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FAVORING THE FLOPS - Episode 3 - The Rink
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A dear friend who had a rough week requested that I write about this one and I feel she deserves to have her way. It is not without enthusiasm that I tell about The Rink, a show that I have a deep affection for. It's story of forgiveness is heart warming and it deserves to be remembered for its tasty score and bravura performances. So, Robin Duffy, this one's for you.
The Rink opened on February 9, 1984 at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York City. It was eagerly anticipated for its Kander and Ebb score, Terrence McNalley book and the double diva bill of Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera. It received mixed to bad reviews and ran a modest 204 performances, long enough for Minnelli to depart (due to drug problems) and be replaced until the show's closing by the vocally uncomfortable Stockard Channing.
The story of a mother and daughter who have been in conflict for years, The Rink begins with the prodigal return of Angel (Minnelli) to her mother Anna's (Rivera) roller rink and social center that is about to be demolished. Anna is tired of running the place, her husband having walked out on her and Angel years earlier, and is anxious to leave for Italy. Anna is less than thrilled to see her progeny show up, bitter about her daughter's abandoning of her, Angel having left to be a hippie/protester. Angel wants Anna to keep the rink and let her reopen it. This is the basis for a two hour argument between the two women, flashing back to give us glimpses at what led up to their estrangement. The premise is not a bad one, but as executed in Terrence McNally's book, the evening comes off as a bitter bitch festival. The two women are so cynical and their exchanges so acetose that it is hard to believe that either would be making the effort in the first place. Certain plot points are left unclear or unresolved and, in true Terrence McNally form indicative of his plays rather than his book musicals, the show's theme never resolves itself and ends abruptly.
Kander and Ebb's score is another thing altogether. The Rink is probably their most melodic and heartfelt score. The curtain opens with Angel singing the nostalgic and searching "Colored Lights", perfectly capturing her vacillation between needing to run away and needing to go home. Anna's "I Am" song "Chief Cook and Bottle Washer" acerbically asserts her frustration with living for others and comically gives us the back story of The Rink. The whole score is to be recommended, with stand outs being "Wallflower", "Don't 'Ah Ma' Me", "All the Children in a Row" and "the Apple Doesn't Fall", the latter being a delicious comic number where Angel and Anna realize they are a lot more alike than they would like to admit.
The performers were excellent. The show had been conceived by Kander and Ebb to be a vehicle for Chita Rivera, and they serviced her well. They created fun character numbers that played on Rivera's smoky voice and sarcastic turn of a phrase. After five times losing the Tony Award to other actresses, Rivera went home with the prize for her star turn in The Rink. She would later go on to win again in the far more successful Kander, Ebb and McNalley musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman. Liza Minnelli was a fragile Angel, vulnerable and winning, salient characteristics of Liza Minnelli herself. She was nominated for a Tony as well, opposite Chita. Minnelli departed the show quickly, drugs taking over life and rendering her incapable of the show's demands.
With its vinegary relationships and dour plot, The Rink was a tough sell especially in a season that offered the light hearted La Cage aux Folles and the creatively highbrow Sunday in the Park with George. I suspect it lost some of its charm by being put on a Broadway stage the size of the Martin Beck (now the Al Hirschfeld). The show is essentially about two women and their intimate relationship as mother and daughter. This demands a smaller playing area, and an audience that can be close to the action. In many ways, The Rink would have probably done better Off-Broadway where houses are smaller and this kind of intimacy can be felt.
The Rink will not be forgotten. Indeed, with some careful trimming and clarifying of the book and a better staging concept, The Rink would be an excellent candidate for an Off-Broadway production. The score was recorded and is available on CD. Go for a spin around The Rink, you'll be glad that you did.
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