I Can Get It for You Wholesale is not based on real events, but the Classic Stage Company revival of the 1962 rarely-seen curio does explore jarring issues of anti-semitism while providing a taste of mid-20th century entertainment, Broadway style.
John Weidman has revised the book by his father Jerome Weidman, casting the story of a Depression-era garment district manipulator in stark, dark tones. Mainly known as the show which provided Barbra Streisand with her Main Stem debut, Wholesale ran for 300 performances and quietly disappeared. Trip Cullman’s tight, energetic production restores its place in the repertoire. Harold Rome’s score soars, and Cullman’s direction drives the plot along at a brisk pace. (Mark Wendland’s set which resembles a sweat shop facilitates quick changes with its multiple desks on rollers.)
Santino Fontana is an attractive shark as Harry Bogen, the avaricious rag-trader who sells out his girl, his best friend, and his soul for a quick buck. His charm manages to convince us Harry could get away with anything.
Julia Lester nearly steals the show in the Streisand role of Miss Marmelstein, the efficient secretary longing to be called by her first name. Judy Kuhn is steely as Harry’s mother, particularly when she realizes she is the one who made him an immoral crook. Rebecca Naomi Jones makes the most of the girlfriend role, and Adam Grupper has a memorable cameo as an older clothier even more ruthless than Harry.
I Can Get it for You Wholesale may be from a bygone era of musical comedy, but this new production avoids cliches of the genre.
