New Sound in Town

Postcard Review by Caroline Russell-King

Show – New Sound in Town

Playwrights/Composers –Jason Pechet & Liz Gilroy with music and lyrics by the originators of the 47 songs.

Production Company/Theatre space –Stage West.

Length – 2 Acts (one intermission.)

Genre/s – Musical Revue or “Wiki Concert”

Premise – A sampling of 47 songs from artists whose work crossed over various genres from pop to rock to country.

Why this play? Why now? – Stage West usually programs one of these types of shows a season. It’s an inexpensive way to put together a show.

Curiosities – After an incredible production of Sister Act, how did this happen? The night I was there, a mixed youth choir of about 25 were in the audience and broke out into songs spontaneously throughout the meal. A magical opportunity was missed. What would have happened if these kids had been asked to accompany the pros in one number?

Notable Moment – The confused woman, who when the Elvis impersonator gestured to her to acknowledge her in the routine, thought he was asking for his scarf back.

Notable writing – The script consists of some wiki-like entries linking the songs. The songs stand on their own merit.

Notable performances – The two standouts in this cast of a dozen were Lee Siegel and Tayo Gbalajobi. Siegel who co-wrote and directed last summer’s Legends of the 80’s is proficient and talented at these types of shows. Gbalajobi returns to Stage West for her 5^th production and pulls off the vocal range of Whitney Houston – which is impressive.  

Notable design/Production – Oh dear, were their budget cuts or time constraints for the designers? One cannot introduce an artist like Cher, mention Bob Mackie, and then send out the performer in a costume that looks like it came from WINS bargain bin. Likewise, Dolly Parton looked like she was wearing a $1.99 outfit with hastily hand cut jagged sleeves. The costumes, however, were better than the wigs.  Elvis looked like a black cat had curled up on his head, Cher had a sizable hair mat, and Sonny Bono looked like Raquel Welsh after sleeping off a hangover. 

Notable direction – Director and Co-writer Liz Gilroy and Assistant Director and choreographer Stephan Dickson, missed some steps in this dance. Every time the introduction comes to a superstar, we mentally conjure up an image of an icon and then what follows can’t possible measure up – directed with a “nod and wink” this may have worked.  

One reason to see this show – Stage West serves nostalgia. (Plus, the food is tasty, and the staff are great.)