[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Following up a pop culture sensation like “Wicked” is not an enviable task for any production to take on, but fortunately for Capitol Theatre and Salt Lake theatre fans alike, “Nice Work If You Can Get It” was more than up to the task and at times far more entertaining than the popular “Wicked.” Filled with screwball humor and zany one-liners, “Nice Work” added an element of fun often missing from “Wicked.” Its clever, catchy songs and nearly perfectly choreographed dance numbers separated it from other productions and left audiences singing along and wanting to join in on the toe-tapping fun. “Nice Work” brought the Roaring Twenties alive on stage with swing dance numbers perfectly meshed with tunes of George and Ira Gershwin and backed by the big, beautiful voices of Broadway.
“Nice Work” follows the booze-filled life and times of the incorrigible yet endearing Jimmy Winter (played by Alex Enterline) who is enjoying the company of alluring burlesque dancers who sweetly serenade him while he awaits his third marriage. When the party is interrupted by the Prohibition police, Jimmy bumps into the bootlegging Billie (played by Mariah MacFarlane) who steals his heart along with his wallet. Billie takes advantage of the opportunity to store her illegal booze in the basement of what she thinks is Jimmy’s vacant beach house. Instead, Billie and her two partners in crime, Cookie and Duke, unwittingly become house servants to Jimmy and his fiancée.
While the story of falling in love with the wrong person at the wrong time has been done before, “Nice Work” freshens up the genre with witty banter, dancing and songs with big hooks, along with well-developed characters who are smartly written and well-performed. Enterline convincingly filled the shoes of the dimwitted, unlucky-in-love Jimmy, who skillfully uses his charm on both Billie and the audience with his big, dumb smile and perfectly delivered lines, such as, “I’m just rich and good-looking — turns out it’s enough.” A well-rounded cast also delivered great performances and, thanks to a script that is equally well-rounded, every character made an impression on the audience.
“Nice Work” employed a rapidly moving and evolving storyline with a smart script full of one-liners that zing with just enough satire to make one think as well as laugh. The songs of Gershwin combined with its swinging dance sets kept the audience engaged from beginning to end with strong performances from the whole cast. The fun-loving good times of the Roaring Twenties were on full display in big Broadway fashion in a musical that had audiences quickly forgetting about “Wicked” and completely focused on the idea of getting a gig like Jimmy sings about when he crooned, “Nice work if you can get it, and if you get it won’t you please tell me how.”
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