February House

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 11:33pm

Wow. I went in expecting nothing as I thought the premise sounded problematic, but this piece was basically brilliant. I don't know who Gabriel Kahane is or where he came from, but I pray he doesn't go away anytime soon. Beautiful, beautiful music and some of best lyrics in years; George Davis sings about being "weak for antique teak" early on and I knew I was in love. I actually wish I had a legal pad with me so I could write down all the wonderful rhymes as they came fast and furious. Please release a lyric book with the recording!

Kahane is also credited with the orchestrations, which were superb. They were of the quality of Once, Queen of the Mist and The Wild Party.

Likewise Seth Bockley has written a first-rate book. I don't know how he fashioned such a coherent story out of this premise, and more importantly he made everyone a character and not just an historical figure. Without his deft structuring this could have been a pretty-sounding mess.

And then there's the cast. Each of them seemed to be giving both a star performance and acting as an unselfish member of a well-oiled ensemble.

Stanley Bahorek and Ken Barnett as Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears were delightful and often hysterical. Their act two opener about bed bugs was a riot.

Kacie Sheik kills her one big number as Gypsy Rose Lee. She doesn't entire the show until the end of act one, but when she does it's with a crack of dynamite.

Erik Lochtefeld (Auden) brings his young "husband" (AJ Shively) to February House and pulls off what is probably the most difficult role. Stephanie Hayes shows up as Erika Mann and does well with her smaller part.

The highest honors must go to Julian Fleisher as George Davis and Kristen Sieh as Carson McCullers. The latter in particular is so brilliant I couldn't stand it. She sings a song about Coney Island accompanied solely by a banjo and it's fantastic.

Ok, so I realize this is only playing the rest of this week, and I'm kicking myself for not seeing it sooner to have time to go back, but I urge anyone who hasn't seen it to clear your calendar and see if there are still tickets available. It's pretty damn special and I'm assuming will not transfer to a commercial run. This is the kind of night that reminds me why I keep going to theater.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 11:53pm

Great review! You may have another chance to see it soon enough--The New Yorker in their largely rave review implied it was going to have a life after this production.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 12:22am

I am SO excited to finally see this on Thursday!! Every time I've tried to go it's been sold out. It sounds so interesting and I'm so curious to see it.

[After Eight]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 8:45am

Whizzer,

There was a thread on this already.

You've been here long enough to know how to use the search feature.

And "brilliant," you say?

Come on.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 8:56am

After Eight,

I did search and the only thread I found was someone asking about rush.

I felt strongly enough about the piece, and it seemed to be slipping by under the radar, that I wanted to start a new thread.

I did say it was "basically brilliant," but after a good night's sleep I would also drop the "basically" and leave it at plain "brilliant."

[After Eight]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 9:02am

^

Really?

Then I say,

Come on!!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 9:34am

I was on the fence about seeing this, but Whizzer's report tipped the scales! Grabbed a TDF seat for this weekend!

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 9:36am

Whizzer's enthusiastic recommendation in combination with After Eight's negative "thoughts" would be enough to get me to any show.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 9:53am

I also saw this last night and I am not nearly as enthusiastic as you. I thought it showed great promise (for the show and the composer, definitely) but it was very very slow and draggy in places.

I fully agree the lyrics were a delight, very charming and witty. Even when they ventured into "purple prose" territory (something that generally turns me off) it worked since they were a group of writers and poets. However, they music seemed to all blend together and I honestly got confused if something was a new song, a reprise, a mixture, or if they all just sounded the same.

The book was a slow starter, almost 45 minutes go by of just "I want a colony for artists. I love lamps! You're a poet!? Please stay!" A lot of this could easily be thinned out since the show itself needs a little triming as it is. The direction is also a bit clunkly with all too often the ensemble standing in the shadows singing Auden's poetry, they change their place in the shadows and keep singing, over and over again. The ending also seems to last for 20 minutes. There is a LOT of "wrap up/final moment" even after everyone has moved out. There is a letter from Carsen read, a prospective new tennent turned away, and two reprises that seemed to move like a dirge.

