Mud Donahue & Son Review

Despite high hopes, the New York Musical Theatre Festival has become an annual excuse for self-indulgent, amateurish projects with no hint of commercial potential to strut and fret their way across some of this town's least desirable stages. So it was a genuine surprise to find the festival offering something as fresh, heartfelt, and downright delightful as Mud Donahue & Son, a powerful two-hander that gives this writer renewed hope for musical theatre. Although rooted in theatrical history, it is one hundred percent new. What a joy it is to have a new musical worth cheering for! And glory be, instead of making fun of musical theatre, this delicious show actually glorifies it! Jack Donahue was a real life vaudeville hoofer who rose to stardom on Broadway in the 1920s, only to drink himself to death at age 39 just as Hollywood offered him a chance to appear in early sound films. Shortly before his death, he published a collection of letters that he exchanged with his beloved Irish-American mother (his "Mud") during his first year touring in smalltime vaudeville. Those letters form the basis for Mud Donahue & Son, which is essentially a song and dance dialogue between the town-hopping Jack and his mother back home. Jeff Hochhauser has fashioned a tight libretto that converts this interchange into very effective theatre, allowing these two characters to speak without imposing any hint of contemporary pop psychology. He also fits in a solid taste of what a vaudevillian's life was like, and fits in deft references to major performers of that era, including a wry mention of Donahue's future Broadway co-star Marilyn Miller. But fear not -- what could all too easily have been a dry history lesson is instead a first-rate dramatic piece packed with human interest. Composer Bob Johnston provides an ongoing parade of fine, memorable melodies that deftly utilize period styles -- and both Hochhauser and Johnston are credited with the well-crafted lyrics that make every song a key part of the storytelling process. In a two character piece, casting is vital, and one would he hard pressed to find a more gifted duo than this. Shonn Wiley has the dazzling looks and talent to bring Jack Donahue to life with extraordinary flair. One of the best hoofers in the business today, Wiley delivers show-stopping dance routines ("The Shadow" and "Tap Drunk" are standouts) that are surprisingly equaled by the power of his character's ongoing battle with alcoholism. Karen Murphy plays Mrs. Donahue as a life-hardened but loving Irish-American mother, sidestepping any hint of caricature to deliver a believable, flesh and blood character. A gifted Broadway veteran, she gets her own show-stopping moment in "So the Old Dog Has Come Home," a powerhouse ballad that marks the end of her hard-drinking husband's latest bender. There is a warm and moving chemistry between these two performers that makes Mud Donahue & Son one of the real theatrical joys of the year. A heap of praise goes to Lynne Taylor-Corbett for crystal clear direction and glorious period-perfect choreography -- including some socko tap choreography, which is also partially credited to Mr. Wiley. This bare-bones festival production boasts a simple set by James Morgan, colorful costumes by David Toser and sleek lighting by Jason Kantrowitz -- all good enough to make one yearn for a more fully realized staging of this show. Mud Donahue & Son is just plain wonderful! I hope and pray that it lands a commercial run and earns its joyously deserved place in the musical theatre repertory. Oh, what a find this show is for companies in need of an intimate crowd pleaser -- and what a find it is for theatregoers in search of a walloping good time!