Tag: Musical

Tank-aret (rhymes with cabaret) is a new monthly series at the Tank.  Each show features new works by artists with the intention to lift up the voices of “women, queer and trans artists, artists of color, differently abled artists and anyone else who has some cabaret magic to make but is usually not given the space to take risks and bite off more they can chew.”  My first dip into the Tank-aret is a new musical in development called Patriarchy!  

The description of this show piqued my interest.  The four women justices of the Supreme Court are “erudite, well read and punk as fuck.”  Apparently an asteroid is barreling straight towards Earth.  All of the male members of the Court have jumped on a space plane to escape danger.  The ladies have been left behind and they are not happy campers.  “Time for oral arguments, jerks!”

EllaRose Chary (one of the curators of this series) conceived this piece with Rachel Flynn (book) and Melissa Lusk (co-songwriter).  Our three current justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are joined with Sandra Day O’Connor in this briefing designed to save the world from mass extinction.

At the beginning of this staged reading, the creators inform that this was the first performance of this work-in-development.  The idea is inspired.  The ladies are pissed.  The songs are without question heavily influenced by the punk rock aesthetic.  I was instantly reminded of the awesomely titled book “Notorious RBG.”  Sherri Edelen’s protrayal showed what potential this material has as to really be “a raging feminist nightmare.”

“No one is going to need judgments after the apocalypse, at least for an appeal’s court, ” the ladies agree.  How to save the Earth then?  A trial is conducted.  Even the asteroid gets legal representation.  The premise is fun; the anger out in the open.  Songs have titles like “We Push Back.”

The punk rock ditties were enjoyable.  If Alexander Hamilton can rap, why can’t these women raise some anarchistic hell?  If this piece develops further, more songs will be needed to break up the longer dialogue sections.  Additional character development would help as well.  Sotomayor’s knife sharpening was funny the first time but she, like most of the justices, could use a few more edges.

There’s a great idea here and I hope the creative team plays around with the possibilities.  How about RBG starting the show in a hospital bed?  She’s watching the news.  The asteroid is hours away from annihilating the planet.  The male justices have abandoned the world they were sworn to protect.  She rips off her monitoring devices and jumps up into an angry punk tune.  Patriarchy! is a very clever idea.  Sharpen the arguments and I’ll pay to see it again.

www.thetanknyc.org

Over six weekends in August and September, the Theater For the New City is presenting a free original musical No Brainer, or the Solution to Parasites.  The artwork features an image of a man with orange hair.  Guessing the main topic?  No brainer!  Artistic Director Crystal Field wrote the book, lyrics and directed this “roaring musical that puts a New York social worker against a dictator consumed by parasites.”

This original show has been composed and arranged by Joseph Vernon Banks.  These artists are taking theater directly to the people and for free.  To East 10th Street.  To the Coney Island Boardwalk.  To Jackie Robinson Park.  My visit was to Washington Square Park.  A stage is set up with backdrops lined up on the side with a band nearby.  This show is staged in all five boroughs of New York City.

A social services provider has “to find housing for people where there ain’t no housing to find.”  He is fighting for people – families facing eviction, children in temporary housing and immigrants struggling for citizenship.  In the opening number, “Census Song” we hear from a nurse from Bensonhurst, a cab driver, a barber from Harlem and others.  This is a musical for the people meant to be approachable and universal.

This musical happens to be about “a raging, somewhat drunk real estate magnate from a TV reality show.”  He bellows “go back where you came from so we can reign forever.”  The political lines are drawn and quartered.  The underworld “keepers of the pot” warn about a “cesspool filled with the catastrophe of industry.”  In this secret Hades-like area the gods cleanse a nation’s soul in a cauldron by boiling out history’s tragic missteps; namely, genocide, slavery and war.   They warn “don’t drink a cup of this!”

The future leader of the world (let’s call him Donald) gulps down the bubbling brew which is full of parasites.  His brain directs him to seek the highest office in the land.  Our social worker accepts the challenge to save the world from this grandiose charlatan.  The politics are clear and broadly funny.  Even the border wall plays a part in this roasting.  Will the evil despot be condemned to the cauldron of historical garbage?  You know the answer.

At the end of this good-intentioned musical meant to engage every person in the crowd, the people dance!  Brother-and-sisterhood once again save the day!  Imagine a theater company creating a show meant to engage our citizens about current events.  Imagine bringing the story to them in multiple neighborhoods throughout our city.  Can there be any more exciting way to connect with the masses, tell a story and teach a few fun facts?

