Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Despite some staging mis-steps, Ross Golan’s stirring score for THE WRONG MAN beguiles, as does leading man Joshua Henry

• By drediman
• November 11, 2019
• No Comments

Joshua Henry and the company of Ross Golan’s “The Wrong Man” at MCC Theater. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

This past weekend, I caught up with The Wrong Man, Ross Golan’s highly anticipated new Off-Broadway musical at MCC Theater. The list of pop artists with whom Mr. Golan has produced hit songs is impressive, to say the least. Indeed, over the years, he’s collaborated with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and so forth. The Wrong Man finds Mr. Golan taking on a new challenge – writing for legitimate musical theater. Set in Reno, Nevada, the new musical tells the sadly relevant story of a black man who has been convicted for a crime he didn’t commit.

There’s no denying the stirring brilliance of Mr. Golan’s score, which beguiles from beginning to end. It’s clear from the string of hugely compelling, musically diverse songs that he’s written for his ambitiously sung-through score that Mr. Gilman is an artist in total command of his considerable talents. He also has a natural knack for writing soulful lyrics that linger in the mind. These days, it’s not often that I find myself eager to listen to a new musical theater score so soon after the first exposure – I find many of them frustratingly derivative – but this is a strong exception (thanks largely to Alex Lacamoire’s rich orchestrations). Admittedly, however, Mr. Golan’s barebones book could use more rigorous shaping and specificity. As it stands, the book serves merely as a skeleton on which to hang the astonishing score.

Director Thomas Kail (who so brilliantly helped shepherd Hamilton to legendary acclaim) I think senses this deficiency. Almost as if to help fill in the online left behind by the book, Mr. Kail has engaged choreographer Travis Wall to create a piece of highly physical dance theater to accompany Mr. Golan’s score. Although there are moments of brilliant synergy from time to time, the two pursuits unfortunately largely fail to coalesce. Nevertheless, it’s always a treat to see three-time Tony nominee Joshua Henry – who has emerged in recent years as a bonafide Broadway leading man and matinee idol – in action in the title role, and he doesn’t disappoint as The Wrong Man. To experience his intensity and ravishing vocals in such intimate quarters is something to be savored.

RECOMMENDED

THE WRONG MAN
Off-Broadway, Musical
MCC Theater
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 24