‘Mail’ Delivered to Broadway, but Critics ‘Return to Sender’

“Mail” opened on Broadway Thursday night and was quickly shredded.

Jerry Colker and Michael Rupert’s musical about a youngish novelist snowed under by his back mail had pleased audiences and many critics last year at the Pasadena Playhouse. But the New York press said, in effect: Return to Sender.

“A little musical out of place on a big Broadway stage,” wrote the Associated Press’ Michael Kuchwara--and his was one of the friendlier notices.

The New York Times’ Frank Rich had rather liked Colker and Rupert’s first show, “Three Guys Naked From the Waist Down,” but felt they had fallen prey here to the curse of the concept musical--all concept, no musical.

Worse, Rich found the show’s hero, Alex, played by Rupert, “a cipher--a grab bag of attributes and psychobabble that fails to add up to a person.”

Linda Winer of Newsday was won by Rupert’s performance as Alex, but unwon by the character--and by the boring people writing him letters as well.

Howard Kissell of the New York Daily News found the score “facile and vapid,” which also applied to Alex. “Maybe somebody should point out to young American writers that the world has many more appealing subjects than their not very interesting lives.”

Everybody had fun making wisecracks about the title, with several references to junk mail. Clive Barnes in the Post: “I would hesitate to call the show a dead letter but it was certainly sent to the wrong address.” Frederick Winship of UPI: “This show has all the future of the 22-cent stamp.”

Barnes did give credit to Gerry Hariton and Vicki Baral’s set and projections, which “practically turn cartwheels in their often brilliant efforts to divert” from the rest of the show.

But the rest of the show was the stumbling block. The closing notice hadn’t gone up Friday, but don’t be surprised if “Mail” is canceled.