'Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen' Off-Broadway review — new manga musical wants you to watch

Read our review of Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen off Broadway, Leah Nanako Winkler and Duncan Sheik's new musical adaptation of Moyoco Anno's manga series.

Summary

• Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen follows a young brothel worker who writes about the staff's and client's perverse secrets and desires
• The show is based on Moyoco Anno's same-named manga and is the first English-language American musical adaptation of a manga
• The show offers spectacular production design and energetic staging but excels in its simplest and quietest moments
• The show is recommended for fans of manga and anime, and fans of other immersive and semi-immersive shows like Sleep No More, Masquerade, Just in Time, Cabaret, or Moulin Rouge!
• The show is also recommended for fans of the late composer Duncan Sheik, who co-wrote the show with Leah Nanako Winkler

Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen wants you to watch. It perhaps also wants you to be a little uncomfortable with watching. A pre-show voiceover greets us as "perverts," and later, one character calls another a "voyeur" with a knowing wink to the audience, as though they know we're also looking on from our seats on all sides of the stage at the Night Egg. One could describe the dimly lit and windowless venue, named after the fictional brothel at which the musical is set, as a kind of hidden burlesque lounge or else a sordid back room. Which version makes Memoirs’ proceedings feel more perverse? That’s up to you.

Personally, I preferred the moments when the production matched the vibe of the latter — that is to say, no-frills. Under director/choreographer Rob Ashford, Memoirs's ensemble is eager to show off and be sexy for us, aggressively slinking and grinding and caressing their way through nearly every scene. But amid the assemblages of writhing bodies and parade of “amorous gentlemen” — each with a very theatrical kink or fetish, often involving roleplay — what emerge as most memorable are the stripped-down moments of a different kind.

Like when young brothel worker Colette (Sophia Anne Caruso) sings a spare, mournful ode to Leon (Cory Jeacoma), the lover she can't let go even as he runs off with her money and her trust. In a single pool of light, surrounded by unseen vocalists that create a haunting echo, she wonders, "Words are hollow, but what if, by some chance, he follows through? [...] He might be a mirage, but he's my muse."

It's one of the show's more subtle nods to its central idea that words can manifest reality. Colette, who chronicles the secrets of the brothel's denizens at the request of a client, holds fast to the power of her own words to mean something true, or at least deeply felt, even if no one else's will. In "Somewhere in the Evening," a later duet with an apparition of Leon, the repeated lyric "He'll gently rub my back and kiss me lightly on the head" is stirring, even though we know that tender touch will never happen. For a moment, somehow, it feels almost within reach.

Similarly, the best of the show's flashier moments come thanks to Nkeki Obi-Melekwe's grounded performance as Nana, a high-end call girl who doesn't take disrespect. Like Caruso and Jeacoma in "Somewhere in the Evening" (and unlike the third character on stage, a distracting man-dog), she exhibits a refreshing and magnetic lack of capital-P Performance that helps to smooth over Leah Nanako Winkler (book) and Duncan Sheik's (score) oft-pedestrian writing more than any bit of glitz or shock. Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen may be all about voyeurism, but it proves that sometimes, the best things are left to the imagination.

Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen summary

Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen centers on Colette, a young brothel worker in Paris who's given an unusual request by a client: Write about what makes her laugh and cry, her desires and perversions, to help inspire his next novel. She describes the secrets of the brothel's staff and clients, her doomed romance with her childhood love, and more, and the act of writing starts to change the course of her own life.

Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen is adapted from the same-named manga series by Moyoco Anno, which was previously adapted into a short anime in 2015. Now, the Off-Broadway production is the first English-language musical adaptation of a manga in America.

What to expect at Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen

Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen is all about creating a 360-degree experience, more than tracing a perfectly linear, straightforward plot. And there's nothing wrong with that, especially since set designer Scott Pask has created a sumptuous environment. Red velvet covers every inch of the room, even above your head, and audiences can take pictures on beds in the corners and sip on themed craft cocktails from the bar. In the world of the show, the Night Egg is a seedy place, but the version we're in is decidedly luxe.

While the showiness of the musical itself doesn't always work, the set isn't a culprit. And if you're looking to do a little showing off of your own, by dressing up and getting glamour shots for Instagram, this is a great place to do it. The only downside of the setup is that, with seating on all sides of the stage, you might only see some key moments from behind, and a handful of poles further obstruct the view from some seats.

Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen runs 90 minutes with no intermission. There is no age requirement, but the show is recommended for older teens and adults due to sexual language and themes.

What audiences are saying about Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen

Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen has a 78% audience approval rating on the review aggregator Show-Score, compiled from 191 reviews, as of writing. On this platform and other online forums like Mezzanine and Reddit, theatregoers have shared mixed responses to the writing, staging, and performances.

• "Original and captivating. Superb performance from Sophia Anne Caruso. The entire female ensemble truly soars. Some songs felt redundant at times, but the vocals and script make up for that and really carry the show. Awesome space. Loved the audience experience!" - Show-Score user Tawny 6283
• "Vibes, design, direction: 10/10. Unfortunately, the pacing, story, and sadly even the songs felt pretty lacking to me. But kudos to the cast and I do admire how shamelessly weird and horny it is." - Mezzanine user Haley Silver
• "The show is marketed with a flashy, Moulin Rouge!-esque vibe, but underneath that is a more introspective story about a young woman finding her voice as an artist within a brothel. I wish those elements came together more successfully." - Show-Score user Rose 6307
• "You'll think of Moulin Rouge and the recent Cabaret, and that's not a bad thing. It's intimate and immersive. In fact, I don't think a single phone went off all night. The whole audience was locked in, which felt rare and wonderful. [...] It feels like the kind of show that could build a real cult following." - Reddit user u/mg2685a

Read more audience reviews of Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen on Show-Score.

Who should see Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen

• Fans of manga and anime, including Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen's source material, will want to see how the genre translates to the stage.
• See Memoirs if you've enjoyed the immersive or semi-immersive nature of shows like Sleep No More (the Culture Club's former tenant), Masquerade, Music City, Beau The Musical, or Just in Time. Memoirs' and all those shows' venues underwent bespoke, 360-degree design transformations, so you're part of the show's world from the moment you enter.
• Memoirs might entice couples looking for a sultry show for date night. You can even stay for a post-show drink at the venue's bar afterward.
• Fans of the late songwriter Duncan Sheik's work will want to see Memoirs, one of the last shows he worked on before his sudden death just before its first performance in September. (Memoirs will overlap with a revival of his Tony Award-winning Spring Awakening later this fall.)

Learn more about Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen off Broadway

Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen offers an all-encompassing experience and staging that fires on all cylinders, but it's at its most memorable when all the peacocking falls away and the characters are laid bare, able to just be.

Learn more and get Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen tickets on New York Theatre Guide. Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen is at the Night Egg at the Culture Club through January 3.

Photo credit: Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen off Broadway. (Photos by Andy Henderson)