VIEWPONTS — A Look Back at this Year’s New York Musical Theatre Festival
- By drediman
- August 11, 2015
- No Comments
Summers in New York abound with performing arts festivals that cover the gamut of performance genres (Shakespeare and the classics, new works, experimental theater, dance, international and local companies, opera and classical music, etc.). One of these festivals, the annual New York Musical Theatre Festival, lovingly referred to simply as “NYMF”, typically marks the steamy midpoint of summer in New York City. The beauty and, yes, understandable frustration of NYMF, as with other festivals focusing on new works, is that one really has no way of gaging the quality of the piece before watching it. The 2015 edition of NYMF was no exception. Out of the 16 NYMF shows I saw, I would say roughly half deserve further investment and workshopping. These standout shows are triple-asterisked (***) below. As for the others, well let’s just say they would need drastic rethinking back at the drawing board if they are to successfully proceed with their development. At this year’s festival, I made the acquaintance of the following new musicals (listed in alphabetical order).
210 AMLENT AVENUE
Book by Becky Goldberg
Music and Lyrics by Karl Hinze
Directed by Samantha Saltzman
Performed at the Alice Griffin Theatre
The Verdict – Think “Flowers in the Attic” meets “Carrie” meets “August: Osage County” turned into a musical. Some very appealing songs and competent performances weren’t enough to camouflage the flimsy melodramatic plot.
ARE YOU THERE, MORGAN FREEMAN?
Conceived by Velotta Brittany
Directed by Ilana Ransom Toeplitz
Performed at the Laurie Beechman Theatre
The Verdict – Velotta Brittany (who conceived and starred in this pseudo-cabaret act), an agreeable onstage presence, falls prey to her own derivative and half-baked writing. Probably the low-point of the festival for me.
CLAUDIO QUEST: A SUPER NEW MUSICAL***
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Drew Fornarola and Marshall Pailet
Directed by John Tartaglia
Performed at the Alice Griffin Theatre
The Verdict – A zippy, energetic, and tuneful new musical that wittily riffs on Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers video games. I can see this one attracting a loyal fan base if it were given a souped-up commercial off-Broadway run (New World Stages, anyone?).
THE COBALTEANS
Book and Lyrics by Yianni Papadimos
Music by Ben Chavez
Directed by Paul Stancato
Performed at Theater 3
The Verdict – An earnest, angst-ridden rock musical along the lines of “Next to Normal”, although lacking the Pulitzer Prize-winner’s gravitas and earned emotional heft. That being said, there were some lovely moments in Chavez’s score.
DEEP LOVE: A GHOSTLY ROCK OPERA
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Garret Sherwood
Directed by Michael Rader and Jon Peter Lewis
Performed at the Alice Griffin Theatre
The Verdict – Despite being passionately performed, this self-professed “ghostly rock opera” is just that. The show in its current form is definitely more of an outline or a “ghost” of a musical than a fully-realized show. Perhaps a concept album is the way to go for this piece?
FOOLERIE: A SHAKESPEAREAN MUSICAL COMEDY
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Santino DeAngelo
Directed by Tralen Doler
Performed at PTC Performance Space
The Verdict – If “Deep Love” is currently under-written, then I would have to say that “Foolerie” is certainly over-written. Drastically streamlining and simplifying the book would greatly benefit this satiric musical, as would rethinking its marketing strategy (this is most definitely not a family show).
HEADVOICE
Book, Lyrics, and Music by Ethan Andersen
Directed by Charlie Johnson
Performed at Theater 3
The Verdict – An interesting concept (thoughts depicted as characters) which is only adequately executed – the Pixar flick “Inside Out” did it infinitely better. Some charismatic performances aside, the book needs some additional work to strengthen its internal logic and plot arc.
