Theater: Dramarama on Drury Lane

Kean (book by Peter Stone; lyrics and music by Robert Wright and George Forrest) casts Alfred Drake in the role of Edmund Kean, the early 19th century Shakespearean tragic actor of Drury Lane fame. The hero pursues a nightlong quest for identity, and the theatergoer may wonder why the case was not turned over to Mr. Keene, Tracer of Lost Persons. This lavishly mounted, richly costumed wide-stage dramarama is the most elaborate fiasco of the new theater season.

Kean defeats every proposition it advances. It claims that Kean was a great lover, but...