dramatic scene during which Aggie Hurley stops just short of blaming Tom for their son's death in the war. The audience is rapt as Wopat is moved to tears by Aggie's words -- and then he delivers a pedestrian song called “I Stayed” as a statement on his marriage and fatherhood. What might have been the emotional climax of the show instead amounts to a few minutes of wasted time because, while the concept of the song is great, the actual music and lyrics are far less-than. As a result, the dramatic tension of the previous scene is dissipated rather than sustained or increased.
John Doyle, who did excellent work in helming the recent Broadway revivals of Sweeney Todd and Company, here seems as much at sea as his collaborators. His direction is unfocused, even with such a tiny cast, and he has made some odd decisions in terms of role-doubling; for example, Philip Hoffman is an excellent actor, but it's asking too much of the audience to accept him as both Tom's business partner, Sam, and Janey's future father-in-law. Further, Doyle fails at the basic task of clearly defining the playing areas, entrances, and exits. (At a certain point, Sam comes into the Hurley apartment one way and leaves another.)
Under these circumstances, the work of the cast is all the more admirable. Faith Prince has never been better than she is here as Aggie Hurley, and Wopat gives a deeply felt performance as Tom, movingly characterizing one of those solid, decent, working-class men who aren't fully appreciated by their loved ones. Leslie Kritzer makes daughter Janey more interesting than she is on paper, and Matt Cavenaugh is appealing as her intended, even if he's unaccountably still clinging to the New England accent he used in Grey Gardens. Fierstein offers an admirably restrained performance, yet his character still seems the odd man out, and not in a way that helps the narrative. Kristine Zbornik, Heater MacRae, and Lori Wilner are largely wasted in smaller roles, but Katie Klaus has a nice scene as Janey's friend Alice.
As noted above, Dan Moses Schreier's sound design is exemplary. David Gallo's scenic design is simple yet effective, Ann Hould-Ward's costumes are spot-on, and Zachary Borovay's projections add greatly to the atmosphere of the show, but Brian MacDevitt's lighting isn't up to his usual standard. The production has no choreographer, which is another of its problems. Perhaps it's best to view A Catered Affair as a noble if unsuccessful attempt to create a lovely, heartfelt, intimate musical and to wish its creators the best of luck with similar, future projects.
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