Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – 2018’s Best in Theater (Musicals)

• By drediman
• December 31, 2018
• No Comments

Damon Daunno in Daniel Fish’s revisal of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” at St. Ann’s Warehouse.

2018 was a good but not great year for musicals. A refreshing trend that I hope will continue is the seeming newfound desire to write completely new musicals (e.g., not based on a movie, not using a pre-existing songbook). Of the shows listed below, a healthy four fell into this category. This year, I also noticed a lack of hefty, serious musicals on Broadway (not necessarily the case Off-Broadway); instead, we were inundated with frothy feel-good musicals, which is not necessarily a bad thing (just an observation). Although I mostly reserve this “best of” list for new musicals, I was hard pressed to leave out two revivals, both of which were simply stunning. In no particular order, here are my top ten picks for the top theater experiences (musicals) of 2018:

RAGS PARKLAND SINGS THE SONGS OF THE FUTURE
By Andrew R. Butler (music, lyrics, book)
At Ars Nova (Off-Broadway)

Hands down, one of the most original musicals of 2018 was Andrew R. Butler’s Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future, which enjoyed a limited run at Ars Nova. The musical was an unlikely hybrid of folk music, allegorical science fiction, and immersive theater. And in the tiny confines of Ars Nova, director Jordan Fein created a claustrophobic environment that was just perfect for the piece (I really can’t imagine that the piece would have same impact in a much larger Broadway house). In the title role, Mr. Butler was sensational, giving a totally present performance that moved me.

CARMEN JONES (revival)
By Georges Bizet (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics, book)
At Classic Stage Company (Off-Broadway)

John Doyle’s rare revival of Carmen Jones at Classic Stage Company is one of two revivals that made it on this year’s list (the other is Daniel Fish’s boldly revisionist Oklahoma! at St. Ann’s Warehouse). Surprisingly, neither were Broadway revivals. Mr. Doyle’s Carmen Jones was spare and instinctive, which fits Oscar Hammerstein II’s updated version of Bizet’s opera like a glove. As the infamous temptress, Tony-winner Anika Noni Rose returned to the New York stage with a tempestuous, smoldering (she’s come a long way from Caroline, or Change!) – and vocally resplendent – performance that had the audience eating out of the palm of her hands.

HEAD OVER HEELS
By The Go-Go’s (music, lyric), James Magruder (book), and Jeff Whitty (book)
At the Hudson Theatre (Broadway)

The 2018/2019 Broadway season got off to a promising start when The Go-Go’s benevolently transgressive jukebox musical Head Over Heels opened at the Hudson Theatre this past summer. The masterstroke here is Jeff Whitty’s hilarious and astonishingly smart and literate Elizabethan theater-inspired book. The musical is given a breezy, tongue-in-cheek staging by Michael Mayer that’s a total joy to watch. As for the cast, they’re simply divine; there’s not a weak link among the lot. Too bad this one hasn’t been able to find an audience, as it’s set to close this weekend. I would recommend that you catch it before this feel-good musical disappears into the ether.

THE APPLE BOYS: A BARBERSHOP QUARTET MUSICAL
By Ben Bonnema (music, lyrics) and Jonothon Lyons (book)
At HERE Arts Center (Off-Broadway)

One of the most purely charming — and disarming — musicals I saw all year was the unexpected treat that played this fall at HERE  Arts Center for a brief run (blink, and you would have missed it, particularly in the midst the busy autumn theater season), the delightfully scrappy The Apple Boys: A Barbershop Quartet Musial. Despite its innocuous title, I found every moment of this original 75-minute musical (the spot-on pastiche score is by Ben Bonnema) to be inspired theater. The success of the musical is largely due to the show’s young, talented, and pitch perfect cast — each seamlessly and endearingly played numerous roles — and the show’s endlessly inventive direction (reminiscent of Alex Timbers’ work on Peter and the Starcatcher) by David Alpert.

THE PROM
By Matthew Sklar (music), Chad Beguelin (lyrics, book), and Bob Martin (book)
At the Longacre Theatre (Broadway)

In terms of pure escapism, few musicals this year came near the frothy fun of this fall’s more than solid new Broadway musical — and admittedly one of the dark horses of the season — The Prom. Even if Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin’s score veers towards a generic Broadway sound and the parody of Mr. Begelin and Bob Martin’s book at times feels like an assault, I nonetheless had a complete blast at The Prom. There’s huge amount of goodwill built into the show, especially in the show’s irresistible second act (thanks in large part to the expert work by veteran director Casey Nicholaw), which sends the audience dancing into the night with the hope of a better, more tolerant tomorrow.

