Review: Emily Walton Gets Her Wish with I REALLY HOPE YOU ALL THINK THIS IS FUNNY at The Green Room 42

Although Emily Walton named her show I REALLY HOPE YOU ALL THINK THIS IS FUNNY, there was absolutely no chance, whatsoever, that any person seated in the theater at The Green Room 42 on February 6th would have thought otherwise. Ms. Walton, a singing actress currently appearing on Broadway in Come From Away, is not only is an extremely talented singer-songwriter, she is a hilarious one with a unique aesthetic and artistic voice. Performing seventy minutes of her original compositions, the merrily madcap young artist ran about the stage, playing instruments, singing songs, cutting up with her on-stage comrades, and, generally, having the time of her life in what often felt like a wild stream-of-consciousness house concert. It was like taking the voice of a Disney Princess and putting it into a manic comedic actor most easily described as Andrea Martin during her Second City era. It is a combination that is both irresistible and purposeful because many of Ms. Walton's songs make statements of social consciousness that make you feel like you are at a political rally, and on the right side of the argument, too. Just, actually, being in a room with Emily Walton makes you feel like you're on the right side, the right track, or just in the right place.

Ms. Walton, cute in her cheetah print turtleneck and Star Belly Sneetch topknot, is that person you meet at a party and find yourself hoping (almost desperately) that you will make a connection with so that you can languish in her joyful energy on a regular basis. She is immeasurably likable as a human being, a quality compounded by the artistry that she creates, singing songs that are relevant, astute, and uproarious. Sometimes it is tricky to tell whether or not there is a structure to a song that might feel like an improvised lyric lacking a rhyming scheme following conventional forms, and guess what - it's intentional. The out-of-the-ordinary way that Emily Walton (sometimes) writes her lyrics is almost exactly the way your voice talks to you, inside of your head when you are around other people, or out in the open, when you are at home alone. As she performs these melodically palatable compositions, Emily Walton's way with words makes the storytelling accessible, relatable, and completely connected to the people in her audience, people who could be seen nodding in agreement to "Song For A Friend," as Walton wonders why the friend in the story is so rude as to not reply to calls, messages, texts, and other forms of communication. Everyone know that feeling? Yeah, so does Emily Walton, and she captures it to perfection in her lyrics, including the profanity we all use when discussing those dubious friends in real-time. It's kind of genius in a casual, laid-back way, while Walton's "A Very Merry Christmas" speaks volumes about a bleak time in the history of America, the world, and (especially) The White House. Everyone on the same page? It's genius... and it's as entertaining as a person could hope a song about a very bad man becoming President could be. That's Emily Walton, and that's Emily Walton's songwriting track.

As for Ms. Walton herself, she could easily gather together a collection of songs that everyone already knows and perform them for her fans and followers. Her onstage personality (and, one suspects, off-stage, too) is fodder for elation, and although there are times when the clear purity of her voice is, as stated earlier, akin to that of a Disney princess, that voice is versatile enough to go in a variety of directions, from pop to musical theater, and she can certainly tell her own stories in the style of music that, best, suits her needs to greater effect. Why sing anyone else's songs, when there is authenticity available in the humorous "My Boyfriend is a Protester" or the heartbreaking "Here We Are" - the former informed by the Trump inauguration and the latter inspired by the pandemic, and even in its heartbreak, "Here We Are" will leave anyone laughing through Walton's depiction of the all-too-recent reality of our shared COVID experience. And the GR42 audience rarely did stop laughing.

Truly one of the gifted artists on the scene today, Emily Walton doesn't have to hope that people will find her songs or her performances funny - she can rest easy there because they are funny, she is funny. The songs are also smart, entertaining, and thought-provoking - especially her closing number, performed with close friend and fellow fabulous female, Lauren Marcus, and the wonderful Chiara Trentalange, a song titled "Dear Mr. Legislator" that says everything inside the head and heart of any person who cares about women, women's rights, and the injustice heaped upon women by the bigoted white men of Washington. It was the ideal song with which to end her supremely satisfying concert, a concert that deserves repeating and that this writer hopes will be granted additional showings because Emily Walton and her songs are the cure for the tough days of the week that we all face.

The cure is laughter - Emily Walton's specialty. It just happens to be mixed in with enjoyable music, impeccable performance skills, and lots, and lots of social consciousness.

The I REALLY HOPE YOU ALL THINK THIS IS FUNNY band was:

Musical Director and Keyboards - Eric Fotre Leach

Guitar - Adam Stoler

Bass - Max Calkin

Drums - Jed Feder

Backup vocals - Lauren Marcus and Chiara Trentalange

Find great shows to see at The Green Room 42 by visiting their website HERE.

THIS is the Emily Walton website.

Emily Walton gets a five out of five microphones rating for performing her entire show without the use of a lyric sheet, tablet, or music stand.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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