Marvin Hamlisch, Craig Carnelia, and John Guare's Sweet Smell of Success made an NYC return November 21-22 via a concert revival from MasterVoices at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall. See photos from the production, directed and conducted by MasterVoices Artistic Director Ted Sperling, in the gallery below below.
The cast was led by Raúl Esparza (Company) as J.J. Hunsecker, Lizzy McAlpine (Floyd Collins) as Susan, Ali Louis Bourzgui (The Who's Tommy) as Sidney Falco, Noah J. Ricketts (The Great Gatsby) as Dallas, and Aline Mayagoitia (Real Women Have Curves) as Rita. Along with the MasterVoices choral ensemble, the company also included an actor ensemble featuring Clarisse Austin, Brian Binion (The Lion King), Ben Cherington (Parade), Brandon Leffler (On The Town), Colby Q. Lindeman (Wicked), Viviana Rincon, Brian Vaughn (Beetlejuice), Clyde Voce (Floyd Collins), and Jayme Wappel. Craig Burns of The Telsey Office served as a casting consultant.
Noah J. Ricketts and company of Sweet Smell of Success
Noah J. Ricketts and company of Sweet Smell of Success
Lizzy McAlpine
Ali Louis Bourzgui and Raúl Esparza
Noah J. Ricketts, Lizzy McAlpine, and Raúl Esparza
Ali Louis Bourzgui
Ali Louis Bourzgui and company of Sweet Smell of Success
Aline Mayagoitia
Lizzy McAlpine and company of Sweet Smell of Success
Ted Sperling
Raúl Esparza
Brian Vaughn and Ali Louis Bourzgui
Raúl Esparza and company of Sweet Smell of Success
Lizzy McAlpine and Raúl Esparza
Company of Sweet Smell of Success
Noah J. Ricketts and Lizzy McAlpine
Company of Sweet of Success
Noah J. Ricketts
READ: Sweet Smell of Success Is Returning to New York, in a Revised, Shorter Form
The gritty musical—which features music by the late Hamlisch, lyrics by Carnelia, and a book by Guare, adapted from the 1957 film by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman—follows ambitious press agent Sidney Falco who develops an unlikely friendship with gossip columnist J.J. Hunsecker, whose daily column is the primary target for all of Falco's clients. When Hunsecker enlists Falco to break off a relationship between his sister, Susan, and a young jazz musician, Falco gets tangled in Hunsecker's web. The work played a brief Broadway run in 2002, its dark source material somewhat less appealing to audiences still reeling from the attacks of 9/11. Guare and Carnelia revised their work for the MasterVoices staging.
The performances also featured choreography by Andrew Palermo, scenic design by Ryan Howell, costume design by Tracy Christensen, lighting design by Isabella Byrd, and sound design by Scott Lehrer. The musical features orchestrations by William David Brohn and dance arrangements by Ron Melrose. Bonnie Panson served as production stage manager, Cambra Overend was production supervisor, and David Lai was the orchestra contractor. The production was presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
“Marvin Hamlisch regarded his music for Sweet Smell of Success to be on a par with that of A Chorus Line, and I wholeheartedly agree, this is a score that needs to be better known," said Sperling in an earlier statement. "John, Craig, and I are keen to take a fresh look at their show set in the seductively sleazy showbiz underbelly of 1950s Manhattan and snapping with Marvin’s wonderful jazz-inspired songs.”
MasterVoices' 2025-2026 season also includes Sins and Grace, to be performed at Alice Tully Hall's Starr Theater at Lincoln Center March 23-24, 2026. The performance will match Fauré's Requiem in D minor with Seven: A Cycle of Sins. The latter is a new work being created by MasterVoices, which has commissioned seven writers from the theatre and concert worlds (to be announced) to each write a song inspired by one of the seven deadline sins: greed, sloth, gluttony, lust, pride, envy, and wrath. The song cycle will be written for soprano, baritone, chorus, and orchestra.
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