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Weird Romance
Two one Act Musicals of Speculative Fiction
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by David Spencer
"Her Pilgrim Soul"
Book by ALAN BRENNERT
Based on his original story
"The Girl Who Was Plugged In"
Book by ALAN BRENNERT and DAVID SPENCER
Based on the story by James Tiptree, Jr.
Directed by Bradley Bartolo
Music Direction by Timothy Boyd
Produced by Blue Moon Studio Theater
At Strawdog Theatre
3829 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
Call 312-771-1310, tickets $20 (Industry $10)
Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 5:30 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 20 minutes with intermission
Through September 22, 2007
Weird Romance has its moments despite some awful weak voices
Mounting an ambitious 28 song show consisting of two one act musicals isn’t for the meek. Blue Moon Studio Theater almost made it work. Almost. Problem: what if the men in your theatre troupe can’t sing? Do you cast then because they are competent actors and one can ‘sell’ a song even though they can’t carry a tune? Well, Blue Moon Studio Theatre chose to use their guys despite their minimal vocal talents. The result is an uneven musical where the fine female talents soared over the guys. This mixed bag together with the weak projection from several singers amounted to a strained, flawed evening. Too bad since Alan Menchen (Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid) and David Spencer offered many charming, even campy moments in the first one act---- “The Girl Who Was Plugged In.”
The sci-fi first one act was a muddled affair due to the mumbled dialogue and the lack of projection from several males, especially David Fink as the evil Isham. Add Edward Fraim’s speaking too fast and the generally weak and flat vocals from the guys and “Plugged In” becomes tedious. The girls, especially Harmony France and Lindsay Naas combined to land “Worth It” with style and panache. Their “Stop and See Me” was finely sung also. Too bad the men had such limited vocal chops. The ensemble numbers were flat and atonal.
With act two’s “Her Pilgrim Soul,” Eric Martin was effective and charismatic as the scientist. Too bad his singing was strained and labored. David Lipschultz’s comic talents shined in his “Need to Know.” Unfortunately, no vocal range hurt his best efforts. This one act belongs to the golden voiced Laura McClain who commands attention as the empathetic Nola. She was excellent in her “Someone Else Is Waiting” song. This romantic tale offered some fine moments.
Timothy Boyd, Joshua Kartes and Nick Christiansen deftly played Menken’s score producing the lush melodies effectively. With a stronger cast of men, these two difficult musicals could be a real treat. As presented here, the show has limited appeal. Musicals need strong singers who can carry a tune and project to be heard. It seems they don’t teach how to belt out a tune anymore. Too bad.
Somewhat Recommended
Tom Williams
tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2007
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