High Stepper

By Gerald Clarke

ON YOUR TOES

Music by Richard Rodgers

Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

Book by Rodgers and Hart and

George Abbott

In 1936, when it was the hit of the season, On Your Toes was considered daring, the play that introduced serious dance to the Broadway musical. What was startling then is customary now, and there is only one surprise in this splendid revival, which opened on Broadway last week. It is the unexpected pleasure of seeing how well the old girl has aged and hearing once again some of the loveliest songs that ever bounced off a second balcony.

But considering the talents that went into the original, how could it be otherwise? Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart were at the peak of their collaboration; George Abbott directed; and George Balanchine did the choreography, most notably the 20-minute jazz ballet Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. Rodgers and Hart are gone, and Balanchine is ill. But Abbott, now 95, has returned to direct one of the liveliest revivals in years.

The show's book, let it be said immediately, is silly and dated, constructed of material not strong enough to be considered flimsy. Junior Dolan, the son of two vaudeville dancers, leaves the act, goes to school, and eventually becomes a music professor. As the story gets under way, he tries to persuade a famous Russian ballet company to perform a modern dance by one of his students, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. The inevitable complications ensue. The prima ballerina (Natalia Makarova) makes advances. Poor Frankie Frayne, Junior's true love, despairs. The ballet's impresario discovers the professor's terrible secret--that he lives to dance--and talks him into starring in the climactic number himself.

Slight as it is, the plot is yet sturdy enough for Rodgers and Hart to hang on it half a dozen of their most charming songs. There's a Small Hotel is the best known, but there are also the bittersweet Glad to Be Unhappy, the witty Too Good for the Average Man, the wise and worldly The Heart Is Quicker Than the Eye and the bluesy Quiet Night.

Abbott's new cast is, for the most part, excellent, and in one case it is inspired. The inspiration is Makarova, who turns out to be not only a great ballerina but a gifted comedian. As the tempestuous Vera Baronova, she is both sexy and sly, and her deli very of a line is droll and almost always unpredictable. It is hard to tell whether she is acting or merely enjoying herself, but in the end it scarcely matters. Her zest is infectious and leaps across the footlights. In other major parts, Christine Andreas is a touching, warm-voiced Frankie, George S. Irving is an amusing impresario, Dina Merrill is silkily elegant as the ballet's rich sponsor, and George de la Pena is convincing as Makarova's partner and lover.

There are a few disappointments. Lara Teeter, who plays Junior Dolan, sings and dances well enough, but he does not have the personality to carry such a large and important part. Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, the main number, looks oddly scratchy, and Balanchine's hand is clearly missing. Such faults, however, are far from catastrophic and, given the show's assets, weigh less than they otherwise might. On Your Toes is no longer a pioneer, but it offers something rarely encountered on Broadway these days: guaranteed enjoyment. --By Gerald Clarke This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.