This is a musical that's based on a 20-minute film, which is based on a 10-minute autobiographical monologue. You can tell. What I mean is that the show is too long - the creators might consider a few edits and shorten it enough to lose the intermission. The musical takes places in the 80s and, coming on the heels of The Prom, it feels a little less fun, a tad dated, and too stereotypical.
The Story Trevor is an outgoing teenager, comfortable with himself and endlessly inspired by Diana Ross. At school he navigates the usual humiliations of gym class, jocks, and mean girls. One day Trevor is paired up in gym class with Pinky, a leading member of the jocks. The two form an unlikely friendship and Pinky agrees to let Trevor teach the jocks a dance for the upcoming talent show. Things go awry when Pinky's homophobic friend, Jason, gets his hands on Trevor's notebook, which is full of Pinky's name written over and over again. Suddenly the whole school knows Trevor's secret - a secret that he doesn't even understand properly. After a disturbing scene in which Trevor attempts to "fix himself" by electrocuting his brain through his nose, he opts for a handful of sleeping pills. In the hospital after this failed suicide attempt Trevor meets Jack, a kind nurse who is also gay (played by Aaron Alcaraz). Neither of them actually say the word "gay," but after their encounter Trevor seems to recover and regain confidence in himself. He returns to school, tells his friends he was sick, and no one questions it. This is a missed opportunity, a lost teaching moment. If the kids don't understand what happened to Trevor, how will they learn the consequences of their actions? When Trevor finally confronts Jason back at school, I was expecting a moment of catharsis - for Trevor to come out and for his friends to support him. But Trevor never comes out in the show, not to his close friends or his parents and not in that final moment. Apparently, this wasn't a coming out story... my mistake. The Choreography Trevor has a vivid imagination, and often escapes reality into one of his imagined dance scenes (usually graced by the presence of Diana Ross, of course). These interludes of song and dance are the best part of the show - in particular, Trevor's vision of the jocks successfully performing the dance he's trying to teach them. All of the choreography was excellent, especially the small moments of Trevor's own private dance parties. The Performers Holden Willian Hagelberger is a great actor and dancer. His Trevor is believable and sympathetic and so much fun to watch. His singing can be a little grating at times, but I'm sure that's true for most pre-teen boys before their voices change - and in this case I think the choice was purposeful. Everyone else holds their own, but unsurprisingly Trevor is the star of the show. The one minor disappointment was Yasmeen Sulieman as Diana Ross. This was an opportunity to live out a dream of many people: to dress up and sing as Diana Ross in someone's imagination. But the performance lacked energy and fell a little flat which didn't seem right for something coming from Trevor's mind. This solo puppet performance from Kevin Augustine of Lone Wolf Tribe was haunting and mesmerizing. Each body part sits on a stand, waiting for it's turn in the spotlight. Augustine seamlessly moves between each with minutely controlled choreography; his own tendons and muscles flex and relax in order to make the body part puppet mimic real movement. Through his own careful movement, Augustine disappears and brings the limp and oversized foam body parts to life.
We attended on the first night of previews, and the energy in the theater was palpable. The line to get into the theater was also around the entire block, making the show begin about 20 minutes late. But I'm sure subsequent nights have gone more smoothly. As expected, Chuck Schumer showed up to pump his fist and bask in the applause of Broadway fans. The show itself is entertaining, but the plot is weak and Caroline is a surprisingly unlikeable character.
The Story This musical revival tells the story of a Black woman working for an affluent Jewish family in Louisiana. (The family feels very "New York," and at no point is there any explanation as to how or why they live in Louisiana.) A recent widower, the father is awkward and distant. The son, Noah, misses his mom and has an unrequited fondness for Caroline; he often goes down to the basement to spend time with Caroline while she does laundry. Caroline is already resentful and bitter with 3 children of her own and only begrudgingly talks to Noah. The crux of the plot revolves around money. Noah is forgetful and leaves change in his pocket. His well-meaning stepmom attempts to teach him a lesson by telling Caroline she can keep any change Noah leaves in his clothes. Noah starts leaving money on purpose. Caroline is conflicted at first, but then succumbs to temptation. For Chanukah, Noah gets a $20 bill from his grandfather. Of course, he leaves it in his pocket (this time by accident) and things get more complicated. A secondary plot involves a confederate statue in the center of town that goes missing. It's 1963, but the story feels familiar given the many statues that have been taken down or vandalized recently. There is one heated conversation between Noah's step-grandfather (visiting from New York) and Caroline's eldest daughter that relates to this secondary plot - otherwise the meat of the controversy seems to be missing. He wants to empower her and doesn't agree with MLK's nonviolent tactics. But it's a white man's perspective and it's not helpful. The attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan is also a recurring topic of conversation, but again the point seems to be missing. The Performers By far the best part of the show is the talent on stage. Sharon D. Clarke, as Caroline, is incredible - she has a powerhouse voice with an amazing range. Clarke is a great actor too, but her character is mean - you want to root for Caroline, but she makes it really difficult. The other show-stoppers are the performers playing inanimate objects: The Radio, The Washing Machine, The Dryer, and The Bus. This unexpected and delightful idea accentuates Caroline's solitary existence and the effect is one of the best parts of the show. The Songs The show starts off strong with Caroline singing in the basement and The Radio (Nasia Thomas, Nya, and Harper Miles) making an entrance. All of the songs are enjoyable in the moment, but none of them stick. Many of the songs feature polyphony, with many performers singing different melodies at once or overlapping. In this case (perhaps something that was fixed post-previews), the sound design seemed off and the effect was unpleasant; we were unable to hear the distinct singers and at times it all combined in a cacophony of sound. The Set Showing the upstairs and the downstairs at the same time was a great way to highlight the divide between the family above and Caroline working all day below. But again, the best set pieces were the anthropomorphic machines throughout the show. The worst part of the set was the over-the-top entrance from The Moon - not only was The Moon an entirely unnecessary element of the story, but it was also very confusing. And the most dangerous aspect of the set was the sudden (and also completely gratuitous) rainfall towards the end of Act Two - I don't even recall why it was raining. During the curtain call we feared for the actors coming out onto a wet stage. Pure joy.
If you like watching people dance, go see this show. Everything Caleb Teicher touches is gold. To say that Ruben Santiago-Hudson is an amazing storytelling is an understatement. He embodies the characters in his stories, first painting a picture of the person in words and then transforming completely into that character. In this play with music, Santiago-Hudson transforms himself over and over again, constructing a richly visual narrative out of thin air.
The play tells the incredible story of Santiago-Hudson's caretaker, affectionately called "Nanny" in the community, who took in and helped anyone and everyone in need. Nanny led an independent life in Lackawanna, NY; she ran several boarding houses and other businesses, and helped settle countless Black families in the area. The colorful cast of characters in the story combined with Santiago-Hudson's joyful delivery are a perfect homage to Nanny's life and the lives she touched. |
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