Entertainment Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors Michael Giltz Freelance writerGET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ Follow NY Around Town , Theatre , Broadway Shows , Closer Than Ever , Closer Than Ever Review , Maltby & Shire , Musicals , Off-Broadway , Entertainment NewsReact Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyTheater: Closer Than Ever -- Maltby & Shire's Quiet Charm CLOSER THAN EVER *** out of **** YORK THEATRE COMPANY I can still remember buying the cast album to the original production of Closer Than Ever in 1990 back in Gainesville, Florida and wishing I could see the show in New York.</p><p> One year later I moved to the city and the first show I saw was another revue, And The World Goes 'Round , a Kander and Ebb tribute.</p><p> Closer had already closed.</p><p> For most Off Broadway revues that didn't move to Broadway, that was the end of the road for New York.</p><p> Closer Than Ever enjoyed many regional productions over the years but it wasn't until the York Theatre Company began its revival of Off Broadway musical works that Richard Maltby and David Shire's CloserThan Ever had a chance to return.</p><p> Now after a 15 month series of productions of shows like I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road, York is climaxing the series with this new revival, directed by Maltby himself.</p><p> It's a classy finale to a bold program.</p><p> Closer Than Ever is a musical revue that gathers together songs Maltby & Shire had written previously for other shows (like the Broadway musical) but cut, one-offs or composed especially for this production, all of them stored at one point or another in what Maltby called "The Urban File." These songs focused in on middle age -- divorce, dating, kids, job insecurity, old friends, new challenges and the like. "She Loves Me Not" follows the nice scene setter "Doors" and once probably seemed daringly funny.</p><p> We see a man yearn for his female neighbor while she has eyes only for another male neighbor while thatman has eyes only for the first guy.</p><p> He's gay! Luckily, the song is nicely constructed though it might workbetter not played so broadly.</p><p> Almost nothing else in the show has dated, though a few lines have beenmodestly tweaked to refer to DVRs, for example, and actors mime talking on cell phones when of coursein 1989 they didn't really even have the Internet. "You Wanna Be My Friend" is an hilarious number where a woman tells a man breaking up with her that the last thing she needs is a "friend." Jenn Colella brandishes a southern accent to very fun, Annie Oakleyeffect here.</p><p> Christiane Noll is equally sharp on the tongue-twisting "The Bear, the Tiger, the Hamster andthe Mole," in which a woman extolls the many possibilities of mating found in nature (most of them doMOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2 Chipotle Busted For Cheating Customers Out Of Pennies Republican Attendees Thrown Out After Racist Attack On CNN Worker RPatz Agrees To Meet KStew But Is Selling Their Home PHOTO: The Queen Rolls In A Range Rover Wearing A Hoodie MAP: Hurricane Isaac's Path Aims For Gulf Coast Deaf Boy Asked To Make Controversial Change (VIDEO)FOLLOW USCelebrity TV Political Hollywood Features Hollywood Buzz Videos Help Us Write 'The Words' Quick Read | Comments (27) | 08.20.2012August 29, 2012 Edition: U.S.</p><p> FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA CELEBRITY TV COMEDY FOOD STYLE ARTS BOOKS LIVE ALL SECTIONS Bill Moyers Dean Baker John Hillcoat Bobby BowdenHOT ON THE BLOG HuffPost Social Reading Like 102 Posted: 06/21/2012 12:29 pm SHARE THIS STORY Submit this storySPONSOR GENERATED POST Like 1k Like 13k Like 86 Like 1k Recommend 284 Like 4kPolitical Hollywood Movie Trailers The Avengers Electronic Dance Music More Log in Create AccountFOLLOW ENTERTAINMENTno bode well for the male).</p><p> And the comic high point is "There's Nothing Like It," a very fun lament about exercise in which the entire cast has a blast acting out their aches and pains and the frustration over Jane Fonda's workout (a dated reference they wisely retained).</p><p> More serious numbers appear, such as Sal Viviano's high point "One Of The Good Guys," a quiet tune about not cheating on your wife and the strength and satisfaction that provides.</p><p> And Noll handles the roller coaster of "Life Story" nicely.</p><p> The first act ends strongly but as with so many shows, I always wonder if an intermission is helpful.</p><p> Closer Than Ever was expanded from a one act revue but I can't help thinking it would maintain itsmomentum and be stronger without the interval and the removal of four or five songs that don't play aswell as the others.</p><p> The tech elements are strong with a clean but elegant scenic design by James Morgan as a highlight.</p><p> Maltby directs smoothly and turns the four actors (and two musicians who each get a turn in the spotlight) into a true ensemble.</p><p> Inevitably, however tightly knit the group, you find your favorites and here the women outshine the men.</p><p> George Dvorsky is a funny, engaging presence in act one but falters a bit in act two with several lesser tunes at his disposal.</p><p> Noll has a voice perfect for the pop operas that dominated in the 1980s but modulates herself nicely and shines throughout.</p><p> Viviano, I'm afraid, is the notable weak link.</p><p> His voice isn't remotely as strong as the others and his onstage presence repeatedly has a supper theatre air that surely he and Maltby were not going for.</p><p> The first among equals is the marvelous Colella.