By Carol Rocamora . . .
“Two people stranded at sea . . . Two stranded people are we . . .”
So goes the leitmotif of Days of Wine and Roses, a heartrending new musical now filling the Atlantic Theater Company’s intimate West 20th Street space with a love story almost too painful to bear—were it not for the remarkable performances by its protagonists and its soulful score.
Craig Lucas (book) and Adam Guettel (music/lyrics/orchestration) have adapted the 1958 teleplay and 1962 film of the same name into a moving new work—one that enables Brian D’Arcy James and Kelli O’Hara to inhabit these two stranded souls with a stunning vulnerability and aching beauty. They play Joe (a public relations man) and Kirsten (a secretary), who meet one evening (circa 1950) on a company cruise on the East River. Joe, a suave talker and hard drinker, charms the shy, bookish, self-effacing Kirsten, who at first declines to join him in a cocktail (she doesn’t drink). When Joe learns that Kirsten has a weakness for chocolate, however, she succumbs to his offer of a Brandy Alexander, That moment—like the one when Eurydice defies the prophecy and looks back at Orpheus—seals her doom.
Together, they plunge into a giddy, alcohol-infused romance. “We’re both orphans in a way,” says Joe, as they compare their respective pasts. She grew up on a farm, lost her mother at an early age, and was raised by a stern father; he lost his parents while fighting in the Korean War, and is haunted by PTSD. They elope, to the disapproval of Kirsten’s formidable father (Byron Jennings). Eventually, the drinking that defines their relationship drags them deeper into a downward spiral. Joe is demoted in his job—and sent to Houston for six months. Alone with an infant daughter, Kirsten drinks more, eventually setting their apartment on fire. Joe returns, and their vain efforts to control their symbiotic alcoholism continue. After one desperate attempt at sobriety, Joe wrecks his father-in-law’s greenhouse in search of a hidden bottle.
The surprise of the story comes when, despite multiple setbacks, Joe is able to commit to sobriety through the assistance of Jim, a compassionate sponsor (David Jennings). Meanwhile, Kirsten, who refuses treatment, sinks lower and lower into self-loathing, until the final scene (no spoiler) when she makes a devastating attempt to confront the 10-year-old daughter she has abandoned and the husband she adores, in spite of their shared self-destructive journey.
As Lila, Ella Dane Morgan provides an added dimension of pathos to the story—as the ten-year old-daughter who has learned to survive, look after herself, and still hold out hope for her mother’s return.
Under Michael Greif’s skilled, sensitive direction, the show (resourcefully designed by Lizzie Clachan) belongs to Joe and Kirsten. Kelli O’Hara gives a breathtaking performance as a woman whose capacity for self-destruction seems to know no bounds. Her descent as a retiring, reserved young woman into the chasm of alcoholism is heartbreaking, and her glorious voice fills the Atlantic Theater with a resonance that is transporting in its beauty, vulnerability and suffering. She sings of the “alive-ness” and the thrill of danger that she feels when drinking. At the same time, by her own admission, she’s afraid of living. She sings of forgiveness, but the one person she can’t forgive is herself. Indeed, you might say that her voice is the play itself. Brian d’Arcy James gives a valiant performance, accomplishing the rare feat of eliciting our empathy for his struggle and capacity for change, despite the damage he has wrought. Together, they project a magnetic chemistry, singing the melodious Lucas/Guettel score with passion and total commitment.
Once again, the superb Atlantic Theater Company has distinguished itself with a musical production of the highest artistic level, following its triumphs with The Band’s Visit, Spring Awakening, and most recently Kimberly Akimbo (which just won the 2023 Tony Award). It’s no small accomplishment that a musical with a topic as serious as Days of Wine and Roses can provide catharsis and, at the same time, offer the hope of redemption.
Days of Wine and Roses. Through July 16 at the Atlantic Theater Company’s Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues). www.atlantictheater.org
Photos: Ahron R. Foster
