Every New Yorker should go to the Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel at
least once, even if the Algonquin’s slavish devotion to the infamous
Round Table can make it feel like a tourist trap at times. And there
will probably never be a better reason to go than Glimpses of the Moon, a new Jazz-age musical currently playing the Oak Room every Monday night.First timers should be warned that the clientele runs on the older side. As in, some of the patrons may look like leftovers from lunch with Dorothy Parker. But although the audience may be cantankerous at times, Glimpses of the Moon is never less than charming, certainly far more so than most musicals currently playing around town.
Based on a comedic novel by Edith Wharton, original musical Glimpses (back after an acclaimed run earlier in the year) tells the tale of gold diggers Susy (Autumn Hurlbert) and Nick (Chris Peluso), who marry for the gifts and then find that they've fallen in love after all. Along for the ride every week is also a special guest star, a name performer who wanders to the piano during the second act, delivers a few lines and then a song, before exiting and presumably jumping into a homeward bound cab. Upcoming guest stars include cabaret star KT Sullivan, Lisa Asher and Jana Robbins. Liz Larsen performed for the musical’s first night back at the Oak Room, singing mostly through her nose while clad in a tight, purple costume that didn’t look anything like the 1920s.
But although the special guest star conceit feels a little cheap when the show itself is such an unceasing delight, the moment comes and goes and we’re back to Susy and Nick, trying to dodge true love in their pursuit of riches. Then it’s your turn, as you find yourself dodging canes and waiters on your way out.
Monday nights. The Oak Room at The Algonquin, 59 W. 44th St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-840-6800, 8, $65 plus a $30 food and beverage minimum.
