Dallas Theater Center's 'Giant' big on talent, short on dramatic fireworks

DALLAS -- Edna Ferber's novel Giant is so big that any adaptation has to be as well -- plus there's the added challenge of retaining the intimacy of her characters' relationships over more than two decades.

The famous 1956 film is one example of how to do that, and Michael John LaChiusa and Sybille Pearson's musical version that opened Friday at the Dallas Theater Center is another.-down version that was seen in 2009 in Virginia, is slow going for the first third of Act 1.

And despite some fantastic songs in Act 2, it could use more dramatic fireworks.

Nonetheless, it feels like an important musical achievement.

For LaChiusa, who has long been critically adored for his challenging work, this probably won't be the smash populist hit that has eluded him.

But that's not his primary goal.

The music is among his best. It's varied -- with Texas roots influenced by European precedents, Mexican folk music and American Indian percussion, within the Broadway idiom and, more importantly, LaChiusa's sound.

Where so many pop musicals sound indistinguishable, LaChiusa is a craftsman with an ear for story and character progression, and complexity in the music.

But the challenge of fitting this story even into three hours is daunting, and although most of the characters -- even a few who are only in a few scenes -- get development through the music and their songs, relationships on a dramatic level and big conflicts suffer to varying degrees.

Director Michael Greif and the authors still have some work to do before the off-Broadway run at the Public.

Aaron Lazar as the rancher Jordan "Bick" Benedict has a strong, emotional voice, and there's a sadness about his character's struggle with loss of both loved ones and tradition. But the relationship with his wife, Leslie (Kate Baldwin) doesn't hit the mark. There are beautiful moments between them, but the resolution feels false.

As Jett, the antagonist who goes from ranch hand to oil tycoon, PJ Griffith displays swagger that is misguided, more put-on than something that comes naturally from growing up in an era and place that bred that special brand of Texas hubris.

There are many standout performances, including Dee Hoty as Bick's sister Luz, John Dossett as Uncle Lawley and Katie Thompson as Vashti, a woman who at first hates Leslie but grows to become a great friend. Her song He Wanted a Girl is a knockout.

LaChiusa doesn't often write the much-talked-about "showtuney" number, the one you leave the show humming; but he has one in Jum p, a terrific song about chance-taking, led by Dimodeo (the charismatic Martín Sola, doing fantastic work with Alex Sanchez's playful choreography in that number).

Giant is operatic in scope, and many of this puzzle's pieces are there. But the fit is slightly off.