The New York Musical Festival nurtures the “creation, production and public presentation of stylistically, thematically and culturally diverse new musicals.” Four NYMF shows eventually reached Broadway as [title of show], Next to Normal, Chaplin and In Transit. Ten full productions will be staged with sets and costumes this year. There will also be eleven readings with scripts in a rehearsal studio. These shows are all works in progress. The first three I attended during this four week marathon are discussed in this entry.
Everything is Okay (and other helpful lies) – Reading
Melissa Crum and Caitlin Lewins’ musical concerns a group of friends who frequently congregate at a local dive bar. The gang is aggressively snarky with the jauntiness of the “dilly, dilly” beer commercials. The opening song sets the tone. “No one I love is gonna die today/Cars are not death traps/And drinking everyday is okay.” There is a significant amount of focus on sex culminating in an a capella “I Can Do It On My Own.” Three girlfriends dial Meg Ryan’s When Harry Met Sally diner scene to new levels. Even though one character’s father dies early on, they enjoy the “FUN-eral.”
Their message for living is stated loud and clear: “all you gotta do is laugh through shit.” Everything is Okay then takes a bumpy turn to more serious fare. The insults get significantly more mean spirited. The conflicts are far too contrived such as the fight between two characters when one of their Dads hires the other for a job. This show seemed to work best when it concentrated on prickly humor. “I made out with your younger brother/I felt like a cougar/It felt good.” The best parts of this new musical are the funny jokes written by Ms. Crum and Ms. Lewins.
Freedom Summer – Reading
Covering territory frequently mined for dramatic effect, Freedom Summer feels like a musical version of the movie Mississippi Burning. It’s June 1964 in Meridian, MS. Voter registration drives add to the preexisting civil rights tension. Mickey (Blake Price) and Rita (Talia Suskauer) are members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). They “Drive” down south to assist in the cause but are initially met with resistance. Local kid James (Devin J. Hill) cannot be hired in a store due to the color of his skin. “Don’t Shop Where You Can’t Work” is the protest song which brings focus to everyone.
A young man named Andy (Jason Goldston) tells his mom he wants to be “Part of It All.” There are no surprises in the book (Charlie H. Ray) of this earnest story. The music, on the other hand, is often beautifully melodic. The score was written by Mr. Ray and Sam Columbus. The piano is unquestionably the star of the show.
This material is naturally going to be compared to many who have used this history to enlighten and enrage. For this new musical to meaningfully add to our dialogue on America’s race relations, the characters will need to be brought to life with more dimensions and back stories. (Duncan Shiek and Lynn Nottage’s fine The Secret Life of Bees opened last month and is still in my head.) As it stands now, Freedom Summer is a generic civil rights story with a highly listenable score penned by talented composers.
Illuminati Lizards From Outer Space – Production
Comparisons have also impacted my enjoyment of Paul Western-Pittard and Yuri Worontschak’s musical. Illuminati Lizards From Outer Space was a reading that I enjoyed during last year’s NYMF. This loony conspiracy theory funhouse had silly humor and quirky characters. The show was elevated to a full production and selected to open this year’s festival. A few new songs were added. A disgraced beauty pageant queen gets caught in a trap orchestrated by alien lizards intent on ruling Earth. The source material comes from the millions of people who believe interstellar lizards in people suits rule our country.
Drugs, sex and possibly dead humans seem to be in abundance at the alien’s mysterious Scientology-inspired Savra Wellness Centre. There’s an odd janitor named David who will become a “Man of Action.” Brian Charles Rooney (so unforgettable as Dionne Salon in Bedbugs!!!) is excellent again here. Tom Deckman was also funny as Klaus, the “Pharmacological Wonder.” Celia Mei Rubin clowned it up memorably in multiple small roles.
The central characters of the beauty queen Tina (Dani Spieler) and the lizard mate Guy (Joshua Hobbs) seemed to evolve. Instead of adorably quirky dimwit and scaly creep, we now have sparkly pageant queen and self-absorbed male model. I could see what they were going for but the resulting laughs were far fewer. To be fair, the direction (frantic) and choreography (repetitive) did the cast (and the creators) no favors. The zany and idiotic heart of Illuminati Lizards was extinguished far before the laser guns were drawn. A big disappointment.
One Reply to “NYMF: Everything is Okay, Freedom Summer and Illuminati Lizards From Outer Space (New York Musical Festival, Part 1)”