The careers of some of America's greatest musical theater writers have ended with a whimper. So it's heartening that composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb's final work together, The Scottsboro Boys, shows the pair brimming with the mix of tunefulness and raw edge that dazzled audiences in Cabaret. And Philadelphia Theatre Company's production, essentially a remounting of the Broadway version, is a knockout.
Kander and Ebb did their share of traditional musicals, but are best known for the in-your-face revue, à la Chicago. The Scottsboro Boys works in a similar mode. Based on the true story of nine African-American teenagers wrongly convicted of rape, Kander and Ebb situate their storytelling within the framework of a minstrel show. A top-hatted Interlocutor provides the narrative; Mr. Tambo and Mr. Bones offer comic commentary.
At its best, Scottsboro shocks and entertains in equal measure. "Electric Chair," in which a kid is teased by a pair of prison guards, leaves the audience in stunned silence. "Southern Days," a nostalgic hymn to antebellum culture, is both grim and hilarious.
But ironic distance has its limits. The acerbic breeziness of Chicago works because the story is tawdry tabloid stuff. Applying a similar technique to a genuine tragedy is brave but risky, and Scottsboro plays out its hand in the first hour. At the point where we want something deeper, it isn't there.
Still, it's hard to imagine a better production. Director Susan Stroman uses minimal scenery but vividly evokes multiple locations. (Jeff Whiting skillfully restages her work here.) Six of the original Broadway cast members return, but the entire group is first rate. Particular kudos to Ron Holgate as the Interlocutor and J.C. Montgomery as Mr. Bones. As Mr. Tambo and other characters, Forrest McClendon is simply brilliant. A must-see evening of theater.
Through Feb. 19, $51-$69, Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St., 215-985-0420, philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
