Anthony Quinn, the essential element, came back to Chicago in the starring role of ”Zorba” Thursday night, and, in many ways, the production surrounding him in the musical`s two-week return engagement at the Civic Opera House is superior to the version that played here two years ago on its way to Broadway.
Quinn, dancing and singing with minimal equipment but maximum authority, is ever the vital old Greek, convinced that what makes a man is ”what`s in his heart and what`s in his pants.” But his performance this time seems more relaxed and at the same time more assured. His singing voice is barely better than a croak, but when he kneels down to whisper of the beauty of ”Woman,”
he gives that lovely John Kander-Fred Ebb song a sweetness that goes beyond vocalizing.
Lila Kedrova, at 67 still kicking up her heels, has returned with him as the ancient red-haired coquette who adores him, her flamboyant flirting never interfering with the timing in her song or dance.
Behind them are mostly new faces, all of them of top caliber: Donna Theodore as the full-voiced leader of the Greek chorus; Paul Harman as the scholarly American Zorba teaches to live, Angelina Fiordelissi as the fiery widow the young man loves, and (also from the earlier cast) Aurelio Padron as the innocent simpleton of the Cretan village where most of the action takes place.
The most notable improvements in the production, however, probably can be traced to the restaging accomplished by actor-director Joel Grey for this final tour.
Basically, Grey has cleaned up and clarified the production so that it is now a more unified, less cumbersome work. The heavy fish-net hangings that formerly draped the unit set of steps and stones are gone, lighting now helps focus the action more precisely, and the story moves much more smoothly between the big group numbers and the intimate scenes with Zorba and his friends.
In all, the production has a more forceful pace and a truer performance in musical theater. This has not solved the show`s basic problem, which is its transition from jolly ”Fiddler on the Roof” folksiness in the first act to pseudo-Greek tragedy in the second, but it has made the transition less abrupt through the consistency and clarity in its direction.
Quinn, as usual, commands the stage, but Grey has given him a sharper show to command.
`ZORBA`
A musical based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, with a book by Joseph Stein, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. Production supervised by Joel Grey from the original direction by Michael Cacoyannis, with choreography by Graciella Daniele, settings by David Chapman and Mark Haack, costumes by Hal George and lighting by Marc B. Weiss, orchestrations by Don Walker and musical direction by Al Cavaliere. Opened Feb. 20 in the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Dr., and plays at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with matinees at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, through March 2. Also at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23. Length of performance: 2:30. Tickets are $6 to $38.50. Phone 902-1500.
THE CAST
The leader . . . . . . Donna Theodore
Niko . . . . . . . . . . .Paul Harman
Zorba . . . . . . . . . Anthony Quinn
The widow . . . .Angelina Fiordellisi
Madame Hortense . . . . .Lila Kedrova
Mimiko . . . . . . . . Aurelio Padron
