Lempicka – 22 March 2024

I know my title makes a strong statement, but I really feel like Lempicka let me down, and while not all of my criticism derives from a single casting choice, Eden Espinoza was completely wrong for this leading lady. The harshness of her voice, her inability to sustain (or locate) the correct pitch, and her abrupt shifts between registers that sounded as though she didn’t know how to make those transitions vocally, made for a very rough, audibly painful theatrical experience. For a show about a woman who feels out of place, she sure was out of place on that stage, and it saddened me because the content of the show was strong and interesting, the aesthetic had incredibly beautiful moments (and a fair number of ugly ones), and the writing, which otherwise would have been this piece’s crown jewel, was overshadowed by Eden Espinoza’s unsuitability for the part.

The orchestrations were another significant factor in my disappointment. The vocal arrangements were beautiful, especially moments with Amber Iman and Andrew Samonsky; George Abud and Natalie Joy Johnson also gave standout vocal performances. The musical orchestrations made no sense. This was a piece that needed percussion you could feel, not a set of Ableton tracks with no dynamics. It didn’t feel like the live musicians contributed much at all— strings had a lot of tremolos and long ties; despite most of the live musicians being string players I can’t recall a moment where a string instrument had a melodic line. All of the wind instruments were played by a single player, and watching her from my mezzanine seat confirmed what I was hearing— that she only played a couple of measures on each instrument, sporadically throughout the show. The other instruments were keyboards/synths, and a French horn player who didn’t play in many of the songs. The mix in the house did not and could not make this piece shine, despite beautiful vocal lines and impeccably crafted lyrics that should have woven together a magical, moving production.

The book held many gems, and the music-free moments of this show were enrapturing. The words of this story are powerful, but I couldn’t get past the pain of what I was physically hearing in the space. It was hard to listen and engage when the music was, quite literally, painful to my ears. As a musician, composer, and sound designer, I was truly baffled, and even though as a writer I tried very hard to appreciate it, for me the poor musical selections and lead role casting choice were insurmountable obstacles.

I have two final asides, which are tiny little personal quips. The first is casting Nathaniel Stampley in a role where he only gets to sing two lines. He has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard on Broadway, and I was so looking forward to seeing him in this show, only to discover he got shortchanged. The second is more personal— I heard a number of queer women who attended this production leaving the theatre actively insulted and betrayed by how they were represented and spoken about in this piece, and I understand and share this concern. All in all, I feel an incredible amount of untapped potential in this show, but cannot say I enjoyed this production.

The performance I attended was a preview performance.

I did not attend this performance on a press pass.