HELD MOMENTARILY***
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Oliver Houser
Directed by Harry Shifman
Performed at PTC Performance Space
The Verdict – Although the musical is simple and slight, it is beautifully crafted (both book and music) and was delivered with exciting panache by its young cast. As a standalone piece, “Held Momentarily” may not wholly satisfy, but perhaps as one half of a musical double bill?
MANUEL VERSUS THE STATUE OF LIBERTY***
Book by Noemi de la Puente
Music by David Davila
Lyrics by Noemi de la Puente and David Davila
Directed by José Zayas
Performed at the Alice Griffin Theatre
The Verdict – Another standout at this year’s NYMF. “Manuel” recalls Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work in “In the Heights”, not just in style, but also in terms of quality and excitement. It was exuberantly performed, to boot!
NAPOLEON
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Andrew Sabiston and Timothy Williams
Directed by Richard Ouzounian
Performed at the Alice Griffin Theatre
The Verdict – Despite being touted as the chamber version of this much worked-on musical (amped up versions of “Napoleon” have been performed in both Toronto and London’s West End), the work remains bloated and bombastic. Think third-rate Boublil-Schönberg.
REAL MEN: A MUSICAL FOR GUYS AND THE WOMEN WHO PUT WITH THEM***
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Paul Louis and Nick Santa Maria
Directed by David Arisco
Performed at the Laurie Beechman Theatre
The Verdict – I’m not usually a big fan of musical revues (versus book musicals), particularly ones with a chauvinistic bent like “Real Men”, but I really had a surprisingly good time at this one. Undeniably witty, tuneful, and winningly performed.
THE RUNAWAY CLONE***
Book and Lyrics by Pamela Eberhardt
Music by Jonathan Brenner
Directed by Joe Barros
Performed at Theatre Row
The Verdict – Despite being performed in reading format, I had a much better time at “The Runaway Clone” than at many of the fully staged musicals at this year’s NYMF. It’s inventively plotted and features an infectious score; I can’t wait to see where it goes next.
SINGLE WIDE
Book and Additional Lyrics by George D. Nelson
Music and Lyrics by Jordan Kamalu
Directed by Jeff Whiting
Performed at PTC Performance Space
The Verdict – Solid but safe … and more than a tad bland. That’s the way to best describe the sweetly-scored and sung, country western-tinged “Single Wide”. I just wish that the book had more bite.
SONGS FOR THE FALLEN***
Book by Sheridan Harbridge
Lyrics and Music by Basil Hogios and Sheridan Harbridge
Directed by Shane Anthony
Performed at Theater 3
The Verdict – Hands down the “best of the fest” for me. This cabaret/performance art piece recalls the now mainstream “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” in its uncompromising storytelling, the quality and depth of its book and score, and its effortless ability to grab the audiences by the throat. Ms. Harbridge, who co-wrote and starred in the piece, is a force of nature.
SPOT ON THE WALL
Book and Lyrics by Kevin Jaeger
Music by Alex Mitchell
Directed by Devin Dunne Cannon
Performed at Theater 3
The Verdict – An ‘A’ for effort. This ambitious musical unfortunately reeks of pretentiousness, preciousness, and incomprehensibility. Only at NYMF!
TONYA AND NANCY: THE ROCK OPERA
Book and Lyrics by Elizabeth Searle
Music and Additional Lyrics by Michael Teoli
Directed by David Alpert
Performed at PTC Performance Space
The Verdict – One of the biggest disappointments for me at this year’s NYMF (this from a big figure skating fan). This musical retelling of the Tonya and Nancy saga is relentless, amateurish, and just plain un-funny.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS***
Book by Karen Mason and Barry Kleinbort
Music and Lyrics by Brian Lasser
Performed at Theater 3
The Verdict – The appealing Karen Mason’s moving memoir and tribute to her late musical partner Brian Lasser recalls shows like Elaine Stritch’s “At Liberty”, albeit at a far more modest scale. Although the show is not quite there yet (Ms. Mason struggled with a number of her lines), I have a strong feeling that this one will have a healthy life after NYMF.
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