Here’s a lesson shared to anyone who will listen:  if ICE comes to your door they have to produce a warrant.  Oh and it needs to be signed by a judge.  That’s not a warning to me but maybe it is very, very relevant to someone sitting in and enjoying some free entertainment.  This show is professionally presented on a budget with great backdrops and a moving panorama.  The work put into the visuals is enchanting and delightful.

Amidst all this fun and sarcastic frivolity, tourists and various New Yorkers walk past the performance.  Some focus and take pictures.  Other are oblivious.  Kind of a reflection of our times.  The presidential figure shouts “I tried everything.  Russia, sanctions, tariffs.  I’ve got to win.  I need a war!”  Here’s a show for those who need a laugh to heal.  That this show is a free expression of artistic protest performed outside for anyone to hear makes this endeavor worth a listen.  Get into the target audience’s head and really think about what the creators are sharing and teaching.

The last two performances of No Brainer, or the Solution to Parasites will be performed this weekend in Staten Island’s Corporal Thompson Park and Manhattan’s Tompkins Square Park.

www.theaterforthenewcity.net

With the not so faint wisps of fascism blowing all around the world today, artists seem compelled to paint the future.  Prasad Paul Duffy has written and directed Revolutionary with Theo Grace composing the score and lyrics.  This show has been selected as part of Theater for the New City’s Dream Up Festival.  Pursuing new works presented in non-traditional ways, the festival aims to push ideas forward and encourage experimentation.

An acoustic musical described as a work-in-progress, Revolutionary is set in New York City in the not so distant future.  The rights and privileges of citizens have been taken away.  Artificial intelligence and cyber-automation have replaced millions of workers.  Government has disabled the internet.  People are being micro-chipped.  In this bleak environment, a group of homeless kids struggle to survive.

Bethany (Izabel Dorst) is a whore for her pimp boyfriend Alex (Seth L. Hale).  He tells her, “I really need to Elevate right now.”  She got double paid today so she’s got the vape.  He is planning a revolution.  “It’s all in the manifesto I’ve been writing.”  Without a hint of irony she replies, “Great.  In the meantime, sing me a song.”  Transitions from dialogue to songs in this musical can be awkward.

Gabriel (Zack Triska) opens the show.  He’s a long-haired drifter type strumming his guitar and crooning about “Whispering Winds.”  We meet Wolf (Jordan Mahr) and Jedi (Henry Nwaru) who will soon be his best friends on this journey.  He is introduced to Maya, an amazing psychic who reads Tarot cards and can channel Bob Marley.  Maya (Kurt Bantilan) is transgender and sings “Open Human Heart.”  The others join in but I cannot explain why.  Moments which first appear to be solos often morph into unexplained group numbers.  The psychology of blind following?

A robocop arrives announcing that it’s ten minutes to curfew.  James McGonagle is inspired in this very small role with jerky physicality and a primitive, computerized voice.  His moments are a tad silly in an engaging way.  Soon Maya is dragged off to a FEMA camp and tortured.  In this future, it certainly pays to be male.  The only young woman is a prostitute and the only trans person is beaten up.

Everyone heads to the Source Center which is Ground Zero for the revolution.  Mother figure Maitreya (Amanda Shy) bellows “we are revolutionaries of the new paradigm.”  In “Common Design” she sings “these family lines go farther than we know/Beyond ancient future times/And what we know are stories and signs/Blank puzzle pieces and hand me down minds.”

The revolution will be achieved through mental means.  Some think it’s a cult.  Others want to give it a try to see if they can utilize the crystal skull to escape the 3D material world and enter the 5D spiritual world.  A bit of meditation is the best way to awaken the Fifth Dimension, the Oneness of Unity Consciousness.  This is a thing.  When I searched the internet, I saw a hyperlink to read more about “The Galactic Photon Belt.”

Is Revolutionary attempting to be another dawning of the age of Aquarius?  “You say you want a revolution.  Well, you know.  We all want to change the world.”  Occasionally a spoken line sparks a hint of something other than complete unquestioning sincerity for this metaphysical dreamscape.  Telepathy is “like mental texting.”

Revolutionary has romantic subplots and a few genuine surprises to keep things interesting.  The cast does a very respectable job keeping this story moving along and providing chemistry to their underdeveloped relationships.  The acoustical idea in the creation of this show feels right.

The ultimate goal for this musical seems to be New Agey reinvention of a more enlightened tomorrow.  All humans will find happiness, peace and love.  “We are spirits in the material world.”  (The pop song references are endless!)  As this show develops further, more thought should go into connecting characters with the songs and their meanings.  Every character should be able to answer the question, “why am I singing this?”

