Review by Ron Fassler . . .
I’m partial to TV medical dramas and have been watching them for decades. From the heroics of Ben Casey and Dr. Kildare in the 1960s, Medical Center in the 70s, ER in the 90s, and right up to the 2020s and The Pitt. Therefore, it’s difficult to be genuinely surprised by storylines as there are only so many, right? But it doesn’t stop the genre from remaining enormously popular. Nor has it stopped those responsible for the new musical The Heart from creating something rare: a musical medical drama. With a score by the married team of Ann Eisendrath and Ian Eisendrath and a book (with additional lyrics) by Kait Kerrigan, it is an ambitious ticking clock of a musical that, well, wears its heart on its sleeve.
Opening tonight at the Laura Pels Theatre, it is the first Roundabout production on the schedule directed by its new artistic director, Christopher Ashley. Having run La Jolla Playhouse for eighteen years, Ashley has gambled, to mark his new territory, on a show previously produced there just over a year ago. The Heart plays to his strengths in its fluid staging, reminiscent of his Tony Award-winning Come from Away (2017) and he is aided greatly by choreographer Mandy Moore. Responsible for the film La La Land (2018) and Taylor Swift’s Eras tour (2023), Moore works wonders with a company of actors who move as if they are dancers, while not necessarily performing steps to be construed as dancing. It’s very impressive.
Based on Maylis de Kerangal’s novel Réparer les vivants (Mend the Living), The Heart takes place over a 24-hour period. Its inciting incident is the accidental death of Simon Lamar (Nick T. Daly), a 19-year-old surfer, and the decision over whether to donate his organs, which falls to his estranged parents (Joaquina Kalukango and Jason Tam). Though the outcome of their choice is inevitable, it involves genuine pain, which the book tenderly renders. The story then shifts to the fortunate recipient, Claire (Heidi Blickenstaff), a woman who has been waiting two years for a new heart, only to get the news on what she thinks will be her fiftieth (and last) birthday.
Though unconventional for a musical by virtue of its story, The Heart ultimately succeeds because of the quality of its direction, the strength of its cast, and, happily, a score that moves the story along with a driving beat. Though I am not generally a fan of electronic-infused music, it fits here because at its core is the throbbing of a human heart. The lyrics are mostly impressive, and a good deal of the book is solid, admirably restraining from playing on the audience’s sympathies.
Every actor takes on more than one part in addition to serving in the ensemble, and it’s to Ashley’s credit that the production doesn’t suffer for it. It’s often less than ideal when an actor is killed off and returns as another character two scenes later, but here the doubling works. Two-thirds of the cast from the previous La Jolla production has returned. Three members of the nine-person ensemble are new, and the production is fortunate to have them. Joaquina Kalukango (a Tony Award winner for Paradise Square), Drew Gehling (Waitress), and Nick T. Daly (MJ) are all superb. As the dead boy’s mother, Kalukango raises the level of every scene she is in. Blessed with a magnificent singing voice, she is a top-tier actress, full stop. Gehling brings his usual off-beat sense of humor to the role of the transplant doctor, offering a glimpse into a character who might not seem like much on paper. Daly, whose tall, lean physique appears mainly in flashback sequences, projects a vibrantly passionate youth that makes his death all the more tragic.
It’s easy to see why Heidi Blickenstaff was retained for Claire, since the score seems to have been written for her clear-toned, powerhouse voice. When the story becomes hers, the show kicks into another gear, and it’s entirely for the better. Lincoln Clauss, who possesses a soaring high tenor worth hearing, plays the hospital coordinator and imbues the role with an urgent and palpable decency. There is also strong support from Bre Jackson as an empathetic nurse and Jason Tam as a father who can’t quite believe that his child has been taken from him. He must make a decision of enormous consequence. Max McKenna as Juliette, the girlfriend left behind, and Wren Rivera in assorted parts are equally good in this top-notch cast.
Robert Brill’s scenic design is delightful, using the Laura Pels stage brilliantly, with set pieces constantly moved about like a chess game. Amanda Zieve’s lighting design bounces off the walls and floor creating beautifully colorful effects, and Sarafina Bush’s costumes help keep things clear while actors change in and out of lab coats and other finery. Gareth Owen’s sound design, though a bit loud, works well.
The Heart’s predictability factor could have been its downfall, but its creators have nonetheless turned out a strong entertainment. Over the course of a swift ninety minutes, it might just make your heart skip a beat.
At the Laura Pels Theatre, 111 W 46th Street, NYC now through December 6th. For ticket information, please click here.
Photos by Joan Marcus.
Headline photo: Nicky J. Daly.