</p><p> I was lucky enough to see her hilariously out-there turn as the star of the New York Musical Theater Festival show Kiki Baby for which she deservedly won a top award and thought, "Who the heck is that?" My first impression has been fully borne out here for thisstar of Broadway's Urban Cowboy and High Fidelity and numerous more successful Off Broadway shows.</p><p> Every time she returns to the stage, you smile.</p><p> She nails the comic number of "Miss Byrd," thesexiness of "Back On Base" and any time there's a group number your eyes are drawn to her.</p><p> She is onechoice part away from Broadway stardom (or a sitcom hit).</p><p> Isn't that precisely why you go to revues -- todive into the catalog of an artist and maybe discover a talent you'll want to follow for years to come? I love Maltby & Shire when they're in their quiet, observant, wry mode.</p><p> They are the Cheever and Updike of musical theater. (What they could do with Rabbit, Run! ) I find them consistently less engaging when going for the big Broadway moment, for songs of sentiment and large emotion.</p><p> That may be why I was less taken with act two, which believes it is building emotionally by including numbers like "If I Sing" (in which a musician celebrates the love of music he learned from his father) and the similarly dramatic"Patterns" and "Fathers Of Fathers." But, in fact, it's the quieter and funnier numbers that are packedwith emotion, the sort that sneaks up on you when you're not expecting it.</p><p> When they don't strive for thebig notes, Maltby and Shire are closer than ever to reaching them.</p><p> THE THEATER SEASON 2012-2013 (on a four star scale) Chimichangas And Zoloft * Closer Than Ever *** Cock ** 1/2 My Children! My Africa! *** Once On This Island *** Potted Potter * Storefront Church ** 1/2 Title And Deed *** Thanks for reading.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests.</p><p> It's available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and alsoavailable for free on iTunes.</p><p> Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.</p><p> Note : Michael Giltz is provided with free tickets to shows with the understanding that he will be writing a review.</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz Read more from Huffington Post bloggers: Andy Propst: Laura Osnes Brings Homespun Charm to the Upper East Side What might be most impressive about Laura Osnes' work is that she can take classics, long associated GOP Approves Abortion Ban Isaac Balloons Into A Hurricane, New Orleans Threatened Limbaugh's Wild Isaac Conspiracy DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5 Bill Moyers WATCH: Both Parties Give Invisible Americans the Silent Treatment Dean Baker Poverty: The New Growth Industry in America TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 7 MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1 of 2 HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3 Like 75k GET ALERTSRecommend 9k Recommend 696 Like 7k Kim Kardashian Wants a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame First Video of Snooki With Her New Baby Boy First Look at Snooki's BabyBoy What's Your Favorite Michael Jackson Memory? 13 Movies That Changed The Way We View Poverty Madonna's Message For Americans: 'Don't Get Fat And Lazy' WATCH: Raging Grannies Have Some Words For Todd Akin Guns N' Roses Slash Once Caught David...</p><p> Samuel L.</p><p> Jackson: 'Unfair' Hurricane Isaac Avoid...</p><p> Robin Williams As Dwight D.</p><p> Eisenhower In... '2016: Obama's America' Fact- Checkwith legendary singers, and make them her own.</p><p> Shoshana Greenberg: What Constitutes Political Theater: Talking with Food and Fadwa 's Lameece Issaq and Nancy Vitale Perhaps labeling plays and musicals as political theater does more harm than good.</p><p> Should politics, whether they are at the center or on the periphery, make a difference in how a work is categorized? Rachel Aydt: Up Close at Closer Than Ever In Closer Than Ever, two men and two women sing about love, loss, friendship, exercise (?!) and much more, all against the musical backdrop of a piano and an upright bass Liz Smith: 'Rock of Ages': How Did It Crumble? (But Don't Cry For Tom Cruise--He's Got A Billion Dollars!) Although I had a feeling "Rock of Ages" wasn't going to be a smash, I did think enough people wouldappreciate this obvious parody of 1980s music, fashions and attitudes to give it some box-office bang.</p><p> Around the Web: Closer Than Ever on Music Theatre International: Licensing Musical ...</p><p> Closer than Ever-2012 - nytimes.com Video - Closer Than Ever: A Cult Classic Redefined York Theatre Company's CLOSER THAN EVER Revival Begins ...</p><p> Amazon.com: Closer Than Ever: Original Cast Recording: David ...</p><p> Closer Than Ever | Bristol Riverside Theatre More in Entertainment...</p><p> HOT ON TWITTER 1 of 2 HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES Celebrity babies Liquor Eat The Press Soccer Paralympics News Hurricane Isaac 2012 Detroit Crime New Orleans Afghanistan MORE BIG NEWS PAGES » Advertise | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | About Our Ads | Contact Us Copyright © 2012 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.</p><p> All rights reserved.</p><p> Part of AOL-HuffPost EntertainmentRecency | PopularityComments 0 Pending Comments 0 View FAQ Comments are closed for this entry View All ricky_martin RetweetMake Room for (the New) Daddy http://t.co/Q6eIDokm via @huffingtonpost feliciaday RetweetThink on it: Cambridge scientists say all mammals, birds, many others including octopi, have human-like consciousness. http://t.co/aF6W2ZQh