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY
By Bob Dylan (music, lyrics) and Conor McPherson (book)
At the Public Theater (Off-Broadway)

In and of themselves, Bob Dylan’s songs are mini-masterpieces of storytelling and social commentary. As such, applying the legendary singer-songwriter’s songbook to a larger narrative would seem counterproductive — but not when the artist responsible for that overarching narrative is master Irish storyteller Conor McPherson (Mr. McPherson also directed the production at the Public, with an unflinching eye). His bleak, ensemble-driven Depression-era story seems just right for the Dylan catalogue, which comments on the action only when the emotions absolutely deem it necessary. The result of this unlikely collaboration is Girl from the North Country, a musical unlike most you’ve seen, and one that seems the inverse of Mamma Mia!, despite both categorically being “jukebox” musicals. The singular musical, originally seen at the Old Vic in London, has been refreshingly recast for its American premiere with some New York’s hardest working stalwart thespians.

ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914
By Peter Rothstein (book)
At the Sheen Center (Off-Broadway)

One of the most effective holiday shows I’ve seen in recent years was a musical entitled All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, which played this winter at the Sheen Center. Set in the trenches of World War I, the musical tells the true story of the extraordinary and unprecedented truce that occurred between English and German forces during one Christmas. Most of the power of the piece was responsible by director Peter Rothstein, whose stark, steady work eschewed sugar coating the the event. This is particularly refreshing given the sickly sweet, commercial/artificial air of many a holiday entertainment. This one — technically a jukebox musical comprised of beloved Christmas carols and a few random English ditties — affected me with its clear-eyed optimism for our capacity to love our fellow man, despite what may seem like irreconcilable differences among us.

BE MORE CHILL
By Joe Iconis (music, lyrics) and Joe Tracz (book)
At the Pershing Square Signature Center (Off-Broadway)

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest Off-Broadway hits of the season thus far was Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz’s sold out musical sensation Be More Chill at the Pershing Square Signature Center. As a (geeky) child of the 1980s and 1990s, I’m admittedly the creators’ target audience. And boy, did they hit the sweet spot, at least for me. The show’s retro-cool vibe and emotive, at times sophomoric, sensibility may not be to everyone’s taste. Ultimately, however, I found the show to be euphoric in its belief in the uplifting and transporting power of the “play” in play. And almost no one plays harder and rowdier in musical theater than Mr. Iconis, whose score here is driving and infectious. Director Stephen Brackett and the young, hard-working cast followed suit with a staging and a set of performances that share the same qualities.

OKLAHOMA! (revival)
By Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics, book)
At St. Ann’s Warehouse (Off-Broadway)

I’ve rarely come out of a musical as shaken as I did when I walked away from Daniel Fish’s radical revival (more like a re-examination) of the seminal Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! at St. Ann’s Warehouse. Mr. Fish and his unnervingly deadpan cast have taken a hard look at the material, particularly the hard circumstances faced by its characters (i.e., this country’s founders), and have determined that the foundational ideals on which this country is based may not be all that ideal. Actually, far from it. This hardened, uncompromising viewpoint may simply be too dark for some fans of the classic, but I found that it thrillingly brought the landmark musical squarely into the 21st century, especially in this presidential administration. Luckily, for those who missed it in Brooklyn, the production will be transferring to Broadway this spring.

MIDNIGHT AT THE NEVER GET
By Mark Sonnenblick (music, lyrics, book)
The York Theatre Company (Off-Broadway)

Along with The Apple Boys, the intimate new musical Midnight at the Never Get at the York Theatre Company was a totally unexpected musical gem. And like Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future, Max Friedman’s production created a uniquely immersive environment — in this case, a spectral cabaret venue — in which this unrequited love story from beyond the grave unfolded. If Midnight at the Never Get sounds like an unconventional musical theater experience, it’s because it is, and it’s all the better for being bold enough to cut a new mold for itself. Mark Sonnenblick’s accomplished score is a masterful pastiche of new songs that impressively sound like worn in classics. As for the performances of this mostly two-hander at the York, they were exemplary. Indeed, Sam Bolen and Jeremy Cohen (especially Mr. Bolen, who superbly captured his character’s emotionally turbulent journey) shined ever so brightly in their respective roles.

Special Mention(s):

THE MUSIC MAN (revival) by Meredith Wilson (music, lyrics, and book)
GONE MISSING (revival) by Michael Friedman (music, lyrics) and Steven Cosson (book)

It was tough to exclude two wonderful revivals from the list (I wanted to give priority to new musicals) — The Stratford Festival’s glorious and dynamic revival of Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man and Encores! Off-Center emotionally-charged mounting of the late Michael Friedman (gone much too soon!) and Steven Cosson’s Gone Missing. Both productions were nicely balanced, making their underlying materials relevant for today’s audience, while honoring the original intent of the shows’ creators.

Next up: My picks for the top dance performances of 2018!