The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical

Last night's performance continues to occupy much of my thoughts…

When I wrote the above post, I had hoped that others who had attended The Hippest Trip, or perhaps company members would respond. Hundreds have read it, but so far no other feedback. So, here is a more detailed breakdown of my thoughts regarding this impressive musical.

Change the name! I suspect that the title comes from the documentary, Soul Train, The Hippest Trip. That title works because it starts with "Soul Train" and so "Hippest Trip" makes sense. Reverse it and before one processes the full title, one is left with the impression that it's a musical about the summer of love and / or perhaps a psychedelic trip. Why not title the show simply, Soul Train: The Musical.

First impressions. Walking into the theater, the exposed set was quite impressive. Designing the set as a period TV works well and the funky curves that extend into the house are fun.

In San Francisco, the stage deck is way too high. I had second row seats, which when I purchased them, I thought would be excellent, but unfortunately when the cast was upstage, they were often cut off at the knees. At the very least, sell the first 3 rows as partial view. Or preferably, when you move to Broadway, just lower the deck.

At 15m before curtain, the transformation to video was really cool. The projections throughout work well. I would have liked to have seen a few more practical set pieces, or at the very least some of the furniture props automated, arriving onstage without the cast having to place them. This would be particularly useful for Don Cornelius' office desk.

The main upstage center "S" screen needs to float better. From my perspective, I could see a cable supporting it. Is that absolutely necessary? Given its size, I understand the need for supports, but it seemed that supports could be placed in such a way that they are hidden.

Also, why the elevator? It seemed a rather large expense for something only used once to introduce the main character?

Overall, I liked the set. It was functional, yet provided the much needed space for the dancing.

The pre-show roaming lights, which every few seconds blinded me was just annoying. During the show, several times, when the lights were focused into the house they were just blinding with little positive effect. I was kind of pissed that they made it near impossible to see the onstage action as my eyes kept having to adjust. Fix this.

The lighting is one of the weakest elements missing some great opportunities to draw focus onto the storytelling. As the book is comprised of both dramatic scenes and a lot of 'story theater', having the lights help direct our attention would be extremely helpful. During the many montages, which were well written and engaging, I often found myself trying to find the ensemble member(s) who was speaking. Lighting could help solve this issue.

I understand that last night's performance had several missed cues, or perhaps new blocking that put key moments in the dark. I have no doubt that this will be fixed before opening.

Sound. By far the weakest element. Sound is so tricky and with every cast member needing to be miked intermittently this is going to be one very complex sound design. Last night, there were several sound issues, some just unfortunate technical ones. Those will get solved. What is more concerning is some serious clarity issues for someone sitting center orchestra close to the stage. It's loud (good thing) and the lead voices are all beautifully projected, but a lot of work is still needed on bringing the ensemble's voice to the audience in a clearer more crisp auditory experience.

Costumes were fun throughout. Perhaps, there is the possibility for Don Cornelius to change his suit, maybe even just his jacket to offer some visual interest.

Okay, the dancing. OMG!!!!!!!!! This is a love letter to both Camille A. Brown (choreographer) and the whole company. The dancing is simply spectacular. I have only one comment and this is for the director, Ms. Forbes. Lets us applaud.

The epic dance number halfway through act one would have had the audience stopping the show, up on our feet shouting "bravo". You had the opportunity to start an earthquake (something us San Franciscans know something about), but didn't provide the pause necessary for this to happen.

I am not black and don't come from a culture of 'shouting'. Last night, there were many people who do understand and feel comfortable with this sort of engagement. I was extremely grateful for those audience members and wish that my training to not shout back while in the theater wasn't so ingrained. None-the-less, I wanted to show my appreciation. I wanted to jump out of my seat stomping for joy. Let me. I sure felt it.

Direction. Mostly excellent. There are some major issues though. First, Ms. Forbes, I approached you at intermission and again at the end of the show. You were gracious and amazing in your willingness to hear me out. Power to you. You took my comments with an open heart and I commend you for being willing to listen. I also commend the work you've done creating this amazing work.

