The next two new musicals presented at NYMF this summer are Abduction and Leaving Eden. One is a musical comedy about aliens wreaking havoc in Indiana. The other is a punk-rock retelling of the story of Adam and Eve.
Abduction – Reading
In a small Indiana town named Pluto, Pippa Peterson’s Dad is abducted by an alien. She quickly realizes that “the Sci is not Fi.” No one in town believes her story. Pippa (Amanda Lee Hawkins) is told that “my mom says you are the victim of demonic possession and not to look you in the eye.” I believe I heard the word perspicuous in the lyric for “I’m Pippa.” Clever wordplay peppers this entire new musical written by T.J. Pieffer, Brad Kemp and Becki Toth.
Pippa’s self-absorbed mother offers advice to her overachieving daughter not to fly too fast in life. “You could find yourself alone like cousin June at the Ponderosa buffet.” Best friend Theo and newly acquired gal pal Quinn (Markia Nicole Smith) want to convince the town that Pippa’s story is real. Quinn is self-described as a “Tim Burton-esque bitch.” The “apocalypse is the time to be bold” and they crash a party. People witness the next abduction. All hell breaks loose and Father Neil (book writer Pieffer) is on hand to offer the “Repent Lament.”
Act II opens in the spaceship lobby and the characters learn of their impending fate. Alien leader Ziggy is “Stalin with more lipstick.” The song “No Tomorrow” is a high point and we wonder if our three heroes can save themselves (and fall in love). All of this material is obviously silly fun and the jokes are amusing. The plot machinations move along swiftly with cute devices such as the dream sequence in Pippa’s mind.
Abduction is firmly planted in the sci-fi teen musical comedy genre currently represented on Broadway with Be More Chill. This one shows a lot of promise with good songs, winning characters and lots of wordplay as in the song lyrics for “Suspicion.” Directed by Stephen Santa, the cast did a nice job embodying the gleeful spirit of this show. Rocky Paterra’s standout performance as best friend Theo was marvelously detailed and so very funny.
Leaving Eden – Production
Before there was Adam and Eve there was Adam and Lilith. The relationship started out well but Adam kept listening to Father’s rules. Lilith (Sarah-Anne Martinez) was far too independent for Adam’s vanilla patriarchal ways. He (Ian Ward) banishes her from Eden. A modern day Adam and Lily (Azudi Onyejekwe and Janet Krupkin) are engaged. They are struggling through a lost unborn child and the related hysterectomy. A version of Eve (Gabrielle McClinton) shows up in both stories.
Jenny Waxman wrote the book and lyrics for Leaving Eve. The story can be appreciated for its risk taking and emotional reconsideration of the famous apple temptation. Female empowerment may have been the main message but hating men was also a predominant vibe. When a “smart, strong, beautiful, interesting woman makes a man the center of her universe… well, that’s bad!”
Back and forth this story travels between the Garden of Eden and Lilith’s apartment. Eventually Eve and Lilith/Lily will both confront the Adams on their two different storylines. Modern and Ancient Adam sing “Ménage à Song” after Lilith’s “Tedious Sects.” With Eve’s help, Adam and Lily will have a baby. The sex is simulated onstage. In Act II, the modern couple sing “The Joys of Parenthood” which feels like a number from an entirely different show.
Ben Page’s score is pretty good overall and there’s an enjoyable rock groove. (I heard a little Jesus Christ Superstar in there somewhere.) The five performers were strong singers and nicely developed these characters. I admired Leaving Eden for its ambitious conceit rather than its execution. When strong ideas fizzle throughout a show, a, long, anticlimatic ending is often the result. Was the biting of the apple a good or bad thing? I’m not sure.