Forget for a moment that Jerome Robbins is one of the pivotal figures in Broadway history and that the gala onstage is a summing up of his invaluable career. For audiences who know what came after, how entertaining is this journey to the bottom of Robbins' trunk? If Broadway is not making 'em the way it used to, should we be regretful? Or relieved? If neither revivals from Broadway's heyday nor imitations of that style lead to commercial success, then does this logical next step, a greatest-hits compendium, offer much hope?
The answers, as might be expected with such a patchwork...