The clear star standout is Kacie Sheik. I honestly felt things didn't start cookin' until her Gyspy intellectual strip number. The song itself was basically a reworking of "Zip," her listing her intellecual/cultural interests and using loads of double entendre.

Stanley Bahorek and Ken Barnett's clowning around also helped the piece when it seemed to be far too serious and dragging the most. Their two songs are highlights.

I normally almost always agree with you Whizzer, but I honestly could not stand Julian Fleisher or Kristen Sieh. It could mostly be their songs are the ones that all bleed together in my ear and sound repetitive and purple.

Fleisher never seems to stop doing maudeline aging drag queen pretending to be Gloria Swanson. He seemed to be playing a campy person cliche and while that IS the character, I wish it were played with more levity a la Charles Busch.

Sieh, to me, was all over the place. Her acting was spot on but her accent was all over the place. I admit I lived in Georgia for a number of years so I'm a little sensitive to that accent when people get it wrong. Her singing voice was absolutely stunning in moments (her lower register) and awkwardly shrill in her higher register. Most of the score seemed to exist in her break and the transistion seemed to hurt her otherwise interesting voice.

The play has some beautiful moments, songs, lyrics, and performances, but is a bit long and takes itself too seriously at times. I would love to see the production carry on with some tinkering and trimming.

[After Eight]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 10:06am

Nasty,

Yes, the piece is a worthy, if ultimately unsuccessful effort. I said as much in my comments in the initial thread on this show.

It has some good things in it, but you've correctly pointed out its various failings.

The problem is when people start flinging around words like "brilliant."

A little judiciousness, please,

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 10:18am

It's almost like when people start flinging around words like "vile" and "sickening."

Almost.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 11:44am

MB- I'm glad that you're going!

Nasty_khakis- Thanks for your detailed thoughts. I agree that part of why the lyrics worked so well were because they were writers.

I also agree that there were several different endings, and it could wrap up a little sooner. I think if it does move on this is the area where the creative team should make some tweaks.

I thought about "Zip" too during Sheik's number! It did seem like the conflict didn't start until her entrance, but I was emotionally invested in the characters already so this didn't bother me. February House felt similar in structure to The Wild Party: Act One was a parade of characters entering the house and then Act Two was when the drama erupted.

Sieh's accent didn't bother me, but I'm not from Georgia so can't really comment on it's authenticity. I agree with everything you said about her voice, but it was for all those "imperfections" that I fell in love with it. It was so raw and fitting for the character that I thought she was perfection.

I don't think February House is without fault. Perhaps it was just what I was needing last night, but to me it did feel "brilliant." Maybe it's also easy to be enthusiastic about something that succeeds in being smart, artistic and a little different. I'm not trying to excuse my enthusiasm, but rather explain where I'm coming from.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 11:56am

It seems to be a divisive piece, in general. People like it or loathe it. I'm in the former camp (most critics are in the latter), but I do think it needs work. I honestly think it could even be tightened into a one-act, and ultimately focus entirely on McCullers and Davis. But there are so many moments in the piece that make me really like it. "Wanderlust" is my favorite new musical theatre song I've heard this season (bar is set low, admittedly).

I think Sieh and Sheik are both standouts and giving excellent performances.

And you should be glad to know that they're recording the show the week after it closes.

[newintown]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 12:22pm

I certainly didn't loathe it, but I would have preferred a show that wasn't clearly setting out to be "art." I would have liked more plain entertainment, but it seemed (to me) that the creators are more interested in being admired than in entertaining a wide audience.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 12:31pm

I'm so glad they're recording. I spent the entire time going "I'm sure with repeated listenings I'll think this score is brilliant." I felt the same way the first time I heard Sonheim's "Passion." So check with me in a year when I'm waxing on about how brilliant the overall net of a score is. haha

Whizzer, very astute point about "The Wild Party." That LaChuisa score is one of my all-time favorites and I definitely see the similarities in structure.

I'm convinced if they trim around 15 minutes (from the opening and closing, mostly) I'd have loved it. I was so enraptured by certain moments and outright bored and checking my watch at others.

I completely admit I'm just being picky accent wise. She may have listened to how Carson actually spoke and her strange I and U sounds were accurate, but they were off-putting to my ear.

