Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Andrew R. Butler’s blazing folk/futuristic RAGS PARKLAND SINGS SONGS OF THE FUTURE is a powerful and soul-stirring new musical

• By drediman
• October 16, 2018
• No Comments

Andrew R. Butler and Stacey Sargeant in Mr. Butler’s “Rags Parkland Sings Songs of the Future” at Ars Nova.

Many of those who know me appreciate how much I adored Dave Malloy’s ravishing musical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 both on Broadway, as well as its various tent iterations downtown and midtown. But that blazing endeavor all started at the dime-sized Ars Nova, an exciting operation on the far west side of Hell’s Kitchen. Since The Great Comet, Ars Nova, in its intimate black box space, has kept pushing the boundaries of what theater can be (KPOP, Small Mouth Sounds, and Underground Railroad Game being a few prime recent examples).

Rest assured, that trend continues on. This past weekend at Ars Nova, I caught Rags Parkland Sings Songs of the Futuure, Andrew R. Butler’s new sci fi folk musical, and it’s just the kind of out-of-the box experience that whets my appetite. Set in the future 250 years from now, the musical is an allegory of sorts for our society’s ongoing struggles with civil rights – it tells the story of a group of on-the-fringe, on-the-run humans and androids who have lost their rights by virtue of their mere existence. Sound familiar? The show begins with Rags Parkland, a folk singer in the mold of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, performing a one-night-only gig at a tiny speakeasy-type music joint. The musical then flashes back a number of years to the fateful, white hot night (also the night of a gig) when his life changed forever.

Much of Mr. Butler’s folk score is top drawer – it combines sophisticated songwriting with lyrics that contain imagery that’s downright poetic in its gorgeous articulation visionary reach. The book, also penned by Mr. Butler, efficiently and elegantly packs in a good amount of future history and character-related exposition without burdening and cramming the experiencing of watching the show, which is particularly commendable given its 90-minute run time. Director Jordan Fein has created an atmospheric, immersive staging that convincingly transforms Ars Nova into a claustrophobic secret music venue. The cast of seven actor/singer/musicians is also superlative, led by Mr. Butler and Stacey Sargeant as Rags and his put upon robot but irrepressible love interest Beaux, respectively. Their performances are idiosyncratic, impassioned, and deeply felt; they invest themselves completely in the musical’s fantastical, highly speculative world.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

RAGS PARKLAND SINGS SONGS OF THE FUTURE
Off-Broadway, Musical
Ars Nova
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 3