FRINGE REVIEW: BELIEVE IN ME... A BIGFOOT MUSICAL

I thought the same thing: "A musical about Bigfoot?" Well, why not? We've had excellent musicals come from the most unlikely of sources, so why not the legend of Bigfoot? And who knows, maybe someday we will have an excellent musical from this most unlikely of sources. Believe in Me won't be it, mainly because it isn't about Bigfoot to begin with, but about the people who chase the elusive figure. With music and lyrics by Michael Holland and a book by Adrien Royce, Believe In Me tries to be a character study about people who believe in themselves and others, and in some ways, it succeeds.

Arlene (Christina Norrup), a documentary filmmaker, needs money to get her film about IUD's produced. To further this worthy goal, she accepts an assignment to make a film about Nicolai (H. Clark Kee), a mountain man who claims to have video footage of the elusive footage. As she works on her documentary about Nicolai and his entourage, Arlene becomes involved in their lives and their search for something that only seems to exist on faith. It's a sweet story, and uplifting. Unfortunately, Royce's book goes in so many directions that the story becomes aimless and, ultimately, pointless. Arlene sings that she needs somebody to believe in her and her work (hence the title), but it's hard to believe in her statements of insecurity when she is always so tough and confident. She strikes up a romance with the handsome Rudy (The Producers' Jamie LaVerdiere), a pastiche of Latin American stereotypes, that does nothing to move the plot along. Perhaps we're meant to understand that Rudy's interest in Arlene boosts her self-esteem and confidence, but we see no emotional growth from that relationship, just some cute and catchy songs. Nicolai's woodland friends, the eccentric Ida (Kelly Kinsella) and the suspiciously pale "Native American" White Bird (David Gurland) are meant to provide some comic relief, I suppose, but don't. Like Rudy, Ida is simply a stereotype of a woods-woman, and having a white man play a Native American makes the already two-dimensional caricature downright offensive.

With most of the show set in 1980, Holland's time-appropriate music is bright, catchy, bouncy, and enjoyable. I wish the same could be said for his lyrics, which are only adequate at best. Christina Norrup gives a very strong performance as Arlene, carrying much of the show by sheer charisma. Jamie LaVerdiere also makes the most of his shoddily written role, finding some sparks to make the character lively. H. Clark Lee apparently joined the cast at the last minute to play Nicolai, and perpetually seems to be a few steps behind the rest of the actors. There are levels to the character that go unexplored, leaving a wide hole in the plot that could have been quite intriguing. Erin Coakley's "musical staging" (is that what they call choreography these days?) is very nice, and the ensemble works very well as a group.

Believe in Me

shows some potential, and I'll be interested to see where else the project goes. Brought more into focus, the story could be a truly moving character study of believers and non-believers. Until we get Loch Ness: The Musical (and you just know it's coming), this will have to do.