It's nonstop laughs aboard the Twentieth Century, a luxury train traveling from Chicago to New York City. Luck, love and mischief collide when the bankrupt theater producer Oscar Jaffee (Golden Globe winner Peter Gallagher) embarks on a madcap mission to cajole glamorous Hollywood starlet Lily Garland (Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth) into playing the lead in his new, non-existent epic drama. But is the train ride long enough to reignite the spark between these former lovers, create a play from scratch, and find the money to get it all the way to Broadway?
Perhaps best of all, this 'Century' brings Ms. Chenoweth and Mr. Gallagher back to Broadway, where they can demonstrate the subtleties of being larger than life. These fine performers have been largely confined to television screens in recent years. And they grab the chance to chew (and devour) some real live scenery - and in Ms. Chenoweth's case, hit pretty much every note on the scale, musical and otherwise - with the ecstatic vengeance of genies let out of their bottles.
Lily is a role that calls for a true coloratura, and Chenoweth's voice remains a rare instrument, effortlessly scaling the trilling peaks while the actress scampers mischievously through every bit of campy, self-worshipping comic business in the book. Gallagher proves to be almost her match by hamming up a storm as a character perhaps even more flamboyant than Lily, even if the supposedly deep-rooted connection between them is unconvincing. (There's no evidence of the recent vocal strain that caused him to miss a stretch of previews.) However, the performances remain wedded to a broad slap-shtick mode that gets very old very fast, much like the antique sight gag of a cartwheeling granny. And while both Lily's and Oscar's songs are virtuoso comedy turns, the problem is they're seldom fun; at least not for long.... People sitting near me were roaring with laughter, so the show's cornball humor was obviously working for some. But while I was as ready as the next guy to be taken on a delirious musical journey, the train never leaves the station.
1978 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1979 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1980 | West End |
London Production West End |
1985 | Off-Off-Broadway |
Off-Off-Broadway Revival Off-Off-Broadway |
2005 | Broadway |
Actors’ Fund Concert Broadway |
2015 | Broadway |
Roundabout Theatre Broadway Revival Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Kristin Chenoweth |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Warren Carlyle |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Andy Karl |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | On the Twentieth Century |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Kristin Chenoweth |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Andy Karl |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | On the Twentieth Century |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Peter Gallagher |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Kristin Chenoweth |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Warren Carlyle |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | William Ivey Long |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Scott Ellis |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Andy Karl |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Mary Louise Wilson |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | On the Twentieth Century |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Set Design | David Rockwell |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | William Ivey Long |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Andy Karl |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Kristin Chenoweth |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | On the Twentieth Century |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Roundabout Theatre Company |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | David Rockwell |
Videos