A Toast to Broadway’s Latest Musical Drama
Broadway’s newest musical Days of Wine and Roses opens with high expectations thanks to an acclaimed creative team and stars. Based on the classic film and play, this tale of alcoholism’s erosion of marriage features soaring melodies and captivating performances.
Bookwriter Craig Lucas (An American in Paris) adapts the work for the stage, while Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza) provides a lush, melodic score. Director Michael Greif (Rent, Next to Normal) returns to Broadway with his masterful storytelling touch. The show stars Broadway favorites Kelli O’Hara and Brian d’Arcy James as the central couple struggling with addiction.
A Toast to True Love
In the first act, the musical introduces newlyweds Joe (Brian d’Arcy James) and Kirsten Clay (Kelli O’Hara) blissfully in love in 1950s New York. Lucas’ book and Guettel’s optimistic melodies capture the joy and passion of new romance. D’Arcy James and O’Hara have enchanting chemistry, portraying a devoted couple determined to build a happy life and family together.
Joe lands a lucrative advertising job, promising domestic comforts for his aspiring writer wife. Upbeat, jazzy numbers celebrate their infatuation and ambitions. The talented cast surrounding the leads provides delightful supporting characters. Joe’s eccentric boss Wally Parker (Brooks Ashmanskas) nearly steals the show with his bombastic personality.
A Toast Turns Sour
In the second act, the tone shifts as Joe’s social drinking becomes a dependence that threatens his career and marriage. Guettel’s discordant arrangements and minor keys echo the rupture of their domestic tranquility. Lucas’ script fearlessly delves into the ugly realities of alcoholism, from violent outbursts to broken promises to deep denial.
D’Arcy James is riveting as Joe’s affable charms curdle into irrational rages. O’Hara delicately traces Kirsten’s attempts to help Joe, her patience transforming into disillusionment and heartbreak. Yet glimmers of their love persist, making their tragedy more affecting.
A Toast to Redemption
In a climax of confrontation, Joe brutally rejects Kirsten’s final ultimatum to choose between liquor and his family. Here Guettel’s music swells to operatic heights as Kirsten makes the agonizing decision to leave. O’Hara’s performance is shattering in its raw emotion.
Yet the musical offers a whisper of hope in its closing moments. While Joe resigns himself to his addiction, Kirsten breaks the cycle, hinting at a new path forward with their child. An intimate duet between them concludes the musical on a bittersweet but resolute note.
Days of Wine and Roses stands as a moving portrait of both the euphoria of new love and the sorrow of a dream destroyed. D’Arcy James and O’Hara lead a first-rate cast in this promising new American musical. Broadway has its first serious contender for next year’s Tony Awards.
