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Irma La Douce
Irma La Douce New York City Center Encores! By Joel Benjamin Back in 1961 when Irma La Douce debuted on Broadway audiences were titillated by its naughty, fresh attitude toward sex and crime. Times have changed and these attitudes now are quaint and possibly a tad offensive. Irma has a tongue-in-cheek book (by Alexandre Breffort who also wrote the original French lyrics) and a melodic, but repetitive score by Marguerite Monnot. The English book and lyrics, which capture the off-handed lingo of these colorful characters, is by Julian More, David Heneker and Monty Norman.
Oddly cast, with only one female character, the show is about the laissez-faire behavior of the demi-monde of Pigalle and the power of sex and money. There is very little plot. Irma is managed by a group of Mecs (pimps) led by Polyte-Le-Mou (Chris Sullivan, a large and vivid presence) until she meets and falls in love with the very unglamorous Nestor, nicknamed Le-Fripe, a poor law student. Irma winds up supporting Nestor. He decides to create an old man he calls Oscar, very rich, who pays Irma 10,000 Francs each time he sees her. That Irma can’t figure out the Oscar is Nestor with a bizarre beard requires a good deal of suspension of disbelief. Of course the 10,000 he gives her she gives back to Nestor who, as Oscar, gives it back the next day to Irma. This is how he continues the ruse until he decides to “get rid of” Oscar. He is accused of murdering him, convicted and sent to Devil’s Island along with the Mecs who helped him. The second act is about the redemption of Nestor and his crew and his reunion with the now-pregnant love of his life, Irma. All ends in a strangely soppy song, “Christmas Child” extolling Nestor and Irma’s offspring. The songs never gained much traction outside the show. “The Bridge of Caulaincourt,” the closest to a hit that the show produced, is a big ballad sung by the lovebirds. It is reprised in parts, as is the more intimate “Our Language of Love.” Irma sings the jaunty “Dis-Donc” when she thinks she’s fallen into a honeypot with Oscar which leads to the first of several dances choreographed by the up and coming Chase Brock. In “Irma-la-Douce” which extols all her voluptuous virtues, the Mecs dance joyously with and around Irma. The weirdest was the “Arctic Ballet” which involves dancing penguins! The performers all were off book, so this was more like a full tilt Broadway show than some of the other Encores! productions. As Irma, Jennifer Bowles’s beautiful figure and lithe movements, not to mention a strong singing voice, kept the character from becoming a caricature. Rob McClure as Nestor, was earnest and vital, giving his all to the silly machinations of the plot.
It was good to have Malcolm Gets back on the NY stage. He played Bob-le-Hotu, proprietor of the Bar-des-Inquiets, the gathering spot of all the characters. Bob also narrates and comments on the plot. The other Mecs, played by Zachary James, Ken Krugman, Ben Crawford and Sam Bolen all managed to register as individuals who belong to a genial gang. Stephen DeRosa’s Police Inspector had just enough world weariness mixed with a winking sense of humor. The set by John Lee Beatty was quite extravagant, with the central bar set surrounded by brick walls, and lots of suspended period posters and signs. Ann Hould-Ward’s costumes were subdued, mostly variations on fancy suits. Irma wore the same tight, sexy red dress for the entire show. John Doyle directed in a straight-forward way, never camping up the mood. Despite a lack of pizzazz in the book, he kept the energy flowing, helped by Chase Brock’s choreography. New York City Center Encores! Off-Center continues with tick, tick…Boom! (June 25th-28th), Randy Newman’s Faust: The Concert (July 1st) and Pump Boys & Dinettes (July 16th-19th). Irma La Douce (May 7 – 11, 2014) Tickets and Information: 212-581-1212 or www.nycitycenter.org Running time: 2 hrs. 10 minutes with one intermission 
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