‘High Fidelity’ Latest Movie To Become Broadway Musical

NEW YORK (December 7, 2006) — There used to be room on Broadway for genial.

Shows maybe not of blockbuster quality, but, taken on less demanding terms, enjoyable nonetheless.

“High Fidelity,” which opened Thursday at the Imperial Theatre, belongs to that class of musical. The production, based on Nick Hornby’s delightful novel and the John Cusack movie, is bright, breezy entertainment — not a life-changing experience but notable in several respects.

It’s the saga of a thirtysomething slacker named Rob who has never quite grown up. The man runs a used record store in Brooklyn (the location has been transplanted from London of the novel and Chicago in the film).

Rob’s life revolves around vinyl, so to speak. Yet his pop-music-obsessed existence now has been disrupted by the breakup of his relationship with Laura, a lawyer who recently has gone from Legal Aid to corporate law. Their split preoccupies him and the musical and dredges up memories of a parade of other old girlfriends, too.

“High Fidelity” introduces the songwriting team of Tom Kitt and Amanda Green to the big time. Kitt’s music is efficient and sometimes better than that, particularly in the rock-fueled comedy numbers. Maybe that’s because Green’s lyrics are fresh and often funny, a reminder that she is the daughter of legendary Broadway lyricist Adolph Green. Taken together, Green’s words and Kitt’s melodies do something that every good musical should try to accomplish — define character.

“High Fidelity” showcases an ingratiating cast of largely unknown performers. The show stars Will Chase and Jenn Colella as the pulled-apart lovers. Chase is a personable leading man, unaffected yet appealing as he acts out Rob’s increasing frustration. Colella, who doesn’t have nearly enough to do, possesses one of those clear, crisp Olivia Newton-John voices — and that’s a compliment.

But then this is a “guy” musical with a strong male supporting cast. It features Jay Klaitz (think a young Jason Alexander with a touch of Nathan Lane) as a belligerent, album-addicted, record-store clerk (the Jack Black character in the movie) and a beanpole named Christian Anderson as his shy, nerdy accomplice. They are comic delights.

The hero always has to have a best (female) friend. Here she’s played by a robust Rachel Stern who wails her way through the reasons why Rob can’t sustain a romantic relationship. It features the best of Christopher Gattelli’s too-brief choreography.

The action moves effortlessly through designer Anna Louizos’ witty, fold-out set that cleverly morphs from Rob’s cluttered record store to his album-filled apartment where these treasures are arranged not alphabetically, not chronologically but autobiographically — “the order in which they were purchased.”

Much of Kitt’s music’s pays homage to the pop music of the last several decades. There is even an extended send-up of Bruce Springsteen with Jon Patrick Walker effectively playing the Boss in this fantasy sequence.

Those of us more familiar with M&M’s than Eminem — my idea of pop music is Louis Armstrong’s rendition of “Hello, Dolly!”– undoubtedly missed some of the more current musical references. But no matter. Theatergoers so impaired will get the general idea of what is going on.

“High Fidelity” is the latest in a trend of stage adaptations of movie hits — reworkings that have included “Footloose,” “Saturday Night Fever,” “The Wedding Singer,” “Dirty Dancing” (now in London and next year in Toronto) and “Legally Blonde,” opening on Broadway in the spring.

Most have been negligible in their impact on musical theater. “High Fidelity” won’t trailblaze either. But its charms are considerable and don’t be surprised if you fall under its spell.