This week’s three new musicals at NYMF include famous people in the telling of their stories. Till is a musical about a fourteen year old African American who was lynched in 1955. He posthumously became an icon in the Civil Rights Movement. In Flying Lessons, a young woman finds her heroes in Amelia Earhart and Frederick Douglass. The musical compositions of Dvorak and Chopin inspire the classical music loving couple in Overture.
Till – Production
Emmett Till was tortured and murdered by white men for having allegedly offended a white woman in a grocery story. A Chicago native, he traveled down south to Mississippi in 1955 when racism was prevalent and ugly. Sadly, a photo of three young white men brandishing guns in front of his memorial plaque surfaced this week. Six decades have passed since this tragedy. Skin color hatred is flourishing in America led from the tone at the top.
The musical Till tells this horrific story by setting the tone right away with images of a church burning. The Gospel Storytellers pick up the fallen set pieces on stage. Rebuilding will happen “When He Comes Back.” Emmett Till is played by the winning Taylor Blackman with some youthful zing. He, along with other characters, are saddled with some generic songs like “Proud of Me.”
The family dynamics are well-established and believable in Leo Schwartz and DC Cathro’s book. Mamie Till’s (Denielle Marie Gray) inevitable implosion as his mother is riveting in the devastating “I Want You Back.” Judith Franklin played his grandmother (and others) in a compelling portrait filled with gorgeous vocals. Devin Roberts was endearing as Mom’s suitor and the two had soulful and touching chemistry in their scenes together.
Mr. Schwartz’s score is gospel and blues as you might expect. “Set That Woman Free” and “I Suppose” were among the finest numbers. The show sometimes stops to ponder the significance of the tale or comment on the mood such as in “Bless This House.” These moments slow down momentum. The talented cast showcased all of these tunes very well.
The actors play the white characters with black masks on. The white women are portrayed as cackling imbeciles. This may be a directorial choice (NJ Agwuna) as a sharp rebuttal for minstrel humor. Here, however, it comes across as screechingly cartoonish and briefly throws the show’s tone wildly off course.
Clearly we urgently need this story told and retold until it sinks in. Till is a solid effort and was enthusiastically received by the audience.
Flying Lessons – Production
Isabella’s “Gotta Get Up!” in the opening song of the excellent Flying Lessons. This exuberant beginning sets the tone for the entire show. She reluctantly gets out of bed and eventually winds up sitting at her school desk. Sarah Allen’s creative scenic design uses four painted boxes and four rolling backdrops to memorably transform scenes and locations.
Isabella (Esmeralda Nazario) has it tough at home. Her mother (Desiree Montes) works two jobs to make ends meet. Isabella is tasked with many chores in addition to her schoolwork. These familial conflicts and the pain of generational miscommunication is handled in “You Don’t Understand.”
Schoolteacher Ms. Young (Briana Moten) assigns “The Book Report” as a final project before the end of the school year. She wants the students to write about someone they admire. Isabella will select both Amelia Earhart (Megan Valle) and Frederick Douglass (Brandon Martin). Both appear in Isabella’s dream sequences. These two individuals overcame societal bias to become legends. This musical beautifully frames its central message that if you “close your eyes, your future can be anything.”
The target audience for this show is young people. How do you achieve greatness? Ms. Earhart was the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean as a passenger. She persevered and eventually piloted that same journey to make history. Mr. Douglass learned to read and write, becoming the most important African American of the 19th Century and a major figure in the abolitionist movement. This musical celebrates risk taking and endorses following your dreams. “Tomorrow’s lessons come from today’s history.”
Donald Rupe wrote and directed Flying Lessons. As an entertainment, it soars from start to finish. The cast is terrific, especially the four kids. Erick Perafan and Deanna Quintero excel as Isabella’s awkward friends Billy and Madison. Michelle Coben is exceptionally hilarious as the self-absorbed, somewhat ditsy Cynthia. Her song “Like Me” is a knockout.
This extraordinarily fine show should enjoy a bright future with its sharp wit, accomplished songwriting and joyful messaging about the expansive and positive aspects of the human spirit.
Overture – Production
In 1953, the Kansas City Philharmonic was fighting for its financial survival. Krista Eyler and Barbara Nichols have written their show about the tenacious music-loving locals who saved the day. They added in two fictional characters who adore classical music. Both are searching for personal happiness. This show is so old fashioned, it is almost hard to believe it was written now.
Composer Krista Eyler is Lily, one of the telephone salesladies for this orchestra. On her lunch break she sneaks into a rehearsal and sings the lovely “Favorite Sounds in the World.” She accidentally knocks over the pages on the podium and the assistant conductor Christopher (Joel Morrison) is quite annoyed. That they fall in love so quickly after this scene is a simplistic romantic plot you’ve definitely seen before. In “Something Stays” Christopher asks “Lily, how about us – have we found something beautiful?”
Lily is going deaf but trying hard to keep it a secret. Christopher is unhappy being an assistant under Maestro Hans Schweiger (Mark Murphy). He is a German caricature who has lines like “leave me to rot in this symphonic knot.” The other administrators of this fund raising effort are Inda (Kay Noonan) and Richard (Kipp Simmons) who clown about with slyly suggestive innuendo and broad humor circa 1950. They open the second act with “One More Time” which contains the lyric “with his epiglottal in full throttle.”
The wealthy ladies of the town cannot imagine a world without their beloved philharmonic so they ban together for a series of fundraising activities. “The Kitchen Symphony” is a bizarre but oddly amusing number about the writing of a cookbook. The ballads are stronger overall notably Christopher’s “Worth Waiting For,” a definite high point of the show.
The chemistry between Ms. Eyler and Mr. Morrison is sweetly vanilla, reflective of a simpler time. I particularly enjoyed Lily’s “So Far.” There was a little bit of edge peeking out from this fairly benign character which added some needed depth and drama.
If Overture was aiming for an homage to musicals from yesteryear, the mission was somewhat accomplished. An older woman left the theater enthusiastically proclaiming “I loved it.” There may be regional or community theaters with elderly subscribers longing for such easygoing, nostalgic entertainment. As a side note and a welcome NYMF bonus, festival attendees were able to experience some of Kansas City’s theatrical community on stage here in New York.