Photos by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman
Nine times out of ten, you go to a show hoping for—at the very least—a solid performance. But with a cast and production team full of experienced Broadway legends, the heightened expectation and anticipation in the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater as “Nine” began was palpable. And, mamma mia, did this show ever deliver.
“Nine” is part of the Kennedy Center’s Broadway Center Stage series. Now in its fifth season, the series’ production of SPAMALOT went on to a critically-acclaimed Broadway engagement, and Nine seems destined to follow in its footsteps. The show is based on the Fellini film, “8 1/2”, and portrays a celebrated film director, Guido (Steven Pasquale), teetering at the brink of a nervous breakdown and searching for inspiration for his next film, as women from his past and present—including his wife, mistress, mother, and muse—wander through his lucid dreams. While it may be a bit unusual for a show to contain only one adult male role, Pasquale (who also starred in last year’s Guys and Dolls at the Kennedy Center) brings so much power and beauty to the vocally challenging part of Guido that the audience may not even notice. His rendition of “The Bells of St. Sebastian” will send chills up your spine and leave you longing to hug your inner child. (Guido doesn’t have to look far for his, as Little Guido is also in the show—the energetic and charming Charlie Firlik.)
You may think a show centered upon a man’s midlife crisis and romantic dalliances might be told exclusively through the male gaze. But as the plot unfolds, it’s the women who are driving it and not the other way around. Masterful staging finds the women quite directing both the on-stage orchestra (directed in real life by the fantastic Lily Ling)—and Guido’s mind, too. Each woman is ultimately revealed to be a complex character in her own right. Guido’s wife, Luisa (Elizabeth Stanley), defends her husband’s eccentricities while spinning out her own feelings about their complicated marriage and toying with a big decision of her own.
His mistress, Carla (Michelle Veintimilla), reveals herself to be far more than the laugh lines she nails, musing with his muse (if you will), Claudia (Shereen Ahmed), about connections and a rich life Guido’s one-dimensional view of the women could never recognize in a gorgeous rendition of “Simple.” Liliane La Fleur (Carolee Carmello) is not just a producer trying to get a return on her investment, but a talented and passionate cabaret performer. I’ll admit I was a bit confused by the part of Asa Nisi Masa (Sasha Hutchings), who does much directing of Guido without an otherwise very defined role. That seemed like a bit of a waste for Hutchings considerable talents, but a minor detail.
Pasquale’s vocal chops are matched note for note by this dizzying array of talented leading ladies. Like them, this show contains multitudes and is more than meets the eye. Themes of depression, self-doubt, and even some suicidal thoughts are reflected in somber black (but gorgeous) costumes and a film set that literally closes in on Guido at one point. But these are all punctuated by lighter themes of love (and lust) and the pursuit of dreams—all of which you can feel in the hilarious numbers like “Be Italian” from Sarraghina (the exquisite Lesli Margherita), and in the flowing white curtains forming the sides of the set—which serve to not only quite literally add some light, but are also props and costumes, as needed. Brilliant choreography by three-time Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler, who also directed the show, ties the light and the dark together, illustrating Guido’s every dream with a dynamic story-telling quality.
This show is only running through August 11th , and you don’t want to miss it, so make like an Italian film director and andiamo!
FINAL GRADE: A+
Nine is currently running in the Eisenhower Theatre at the Kennedy Center to August 11, 2024. Running time is 2 hours with a 15 minute intermission
Tickets are available at the Kennedy Center box office, www.kennedy-center.org, or by calling 202-467-4600.
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