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Songs for A New World With few exceptions, I don't find an entertainment or emotional value in musical revues. I honestly feel that my version of personal hell would be stuck in a theatre that is playing in repertory the musical revues Starting Here, Starting Now and a Rodgers & Hammerstein salute over and over again. In Parade, Jason Robert Brown wrote one of the most passionate and emotional scores in the last ten years, a score that moves with amazing emotion and scope. But the cast recording of Brown's Songs for A New World, while pleasurable to the ear, did not stir me. Now that I have seen the Quad C Theatre production of this musical revue, I can find moments of emotion in the score, but it still is a revue, and that's where the problem lies for me. There is no true book, no real solid thread of a journey to take in Songs for a New World. What you have instead are little "scenes of song", or mono-songs (my own word) if you will. There were moments in the live performance of Brown's music that did move me deeply, but the feelings were cut short due to switching to another song or emotion which did not back up the previous song. It's hard to truly feel for the characters because in reality, there are no defined characters. But the songs are written, with a few exceptions, quite full of gorgeous music for the piano. What helps move the show along quite beautifully in this production is a trio of talents: the Director, Music Director, and Choreographer. Director Brad Baker keeps the pace going from song to song, not letting the dead air pockets of missing book seep out. Instead he moves his company with energy and purpose. Baker and his design team set the mood the moment you walk down the hallway into the Black Box Theater where you see benches, trees, and hear the sounds of birds chirping. The set is a massive children's playground, bathed in bright sunny yellow gels. Underneath the set is a four piece band. Baker's cast is made up of mostly college students, but he keeps this cast in pure professional mode. The blocking is strong, with careful attention to detail in making the action fit the moment in each song. Baker's vision is greatly assisted by Craig "Yo" Erickson's child-like playground set (with see-saw), and especially by Tung Tran and Stephen Peacock's haunting lighting design. These two designers really add a lot of "non-verbal" communication to the songs with their designs of light aimed at the company. From the harsh red for death in one number, to the clouds passing by for another number, their lighting design is superb. Jennifer Laws' choreography has heavy doses of Bob Fosse technique and style. Laws keeps her movements small and intact, and they work quite well in the numbers. There is one number that has a ballet with overtones of Fosse, and it works quite nicely. Musical Director James McQuillen is one of the finest musical directors in the metroplex, hands down. This man tackles some of the toughest scores in the canons of musical theatre and brings them to magnificent life. He just brings out the best in each singer, and from his band. McQuillen is backed by three extremely professional musicians who add so much to the score. But you must also take into account McQuillen's playing of the grand piano that is set onstage. McQuillen plays the piano with lush interpretation, setting the mood of the songs. One beautiful moment comes in the song "Christmas Lullaby." This just has a female vocal (Stephanie Lamoureux), plus McQuillen and his piano, and it is a marvelous duet of piano playing and voice. The performances of the company, for the most part, are wonderful, particularly Jennifer Pasion and Megan Woodall. The reason these two performers stand out from the rest of the company is this - they do not just "sing" the songs, they act the songs, with both verbal and non-verbal communication and acting skills that bring forth the meaning of their songs with impact. They truly dig deep into their hearts and talent, which brings forth wonderful emotion from their solos. I have seen Ms. Pasion grow as an actress and singer over the last couple of years, and here she gives an emotional performance that is just outstanding. Pasion is assigned some of the best songs in the score to show off her pop soprano voice at its finest. Her highlights come in two songs, "The Stars and the Moon" and "The Flagmaker, 1775." The first song is about a woman dating various men and never finding that one special thing. Pasion's acting on every lyric has touches of humor, pain, and sadness. But when she finds the apex of this song, the pain of it, you see her face convey such emotion, you know exactly what she is thinking. It's a beautiful moment. Pasion's second act solo, "Flagmaker, 1775" is the combination of grand lighting, excellent blocking and choreography, and Pasion's heartbreaking performance that really makes it a major peak in the evening. Megan Woodall is truly a triple threat performer. She can dance with skill and polish, she can sing with her heart, and she can act with honesty and compassion. Ms. Woodall is a redheaded beauty with lush eyes. But don't let her beauty fool you - she comes equipped with top notch comic timing and skill that is used to superb effect in her comedy solos "Surabaya-Santa" and "Just One Step." In both songs Woodall uses her face and body to perfect comedic effect, but she also uses comic pace, beats, and timing to really sell the songs. She is a powder-keg performer with eye blinding stage presence and never ending energy. Stephanie Lamoureux is charming as the youngest of the cast, to whom the cast sings at the end of the show. Lamoureux has a soft and innocent pop vocal that really is used quite nicely in her touching solo "Christmas Lullaby." She also dances quite beautifully the ballet in act two. Beth Albright's strong soprano voice wraps quite well around such songs as "I'm Not Afraid of Anything" and "All the Wasted Time" (from Parade). Edward Fraim is the strongest of the three men in the company. Fraim's pop tenor vocals are used to full potential in such numbers as "The River Won't Flow", "Flying Home", and my personal favorite of Fraim's bulk of music, "I'd Give it All for You." This is a duet with Tiffany Coles that has both performers soaring over the music in marvelous harmonies. Fraim also looks more comfortable and at ease on stage than his fellow male performers. Brendan Cyrus, while he does have a nice singing voice, tends to look stiff and uncomfortable on stage. Cyrus is assigned some of the comedic moments, but he never truly pulls them off. But he does succeed quite well in the ballet during "Flying Home" along with Ms. Lamoureux. Cyrus just needs to let go in both voice and body; I think once he does that, he will be much better. Barry Dale is the oldest of the company and while this would not matter in most productions, the songs that are assigned to him work against him due to his age. His second act songs, "The World Was Dancing" and "All the Wasted Time" are good examples of this problem. "The World Was Dancing" is about a boy in college; he talks about his parents, college romance, etc. and this just doesn't work with Mr. Dale. "All the Wasted Time" is sung by a husband and wife. But here Mr. Dale sings the duet with a much younger female, thus the song loses all meaning. Dale does sing with a good baritone vocal, but his singing voice is a more legit/Broadway style, thus at times the voice does not fit this score, which is written with a much more pop/soft rock sound. Overall I did enjoy most of the the musical pieces in this production. Some are deeply moving and the passion and heart of the company can be felt. But it still is a musical revue which has no book, no clear cut journey, or even fleshed out characters (you have "skeletons" of characters instead) to take you on a very paper thin journey. Songs for A New World plays through October 14 at the Quad C Theatre on the CCCC Campus. Call 972-881-5809 for tickets and information. Songs for A New World CAST: |
