‘Harold & Maude: The Musical’

Estelle Parsons and Eric Millegan star in this adaptation at Paper Mill Playhouse.

By: Stuart Duncan

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   As I was walking up the aisle at Paper Mill Playhouse after the opening-night performance of Harold & Maude: The Musical, I heard an elderly gentleman say to his companion, "Well, that was exhilaratingly bland." And you know what? He had it exactly right.
   Harold and Maude, you will probably remember, was a 1971 cult movie that starred the veteran actress Ruth Gordon, teamed with newcomer Bud Cort, in a story about an 70-plus-year-old freewheeling spirit and a not-yet-20 kid obsessed with staging suicides. It began as a failure with audiences but its quirky subject matter appealed to college-age audiences and, over time, it gathered an approving host of backers. The film was dark, but sometimes moving, occasionally funny, and had a score by Cat Stevens that took on a life of its own. Now, 35 years later, the material has been revisited by writer/lyricist Tom Jones (no, not the singer, but half of the team that brought us The Fantasticks) and songwriter Joseph Thalken.
   The world premiere of the musical stars the venerable Estelle Parsons, teamed with the virtually unknown Eric Millegan, born in Hackettstown but raised in Oregon. It must have seemed like a terrific idea. In reality, it turns out to be a very slight concept that begins with a few gasps of hopeful pleasure, then slides embarrassingly downhill through mediocrity and finally — yes — to blandness. Neither Mr. Millegan nor, indeed, Ms. Parsons sings very well, nor dances with much authority. That probably won’t bother anyone, since composer Thalken’s tunes aren’t worth singing; in fact, I defy you to remember a single one as you inch up the aisle after the finale.
   What you will remember is how hard everyone tried to entertain you. There are only five in the cast, making this a boutique musical (there is talk about going to Broadway, but after this opening, that talk will fade rapidly). Donna English plays the mother in the few scenes she is given, Danny Burstein takes on a half-dozen incidental male roles and Donna Lynne Champlin does the same with a half-dozen female roles. He gets to sing a terrible number about bowel movements while playing a Jewish psychiatrist (the title is "Flush It Out"); she gets to play a couple of Harold’s computer-arranged-for girls, including one called Sunshine. That means she gets to sing the one true show-stopper, "Montezuma," which may just be worth the price of admission all by itself. Anyway, watch Ms. Champlin; she’s a winner.
   Rob Odorisio’s set design looks as if the budget was being trimmed as it was being erected. John Paul Szczepanski’s lighting design looks raw and unfinished. Of course, one should remember this is the time of year when many of Paper Mill’s subscribers have already headed for warmer climes, so they’ll never know.
Harold & Maude: The Musical continues at Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn, through Feb. 6. Performances: Wed., Fri. 8 p.m.; Thurs. 2, 8 p.m.; Sat. 2:30, 8 p.m.; Sun. 2, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $31-$68; $16 student-rush tickets. For information, call (973) 376-4343. On the Web: www.papermill.org