“When I see myself reflected in your eyes/the mystery collides/and destiny redefines.”  When that song finishes, Wolf says what perhaps we are thinking:  “Okay.  I’ve had enough of this shit.  Let’s go.”  Will the whole groovy gang eventually go 5D?  Will love conquer all?  Revolutionary is very seriously committed to its mystical vision.  My eyes, regrettably, are wearing the wrong glasses.

Revolutionary will be playing at the Theater For the New City through September 15th.

www.theaterforthenewcity.net

Rita Donatella is a struggling wannabe actress working in a science lab and donning the white coat.  She’s “analyzing feces inside a rat” and declares “I’m not loving that.”  Her agent calls and her dreams are finally realized.  She’s going to star in a movie with an A-list actor.  Waiting For Johnny Depp is a semi-autobiographical musical comedy chronicling the perilous world of self-absorption and career angst.

Janet Cole Valdez and Deedee O’Malley wrote the book and lyrics with Bettie Ross collaborating with them on the score.  At the start of this show, they inform us that the events may seem increasingly preposterous but they are true.  The adventure presented is a rags to riches to rags tale of an actor’s quest to land the role of a lifetime.

Rita is a plucky young woman who leaps before she looks.  Thrilled that she booked the film, Rita quits her job and sings “Kiss My Ass.”  Uh-oh, there’s not a contract yet.  Egads, there’s a change in the film’s direction.  Oh no, there’s another twist contemplated for her character.  Meanwhile her big $2,000 savings account is evaporating.

The trials and tribulations are a familiar jumble of Hollywood expectations for females.  When told she needs to lose twenty pounds, Rita dives into Zumba and then informs us that “I’m injecting a pregnant woman’s pee.”  Donna Vivino creates a strong impression early on as Rita banters with the audience in this one woman show.  Frequently breaking the fourth wall was a smart choice.  The candy scene was especially funny and gave the impression of a friend recreating (and embellishing) her personal journey for our entertainment and bemusement.

Things continue to head south for poor Rita.  Lose the New York accent.  “What are they TAWKING about?”  More complications and adjustments.  Thin morphs to voluptuous.  A very feminine role becomes masculine.  Driven Rita will do “Anything For My Craft.”  What about money?  “Craigslist” is a song which spells out a solution.

One young man who answers an ad to buy her stuff falls for her.  “Flowers From Phoenix” is the singular musical high point of this score.  The clowning briefly pauses and a touching glimpse inside Rita’s emotional core emerges.  As the show progresses, the initial lunacy wears thin.  Scenes such as the one with the Barbie doll might be conceptually amusing but they slow the story’s momentum.

This solo performance is a marathon of costume and personality changes.  Ms. Vivino is a game performer and keeps our interest throughout even when the material loses steam.  She has quite a few cellphone conversations; some with recorded vocals.  Many are with her kvetching mother who has typical, yet still funny, lines.  This musical might benefit with the addition of a second performer physically playing her mother, the agent, the boyfriend and so on.  The part could add hilarious camp to these silly, largely lightweight reminiscences.  Even Johnny Depp could be impersonated to great effect.

Near the end of the play, there is a trauma and Rita will learn lessons about life and love.  Three seconds after that happens, there is another quick turn of events.  Rita’s narcissism blooms and the sight is oddly unappealing.  The story may be true but in a show like this one, we probably need to see more than momentary depth of character.

Waiting For Johnny Depp is part of the inaugural Rave Theater Festival.  Featuring a diverse roster of new shows, the emphasis of this month long event is on quality of writing and creativity.  While this musical was a quirky and fun idea, it was overlong with mostly average sounding tunes.

www.ravetheaterfestival.com

My eighth and last entry covering this year’s NYMF discusses the final two new musical productions and a recap of my choices for Best of Fest.

My Real Mother – Production

Adoption is the subject matter of the musical My Real Mother.  Infant Sara (Rachel Hirschfeld) is adopted by Alaina (Elena Shadow).  Alex (Katie LaMark) is the woman who decides to give her child up when her relationship with her boyfriend goes sour.  Sara narrates the tale of her two mothers, often observing the action.  The messaging is geared towards pulling the heartstrings:  “love grows in a heart not in a womb.”

Alex is living with Duncan (Ryan Morales) who is studying hard and preparing for a career.  At the beginning of this story, she gets pregnant and he convinces her to have an abortion.  The regret is immediate.  She gets pregnant again.  This time is not an accident, however.  Duncan still wants nothing to do with a baby at this time in his life.

Alaina has two children from a previous bad marriage.  She and new husband Jason (Kevin Schuering) decide to adopt.  In a number with a very fun idea, they consider the right candidate in “March of the Potentials.”  Alaina and Alex create a strong bond and during the pregnancy they go shopping and get their nails done.  As you would predict, trouble develops after the baby is born.

