Though forever overshadowed by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rogers and Hart were as delightful a duo as ever concocted musicals for the Broadway stage. Where the later team dealt in lushness, epic themes, and emotional upheavals, the earlier duo found greatness in zest, cheery wit, and melodies so easy, only a muse could have penned them. If the Roundabout’s revival of The Boys from Syracuse looks a little slapdash, it sounds nifty, thanks to a cast of Broadway pros who can play goofy characters and still sing—formidably—for their supper.
Winning us over almost instantly are Jonathan Dokuchitz’s “get-me-outta-here” Antipholus of Syracuse and Tom Hewitt’s tongue-in-cheek bravado as Antipholus of Ephesus. Typically fine support work, too, from the slaves of Lee Wilkof and Chip Zien, and even the (seemingly) minor role of an imprisoned Aegean gets fine singing from Broadway stalwart Walter Charles.
In the breakout role of loopy, lovestruck Luciana, Erin Dilly (who was almost a Millie) proves deliciously silly. All this, plus statuesque courtesans, great songs that haven’t been overplayed (such as “He and She” and “The Shortest Day of the Year”), a few jarringly anachronistic—but admittedly funny—one-liners by book adaptor Nicky Silver, and the evening floats by on a raft of pleasant sounds and ear-to-ear grins.
