by Derek—2005.11.29 @ 1555
My rating: 4 out of 5
When I had an opportunity to see a second Broadway show while in New York City, I determined to pay for a show that gave a reasonable expectation of blowing me away (unlike Beauty and the Beast). To that end, I was determined to see Disney’s Lion King, which, if nothing else, had wonderful music, staging, and costumes.
Alas, Lion King was sold out, and with the rush to get a ticket at TKTS, our group settled on In My Life, a new musical by Joe Brooks (composer of “You Light Up My Life”). I had never heard of this musical and I was worried—really worried—that I had wasted my money ($60!) on an unknown. The information pamphlets at TKTS were of little help and I began to think how many diapers $60 could have purchased (what would Melissa say…). When we made it to the theatre, I was pleased that the venue was better off than the Disney stage from the night before. However, what was on stage, or rather not on stage, began to worry me.
The stage was minimalist: four columns on the extreme wings; an empty floor; and a huge projection display—probably 10’x40’—suspended from the fly system. “Oh no,” I thought to myself, “nouveau theatre…” I didn’t know what to expect, but I worried about theatre “avant-garde.”
Much to my delight, the show exceeded my expectations.
The show is about a “musician with Tourette’s syndrome and a Village Voice journalist with obsessive compulsive disorder who meet at a grocery store — with some help from above — and begin an unlikely romance that proves that life’s greatest affliction is the one they share: true love.”
The show’s storyline reminded me of other earth-heaven stories like Saturday’s Warrior, which opine about what goes on in heaven above whilst we earthlings struggle below.
I thought the show was fantastic. The music was stirring and the actors were alive with energy. The characterizations were also spot-on. The young man with Tourette’s and OCD did an amazing job, making the affliction palatable and real—not just a knock-off, sarcastic mockery.
And, man, could they sing. I don’t think I’ve seen actors open up so much, with so much soul and feeling. It was very moving.
Speaking of moving, the character actor—played as a “fairy”—was often hooked up on a sling and was hoisted up and down like Peter Pan.
The staging was actually very well done. The stark stage at the beginning was used with dramatic success. Lighting and set were often minimal, but it was filled up with light, music, and movement. One of the best sets was a split set where they had a cut-out apartment on the lower stage, and up above was an elaborate cut-out kitchen, with a window looking out to a grassy field and a playground. It was an amazing effect executed with deft precision. The scene was a flashback where the OCD/Tourette son was remembering his mother, and how she would sing to him. The mother would sing, looking out the window watching her son. It was haunting.
Some of the more memorable songs, “I Am My Mother’s Son,” “In My Life,” and “When She Danced” were available on a giveaway sample track as we left the theatre. The music was wonderful, the story memorable, and the experience was well worth the $60 price tag.
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