The interesting aspects of this story are the messy conflicts which develop between these characters.  The tension between a birth mother and the adoptive parents.  Older children viewing their stepfather critically as he finally has his own child.  The boyfriend who is “Played the Fool” and tricked into the pregnancy.  It’s messy stuff and engaging.

The staging by Misti B. Willis seems like a combination of student assembly presentation and group therapy session.  Adopted Sara is the narrator but not really a fully fleshed out person.  Most of the characters flip flop in their opinions which can be true to life as situations change.  Here, however, the abrupt shifts sometimes strain credibility during the more sketchily drawn sections.  The song “Demons” between Alaina and husband Jason feels forced and incongruous with the rest of this show.

My Real Mother ends on a happy note with the song “Open.”  The healing occurs.  “Open is a mirror you should not use in dim light.”  Thanks to two very nice, emotionally rich performances by the mothers, Ms. Shaddow and Ms. LaMark, this production allows a glimpse into what this show could be with further development.

Chance – Production

Gregory is a fifty year old gay man searching online for a male escort at the beginning of Chance.  He is classically obsessed with old Hollywood.  His apartment is adorned with homages to the period.  A painting of The Lady is his spirit guide.  She appears in the flesh singing “Somethin’ Cooked Up In Your Mind.”  What is Gregory cooking up?  Lust is the answer.  The Lady is a real as the boy on his computer screen.  The illusions draw you in early but the creepiness factor is worrisome.  Photos of the shirtless escort named Chance are projected.  Where is this story going?

When Gregory goes to Chance’s apartment, the scene is awkward in a good way.  What then emerges is a very introspective chamber piece between these three characters.  Both men are dealing with demons in their head.  Gregory is on a hospital stretcher at the opening of the show.  Richard Isen’s book, music and lyrics will fill us in on those details in a believably melodramatic way.

Director Nicolas Minas did a wonderful job setting the locations and transitions.  Floor to ceiling fabric created space and scene changes but also allowed for projected imagery.  Grant Richards was exceptionally fine as a youthful and damaged Chance.  His “Lands End” moment was wrought with complexity.  The song produced a deep connection to an individual who may have been simply arrogant and superficial.

The opening of the second act between Lady and Gregory was the only section of this musical which fell flat.  Gregory’s Buddhist experience led to some clunky ill-fitting one liners such as “don’t you watch Oprah?”  The Lady replies, “I adore opera.”

Tad Wilson was a fine Gregory; older, wiser and still searching for happiness.  Terry Lavell was memorable as The Lady and had the single best costume in the festival – the white dress in Act II.  There were hints at old Hollywood glamour and style which could be further explored with a lighter touch.  This show may work even better as a film which juxtaposes the visual elegance of melodramas from yesterday with the grittiness of gay life today.  Chance was definitely a worthwhile, atmospheric experience.

Best of Fest

The audience gets a vote for the Best of Fest for the various different types of musical presentations in NYMF.  There is also a committee which presents awards for the best musicals, scores, actors and creative elements.  Here are my picks this year.

Reading

The Disappearing Man was a fully realized story about a traveling circus during the Great Depression.  The characters were flawed and memorable.  With a terrific score, I would love to see a full production where the circus can come to town.

My choice for Best Reading of the festival is Kafka’s Metamorphosis.  This musical presented this famous novella about a salesman turned cockroach coupled with an overview of Kafka’s life story.  The absurdist tone of the author flowed throughout the show.  The darkness of his familial relationships were ingeniously made comedic.  I sat in an audience that was visibly smiling through the entire performance.

Production

Flying Lessons was a delightful show about a young girl and the pressures of growing up.  Relationships with her mom, her teachers and schoolmates were mined for dramatic and comedic effect.  A book report assignment anchors this show about discovering what greatness is and how one person can aspire to such an achievement.  The characters were memorable, the laughs were frequent and the lessons were relevant and heartfelt.

My selection for Best Production is Buried.  An unusual and deftly conceived piece, this musical explored an emotional relationship between two individuals who feel marginalized on the outskirts of society.  That they were serial killers was the quirky angle chosen.  The book was extremely fine, expertly balancing tension with comedy.  The music had gorgeous melodies and was often haunting.  The cast from the University of Sheffield showed the heights than can be reached with an exceptionally talented ensemble.

The links to my reviews of these four worthwhile musicals:

theaterreviewfrommyseat/thedisappearingman

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/kafkasmetamorphosis

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/flying lessons

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/buried

www.nymf.org

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.

www.nymf.org