Here are my issues… From the second row, those moments where the cast are high up on platforms behind the TV panels can't be seen. I am not sure how far back you'd have to be to be able to see them. Those cast members who deliver lines from those locations need to step forward even if just an inch or two. I suggest providing either unseen safety straps, or extending those platforms an inch or two. Having them stick out slightly beyond the proscenium won't destroy the effect, but would make those moments so much more accessible.

The actor playing Tony Cornelius either has to cheat out or be blocked further upstage during the dramatic scene between him and his father. His looking upstage deprived us of his reactions during a very crucial scene.

Finally, and this might be for both the director and writer, the montages are wonderful, but there were several moments that weren't well timed. I'm not sure if the writer needs to add a few more words, or the actors need to be directed to pace their lines better, but the flow in and out of song, dance and words at times needs to be smoother. Those moments when there weren't any words and the ensemble seemed just waiting for the music to catch up, were jarring.

There are places that can be cut, but I never felt it was overly long, so I have no feedback there.

The company. Wow! Everyone was wonderful. Your leads have great voices and their stories seemed motivated. I was engaged. Your dancers. Magic. I was blown away by the dancers. Their commitment to the show is beyond question. It felt both joyous and like their very lives depended on their ability to communicate through movement. Simply spectacular.

So there you have it. A more detailed accounting of my impression.

Oh… The music was great. I'm an older man and I grew up on Soul Train. Wonderful choices.

For anyone who's read this far, go see The Hippest Trip. Its good. Very good. And, the dancing is beyond beyond.

Updated On: 9/1/23 at 05:59 PM

Does seem odd to have an elevator for one moment. Why not use it for the desk piece you spoke about? But that could also be why the height of the stage was so high.

Greetings from San Francisco where if you are lucky enough to get here you will be witnessing a star in the making. The title of this show might better be, "A Star is Born." The problem is, the best part of this show, this extraordinary new talent, is in the chorus. His name is Sequoiia (he only uses one name). He is a San Francisco native, but graduated from the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (never heard of it, but theater schools these days...) Despite the enthusiasm the previous board member posted about for this new musical, the only reason to see this mess is to get a glimpse of this insanely talented performer. As with most chorus members, he plays multiple rolls, but every time he steps forward you can feel the audience lean in. His singing voice is out of this world, though many of the voices in this non-musical musical are very strong. He does not have your typical male Broadway Bares dancer body. Instead, he looks like someone who really was on the TV show and there isn't a style he cannot do. All of the dancers are very good, but after all 3 hours of popping and locking the same steps over and over and over, he is the only one who seems to be able to make a character out of the repetitive moves he is being asked to dance.

Michael Bennett is turning over in his grave. Trust me. There isn't an original idea on this poorly designed stage, and most of it was stolen from Dreamgirls and Jersey Boys and Jellys Last Jam. Imagine a full musical about Curtis, the used car salesman from Dreamgirls. That is about what you're getting here. Oh, and you want a Hollywood star tie in like Joe Pesce? They've got Rosie Perez.

The book is devoid of any skill, and please spare me the comments about who she is and how many awards and what a genius blah, blah, blah. Whoever thought to give one of the strongest female anthems in the world, "I Will Survive," to one of the most reprehensible misogynists' (Don Cornelius) proves there is no attempt at skill. The entire evening is a collection of musical snippets that are shoehorned into a Wikipedia plot. I learned about about Cornelius from a Google search.

The most interesting character in the show, Pam Brown, is played by the powerhouse voiced Amber Iman. They give her the 11:00 number, Oleta Adams' "Out Here." But the context of the song is devoid of any truth. We never really learn anything about Pam and every time she comes on stage, she just has a snappy feminist retort for Don. At the end, during his funeral, to sing this song makes no sense.

I'll skip over the second act attempt to create a father/son drama. Hints of Jelly's Last Jam come in here and the less said the better.