I would love to see the piece with a new and stronger director to tighten things up. I do highly reccomend seeing it especially since it's something new, original (well, based on a non fiction book), and by a promising new composer/lyricist.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/13/12 at 12:38pm

I honestly think they could create a lengthy opening number that gets the initial people all into the house in 10 minutes, as opposed to four songs and scenes.

[JC69]

Posted: 6/14/12 at 6:21am

I have heard recordings of Carson McCullers and yes, Kristen Sieh is giving a near-perfect rendition of that accent. I grew up in Georgia, not very far from where McCullers is from. But even if you've spent as much time in the South as I have, you wouldn't necessarily recognize this version of a Georgia accent unless you lived there in the 30's and 40's. This accent is something of a lost art, a very particular regional accent that I was very glad to hear used accurately and not substituted with some cliche of a hollywood southern voice that so many actors default to.

Her accent was not "all over the place." It was in one very specific place. She did her homework.

[JeanGudio]

Posted: 6/16/12 at 3:48pm

another public theater production that will have life but sadly no profit.

[someone.else's.story2]

Posted: 6/16/12 at 8:10pm

I so want to see this. I do hope that it has life beyond this production.

[JeanGudio]

Posted: 6/16/12 at 8:48pm

I just think that public theatre has works of art such as caroline or change. But is to avant garde for mainstream theatre.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 7:13am

They aren't trying to be 'mainstream' or commercial.

[dexter3]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 9:50pm

I saw it yesterday and I agree with a lot of the criticisms.

The good: There are a few moments that are really really brilliant, mostly in Gabriel Kahane's songs. His work is very unique and I think he has a very interesting sound. His songs just flow nicely, as if the performers are improvising them on the spot, and yet still make coherent formal sense.

The songs are attractive enough that we forgive some of Kahane's lack of dramaturgy skills (characters shift quickly back in forth from speaking to someone, to speaking to "themselves", and one character randomly proposes to another character seemingly out of nowhere...among other things).

the bad: The book takes a good 45 minutes to get going and move past exposition. Even when it does, there doesn't seem to be a larger thread that's holding everything together, other than "this is happening in the same house". The pace tends to drag, oh, every 15 minutes or so, and they would do well to cut some of the "precious" moments and songs that are pretty but don't take us anywhere. It also feels like we're introduced to the character of George Davis as the main character, but we mostly don't track any kind of a story for him until the very end. He's more of a catalyst than a main character.

Other than that, I do feel like these writers have something to say, and I admired the tone and the overall sense of craft with which the songs were written. It feels like this particular piece is more of a promising first show for these writers, as opposed to their great opus. Worth seeing, though, in my opinion.

[newintown]

Posted: 6/18/12 at 11:04am

It would have been nice if the music had developed a bit of "muscle" from time to time, rather than settling for non-stop prettiness. Musically, it seemed a cross between Ricky Ian Gordon and Adam Guettel - art-song-cum-theatre-music.

I was also bothered by the rather homophobic aspect of deriving the majority of laughs from the flamboyantly nelly/queeny behavior of "those funny homosexuals," in particular George Davis, Benjie Britten and Peter Pears, none of whom were as over-the-top swishing in real life as portrayed in this show. Very cheap shots. If you're going to mock the gay characters, then why not present Gypsy Rose Lee as a raving nymphomaniac (which would also be false-to-life) as well?

[tazber]

Posted: 11/17/12 at 1:46pm

Just heard the cast recording and thought it was wonderful.

The lyrics are some of the best I've heard in a long time. And the music is delicious.

The Americana orchestrations recall Floyd Collins, which is apt as on the whole I found the recording as moving an experience as Collins is.

Hoping Kahane is working on something new.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/17/12 at 2:27pm

The score is the show's strongest asset; I imagine it stands up very well on its own. I didn't purchase the entire recording, but I snagged "Wanderlust", "Ride Out the Light", "Coney Island", and "Goodnight to the Boarding House (Reprise)"- which I found the strongest numbers from the show. "Wanderlust", in particular, is a standout and I think the best musical moment in the score, with some beautiful and evocative lyrics.