Review: SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD at Gloucester Stage

Songs For a New World

Music & Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, Original Orchestration by Brian Besterman & Jason Robert Brown, Directed by Robert Walsh; Music Director, Bethany Aiken; Sound Designer/ Associate Music Director, John David Eldridge; Choreographer, Sarah Hickler; Scenic Design, Jenna McFarland Lord; Costume Design, Charles Schoonmaker; Lighting Design, Russ Swift; Stage Manager, Marsha Smith

CAST (in alphabetical order): Jack Donahue, Nyah Jacklin, Chris Pittman, Barbara Walsh, Wendy Waring; Musicians: Ian Conway (bass), Adam Kiefer (percussion), Josh Goldman (drums)

Performances through August 27 at Gloucester Stage, 267 E. Main Street, Gloucester, MA; Box Office 978-281-4433 or www.gloucesterstage.com

Before Jason Robert Brown was three-time Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown, he was a 20-year old kid in New York City with a dream of writing a big Broadway musical. Thanks to a fortuitous collaboration with Daisy Prince (daughter of renowned theatrical producer/director Hal Prince), Brown parlayed a bunch of previously written songs into an inspiring song cycle which they staged Off-Broadway in 1995. Songs For a New World received critical acclaim and went on to be produced around the world, and the composer embarked on a career with a stellar resumé which includes Parade, The Last Five Years, Honeymoon in Vegas, and The Bridges of Madison County.

Gloucester Stage Company begins the second half of its 37th season with this intelligent musical blend of pop, jazz, funk, and gospel songs about the choices and decisions we all face in life. Each song is a mini-play about someone's journey, and often expresses hope for a good outcome, despite difficult circumstances. Brown's lyrics detail the stories and it requires a cast of actor-singers to convey them. Artistic Director Robert Walsh directs Tony Award-nominee Barbara Walsh, Broadway veterans Wendy Waring and Jack Donahue, Chris Pittman, and Nyah Macklin in a mix of solos, duets, and ensemble pieces. Their results vary in terms of acting the songs, but they seem to do better in the numbers that call for less movement and more focus on the vocals. Without a libretto to connect the songs, Director Walsh seems intent upon trying to substitute action, but it distracts from the impact oF Brown's meaningful lyrics.

Would that Walsh had shown more faith in a less-is-more aesthetic as he did with his cousin B. Walsh's poignant delivery of "Stars and the Moon," arguably one of the best songs in the cycle. Her considerable acting chops let the audience feel the character's regret with the life choice she made. Far from a one-trick pony, she invokes a Garbo-like accent and displays comedic skills as the disgruntled spouse of a certain red-suited globetrotter in "Surabaya-Santa." Waring embodies the character of another disgruntled wife-on-the-edge in "Just One Step." What these selections have in common is less than elaborate blocking and a distinct ability to "act" the song.

Making his GSC debut, Berklee College alum Pittman steps to the fore in the funkier songs, comfortably getting into the skin of a teenage basketball hopeful ("The SteamTrain"), while Donahue plays the crooner. In his solos, he fluidly traverses the stage to sing to each of the seating sections. Also debuting on this stage, Brandeis University undergrad Macklin makes a good impression in a lesser role, her soprano strong and, at times, fierce. In a trio with the other two women ("The Flagmaker, 1775"), Macklin stands out as the most full-throated. Music Director Bethany Aiken (piano) and her trio handle the varied genres with brio, although occasionally the singers would benefit from a little less volume coming from the musicians' upstage perch. Amplification notwithstanding, there are times when vocal strain is apparent (Waring, in particular, struggles), which is unnecessary in such an intimate space with close seating on three sides of the stage. Jason Robert Brown has a lot to say, but there's no need to shout.

Photo credit: Gary Ng (Nyah Macklin, Wendy Waring, Chris Pittman, Barbara Walsh, Jack Donahue)

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