If We Only Have LOVE!

Love New Musicals?Well try to remember a time in September when 34 different new, yes New Non-Jukebox, Non-Movie Musicals were all playing at once.All of those shows, plus 84 seminars, dance pieces, concerts and other events have arrived in the heart of midtown Manhattan as part of the "New York Musical Theatre Festival."Such off-Broadway hits as "Altar Boyz," "The Great American Trailer Park Musical," and "[title of show]" have come from the previous two versions of this festival. What other greats, if any, will come from this years bevy of heavy talent?

Brock Simpson has written a musical that is taking part in the festivities.The musical is about that all important little emotion called Love.A show that is billed as sweet yet cynical, joyous yet jaded comical musical here is called "This Could be Love."It hopes to be as witty as its Canadian counterpart "The Drowsy Chaperone" and longs to be as intelligent as any Sondheim show.Unfortunately, it is neither and it could be a lot funnier.

But there are bright points abounding throughout that make this show much more than just another festival show.Starting with its two stars Graham Rowat as "He" and Krista Sutton as "She.""He" and "She" meet when they are supposedly stood up on a blind date.They decide, even though they nothing about each other, to just automatically fall in love.While the premise sounds cute and fluffy, the reality is that Simpson's story takes itself entirely too serious to be anything but romantic.Thankfully enough, Rowat has a baritone that could send anybody into another world and Sutton has a physical comedy trait similar to this years brilliant Tony winner Beth Leavel.It is the two of them that give the bogged down material life and make the show a splendid theatrical work in progress.

Director Dennis Garnhum does an admirable job with many little moments in the play, but on a whole one continually wonders when the show will be over, and that's never a good sign.But when all is said and done, this is a work in progress, and if progress can be made, "This Could Be Love" could be love after all!