A girly buddy comedy from the Golden Age goes for a spin in Zhailon Levingston’s makeover machine.

It is absolutely soul-crushing to watch other writers get rejected — even when all of their work ends in lusty cliches, even when you’re sure things will work out in the end, and even when those writers are fictional characters. Luckily, this was the only cringe-inducing part of the 2025 encore production of Wonderful Town at New York City Center directed by Zhailon Levingston, markedly high-praise for what is an outdated and intentionally corny show. 

As I sat in the balcony, with the other under-40s (City Center offers $28 tickets to select productions if you’re age-eligible) I was grateful for the context offered by Levingston’s interview with theatre writer, Brittani Samuel, at the front of the program. Since I wasn’t familiar with Wonderful Town or its legacy, I would’ve easily missed all that Levingston was trying to accomplish with his retelling. 

In the original version, Wonderful Town tells the story of two sisters from Ohio, who move to New York to make a name for themselves — Eileen as an actress, Ruth as a writer. Eileen is naturally charming, racking up four potential suitors after just one day traipsing through Greenwich Village. Where Ruth has had some success as a writer back home, she’s had nothing but trouble in love. She sings of running men off in the tune “One Hundred Easy Ways to Lose A Man” by correcting them, outwitting them, and just generally, being better than they are (has a character ever been more relatable?). In that sense, the ‘A plot’ or primary narrative of Wonderful Town is a girly buddy comedy. The two are in over their heads, small town girls with big dreams, keenly aware of, but lucky to avoid, what happens to good girls in bad places. 

Zhailon’s retelling has, for the first time in 6 City Center encore productions, two Black women in the leading roles: Aisha Jackson as the magnetic Eileen, and Anika Noni Rose as the unlucky-genius-in-love Ruth. (All of the male love interests remain white.) But this is not a simple swap. In order to craft what Levingston considers a more accurate retelling of what Greenwich Village was actually like in the era, he makes a few other changes. Tap dance, for instance, is incorporated. As a result, we get the opportunity to see at least two alums from the recently closed A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical: DeWitt Fleming, Jr. who plays Speedy Valenti, a club owner who wows the audience with his ‘licorice stick’ (clarinet) and Kate Louissaint who taps in the ensemble. 

As one would expect, the show is vocally impressive. Jackson’s runs and trills sound like lilting bird calls, and she showcases an operatic-ability to hit so many high notes so quickly in the song “A Little Bit In Love”. During “Ohio”, Jackson’s duet with Anika Noni Rose, I was shocked to hear Rose singing the bottom part of the harmony. Her work on The Princess and the Frog as well as Dreamgirls (film, 2006) had me under the impression that the most powerful parts of her range were much higher. It was a sensuous surprise to hear deeper parts of her register.

Wonderful Town is an accordant follow-up to Levingston’s co-directed Cats: The Jellicle Ball from 2024, in which Levingston and Bill Rausch reimagined Andrew Lloyd Weber’s 1981 smash-hit musical in the grungy-glittery context of ballroom (and which I correctly predicted would be heading to Broadway!) Two points make a line, but three make a trend and with one more remix Levingston’s name may very well become a verb. To “Levingston” a show is to make it palatable, relatable, and enjoyable for a contemporary and racially-aware audience. 

While it was tough to watch Ruth be turned away from editor to editor during her grueling job hunt in the concrete jungle, she got her happy ending (a man AND a job!) by the final tune. From the beginning number to the end, the new worlds that Levingston creates on stage are a joy to watch, and wonderful places to visit. 

blacklove 🖤 and starlight 🌟 

Wonderful Town was originally produced on Broadway in 1953, and was produced in 2025 as part of City Center’s Encores! Programming. The 2025 production of Wonderful Town was directed by Zhailon Levingston and starred Anika Noni Rose and Aisha Jackson. This encore production ran from April 30th to May 11th, 2025. Because of my girlish age, I purchased a $28 Access ticket to this show. 🙂