1984 saw John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical The Rink premiere on Broadway. It starred Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli as estranged mother Anna and daughter Angel, with libretto by Terrence McNally. I particularly enjoy it because the action focuses on two strong women. This isn’t a flashy fluffy musical with dancing chorus girls and huge production numbers, more a musical play with familial joy and sorrow at its core. Told in flashback, it conveys the drama that played out over the years at the Antonelli family’s hub, the rink. Also the people who were important in their lives. The male ensemble cast play all the characters, with the two female leads playing their characters throughout.
From the opening number, Coloured Lights sung by Angel, the sense of place is unmistakable. You can see the funfair at the seaside in your mind’s eye. Kander and Ebb are an exemplary songwriting duo when it comes to evoking time and place. Take Cabaret and Chicago for example. Chief Cook And Bottle Washer describes Anna’s life running the family’s roller skating rink in its heyday. Then sheer unabashed joy at the impending life of leisure once she’s free from its restraints. Don’t Ah Ma Me portrays the fractured relationship between Anna and Angel. Prodigal daughter returns home after an extended absence, full of nostalgia for the past but it’s too late, Familiar Things. She then discovers Anna plans to sell the dilapidated rink to developers.
When Angel was a child she was especially close to her father Dino and he tried to make his little girl’s life magical. After serving in Korea, Dino returns home feeling disengaged from family life and unable to relate to loved ones. Anna reassures her husband they can survive together, We Can Make It. There’s also humour during After All These Years when the wreckers make fun of the women’s lack of respect for each other. Later we find out what caused these problems in their relationship. The calibre of people in the neighbourhood has deteriorated with the passage of time, causing Anna and her friends to worry about their safety, What Happened To The Old Days. This fear is founded when Anna’s attacked by a group of youths.
During The Apple Doesn’t Fall Very Far we realise Anna and Angel actually have quite similar tastes. Perhaps one of the reasons they clash. Dino leaves his family when Angel’s young and Anna can’t stand the lonely nights so takes a series of lovers Mrs A. Earning herself a reputation in the process. Angel despises these men who aren’t her father. She feels abandoned, blames Anna, and puts Dino on an even higher pedestal. Angel tracks Dino down to confront him, and he explains he left because he felt trapped. Subsequently Angel leaves home to find herself and something to belong to, All The Children In A Row. At the end mother and daughter reconcile and Angel agrees to the rink’s demolition, realising that she was clinging to the past, and her memories are more important than a building.
Rivera and Minnelli’s performances on the original cast recording are fantastic. Such strong musical theatre actresses, Chita Rivera’s Tony award was richly deserved. Many of the songs ought to have a life outside the show. I saw an impressive production in repertory theatre nearly twenty years ago. It highlighted how the structure that zig zags between the past and present keeps you on your toes. This musical stands on it’s own merit without any frills to hide behind, one of the reasons why I rate The Rink so highly.