ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION REVIEW-------------------------------------------------Art has always held up a mirror to the good and the bad of the human condition. Many of the great musicals in the canon deal with hate, social turmoil, madness, mental illness, family dysfunction, mob violence, pain, despair. (For some fine examples, see Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, Miranda.) But they do so with grace, irony, and respect — for the characters and the audience.
I have no doubt that Mitchell and his artistic team have noble intentions: Tell a gay love story that endures against all odds; describe a divided community that undergoes a moral transformation. But there are some fundamental problems here, matters of taste and sensitivity, that will have to be addressed if the show is to have a future beyond the Alliance. For now we can only wonder: What were they thinking?
THEATER REVIEW
“Becoming Nancy”
7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays. 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. 2:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Through Oct. 6. $25-$85. Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-733-5000, alliancetheatre.org
Bottom line: Means well, runs amok. --Wendell Brooks, AJC: As written by Elliot Davis (book), George Stiles(music) and Anthony Drewe (lyrics), and directed and choreographed by Mitchell, "Becoming Nancy" is a tonally jarring work that cloaks disturbing stereotypes and offensive language in a hyper-energetic swell of song-and-dance numbers before ending with an anthem of self-love called "You Matter." [...] To be certain, "Becoming Nancy" is lavishly staged, peppered with likable songs, and distinguished by top-notch performances. Scenic designer David Rockwell creates a fabulous, fine-boned high-school gymnasium, sumptuously lit by Philip S. Rosenberg, and Amy Clark contributes costumes that are appropriate to the almost-'80s vibe. Despite the weirdness of the material, the cast soldiers on, and sometimes soars.
Updated On: 9/19/19 at 10:20 PM