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The Visit
by David Schultz It took 14 years for this dark-hued musical to settle into a Broadway house. The Visit debuted in September 2001 in Chicago, then at the Signature Theatre in 2008, with additional out-of-town developments and workshops. A variety of setbacks slowed down the progress and at times it seemed to be cursed. But the talent and provenance of the piece assured that it would one day see the light. The end result is a dazzling dark gem of a show that still seems to be in gestation. Finding the right tone throughout is a tricky thing in this musical. The pitch-black cynicism mingled with romantic underpinnings is an odd mix.
The plot in brief: Claire Zachanassian (Chita Rivera) returns to her hometown, now in near financial ruin. She has a desire to meet up with her long-lost love Anton (Roger Rees) who is now a pensive, bitter shopkeeper with little to show for his life. The townsfolk years ago shunned Claire back in the day. She once was a poor on-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks woman in her youth. Now returning as a fabulously wealthy woman, she has a tempting offer to give her downtrodden former townsfolk. But the offer of immense wealth to every person in town comes with a price and is fraught with deadly moral consequences. The macabre request that Claire makes causes the townsfolk’s faces to go ashen. In unison they reject her mad idea, then finally rethinking what all that lucre might do for the town and their own bank accounts. These people have their moral compass turned over a few times. The Terrence McNally book closely follows the original play penned by Friedrich Durrenmatt in 1956. At first glance this chilling piece seems an odd choice for a musical. But in the hands of composers Kander & Ebb (The last collaboration of these two. It was lyricist Mr. Ebb’s last work) it proves to be a perfect match. Co-mingling show-biz razzmatazz, dark cynicism with haunting music this Visit stands apart from everything else currently running on Broadway. Entering the Lyceum Theater the curtain less set reveals a cavernous decaying railroad station. Set designer Scott Pask creates a visually menacing space for this musical. It has a vague German Expressionistic vibe perfectly in tune with the work. Costumes by Ann Hould-Ward are dreary and brown-gray tattered clothing befitting the financially strapped denizens of the town. But Ms. Rivera is wrapped in a gorgeous white gown, white fur and elegant gloves to match. The contrast is striking. Claire is accompanied by an unusual trio; a severely dressed lawyer and a duo of blind, singing eunuchs. All dressed in black and white, with bright yellow gloves and shoes. These companions are by her side protecting her with menacing prowess.
Always within view are two other characters, the ghost figures of Claire and Anton, their glowing youthfulness in full bloom. They linger and watch the proceedings with curiosity. Michelle Veintimilla and John Riddle bring a youthful wistfulness to the proceedings as they interact with their elder selves at various moments. Choreography by Graciela Daniele is sensually graceful and delicately thought-out.
One highlight is a gorgeous pas de deux with Ms. Veintimilla and Ms. Rivera. It is paired with a haunting song (“Love and Love Alone”). It stops the show with a hushed intensity. The heavy foreshadowing of the work is shown with various performers sitting upon a whirling casket throughout the show. Numerous bulky black suitcases are piled up and down and used as portents of what is to come. This bitter and sardonic musical reaches another high point in the musical number entitled “Yellow shoes”, which incorporates all those black suitcases, and reveals brightly colored shoes contained therein for all the townsfolk to wear. This treatise on greed, avarice, revenge and redemption works on many levels. Pair it with some of the best music penned by Kander and Ebb, intelligent theatergoers will easily fall under its spell. This intricate musical is assuredly worth a visit. Lyceum Theatre,149 West 45th
Street 
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