They said it was 90 minutes but (even with starting 15 mins late), the 3pm show today got out at 5:15. I looked at this kind of like a workshop of a new play. There were some interesting ideas up there and I like the idea of a play showing how a pandemic and that kind of isolation affects different people. While 2020 was a global event we all shared, we all have very different stories about what we went through and what we lost. So from that lens, it’s stories worthy of telling - but they need a lot more work here. Some of the performances I really did enjoy, Danza being at the top of the list. It reminded me of what a good dramatic actor he is and it’s been a very long time since we’ve gotten to see that from him. Adam Kantor as well, was fantastic. My issue (well one of my issues) with pretty much all of these was that you knew how they’d end - except for that last one which I’ll get to.
So what we have is 8 scenes of varying themes of Covid except for the George Floyd one which almost seemed out of place here, not tying into the other stories at all besides the fact that it took place in 2020. But on the flip side of that, I got to hear Tonya sing on stage for the first time in years so “a win is a win” and we need her in a new musical.
Im gathering my thoughts while typing so maybe a little rambling but almost each scene was also entirely too long for what it was and I could sense myself and others around me thinking “let’s wind this one up, we already know the point of it and what’s going to happen.”
But ok the last scene in the jail. I’m just going to say what happens so don’t read ahead if you don’t want to know. It’s an ex-soldier in a prison cell with a musical theater actor and it’s just a baffling “HUH” 10 or so minutes. Besides the soldier being in there for refusing to wear a mask (which is quickly mentioned and never addressed again) this has nothing to do with any events of 2020. They realize they have stuff in common when the soldier (after telling the other guy he doesn’t have a problem with him being gay, he has a problem with him SAYING that he’s gay) says how he grew up watching musicals and asks the dude to sing for him and we get a full on belting version of “Tomorrow” which kind of brings a tear to the soldiers eye. One of the most WTF things I’ve ever seen on stage.
Happy to see all these people on stage and good on them for workshopping (or whatever this is) a new play for a few days but yeah, this isn’t something I’d recommend you have to see tonight or tomorrow.