Everyone is going to rave about the choreography. Here is what I have to say about that. Lin Manuel Miranda created something brilliant with Hamilton because he was able to take a specific genre of music (hip hop) and find a way into the art of musical theater. This is the fourth show of Camille A Brown's I have seen over the years. It's the same thing over and over and over. It's all pastiche and there's zero attempt at storytelling. Like I said, Michael Bennett is turning over in his grave. What he and Bob Avian were able to do with the dance moves of each musical era and turn them into a cohesive visual dance vocabulary unique to Dreamgirls..."Oh, how I long for the old days."

The board member is correct in that the director must become more aggressive with figuring out where the applause breaks are. The real highlight of Act Two is the "My Prerogative" sequence (despite the poorly developed father and son plot). But we don't know when to applaud. The poor dancers of doing New Jack for what feels like 30 minutes and we never really let them know how grateful we are for the sweat.

It's not fair to leave any comments about Quentin Earl Darrington. He is playing this like he's in King Lear or The Tempest. But he's doing all the heavy lifting because the show has given him nothing, I mean absolutely nothing to work with. It's a feat, for sure. But thankless. We just don't care about his character or what he stands for. That is the biggest crime of this show. This is where it is most closely aligned to Jelly Last Jam, but Ms. Morsisseau is no George C. Wolfe.

The live off-stage band is excellent, doing better with the dance arrangements and musical underscoring. The show is designed to feature musical snippets of songs we know, and longer dance sequences. It's a mess.

But wow is Sequoiia wonderful.

ACL2006 said: "Is this aiming for Broadway this Spring 2024?"

yes

is there a song list for this yet?

weirdly two of the lead producers of this are white men, one whose only other credit is Rock of Ages (Matthew Weaver)

Updated On: 9/8/23 at 06:03 PM

A first batch of largely positive reviews, with plenty of justified praise for the choreography and performances, along with mixed notices for the book...

San Francisco Chronicle (Lily Janiak): "But the costumes and — once the show finally starts letting songs last more than a line — the singing and dancing have locomotive power. For many audience members, this whopping talent proffering a flood of nostalgia will be more than enough for a great, if occasionally draggy, night out."

.https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/soul-train-musical-review-18341494.php

KQED (David John Chavez): "While dance is the star of the show, it’s the story of Cornelius itself that compels. As time marches forward, Cornelius finds his influence slipping away, his abilities to serve as kingmaker giving way to new genres like rap and New Jack Swing. Finding ways for an old soul man to interact with the uncompromising power of Public Enemy or the visceral smoldering of 'My Prerogative' (a scalding number that garnered a standing ovation) pushes Cornelius deeper into a King Lear-like tragedy."

https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934433/soul-train-musical-review-hippest-trip-san-francisco

Theater Dogs (Chad Jones): " And while Cornelius’ creation is justly celebrated and lionized, his life story feels fairly ordinary by show biz bio standards, so Morisseau pushes harder than she needs to convey a looming sense of his faults and the pressures he was under – as Cornelius says frequently, 'You can let other people underestimate you, but you never underestimate yourself.' He was fighting to change the world but grew into a cranky old man who didn’t like disco or hip-hop and thought dancers with wild new moves were 'weirdos.'”

https://www.theaterdogs.net/

Updated On: 9/12/23 at 12:37 AM

I just saw this.

The set, costumes, dancing, music, and actors are really on point. The lighting is great, but there is a little too much shining in the audience. This was a fun night of theater, and the sold-out audience was really into it. When I got my tickets, there were tons of seats left a month before. But word of mouth must be out because this was packed.

I think the part that needs a ton of editing is the book. It doesn't set up the story's emotional core well, which I see as Don's fractured relationship with his son. Almost all of this storyline is entirely pushed into Act 2. They are going to need to cut some things out of the 1 hour and 25-minute act one. There's a lot of Don repeating the same things over and over. It's time to get some scissors and cut this to its core moments. The run time tonight was 2 hours in 45 minutes, including an intermission. The finale number, which is really long, could easily be converted into bows instead of having separate bows music. I hate the breaking of the fourth wall constantly, but it seems that's how bio-musicals are being told right now.

The Tuesday night and Wednesday matinée performances of Hippest Trip are both canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Coming to Broadway, according to Wendell Pierce

Amber Iman is going to be in this??? If yes, glad she is getting work.