Reviewed 19th June 2013
Homemade Fusion is a song cycle, of sorts, by New York writers
Michael Kooman (music) and
Christopher Dimond (lyrics) but, without that information, it would be easy to think that it was one of the lesser works of
Jason Robert Brown, composer of
Songs for a New World. Then again, for decades so many composers sounded a lot like
Stephen Sondheim, so it is not all that surprising that a lot of newer composers are overly influenced by Brown.
What exactly this work is supposed to be leaves one wondering. It is not a piece of musical theatre, nor is it really a song cycle, in which the songs normally have a strong connection and, in spite of "cabaret style seating", it is certainly not cabaret. There is no story, or even a constant set of characters. It is simply a concert of an eclectic collection of unrelated songs, each looking at a moment in time in the lives of a string of disparate, and decidedly odd, people in their twenties.
The lively opening number, for the full cast, is
I Will Be Me, a statement of being true to one's self that is about as close to a theme as there is. Near the end comes another number,
Can't I Just Be, that suggests that this determination has failed. The cast all come together once again for the
Finale, but all of the other songs are for just one or two singers. One song,
Random Black Girl, was omitted from this performance for reasons of cultural sensitivity, although it has gained a high level of popularity through the recording on Youtube.
Rachel Rai, Claire McEvoy, Brady Lloyd, and David Salter are
The Four Singers for this performance, and they all know how to deliver comedy, many of the songs finding the laughs in highly inappropriate lifestyles and relationships. All four are also extremely talented singers, with individually distinctive voices, and who also have the ability to create a wide range of characters, or perhaps that should be caricatures, to suit each song.
The first four songs allowed each performer an opportunity to show their respective talents, before moving on to duets and more solos. Each proves conclusively that they really know how to sell a song, whether it be a poignant ballad or a risqué comic number.
The second number, after
I Will Be Me, bears the show's title,
Homemade Fusion, and David Salter presents an hilarious picture of a lonely single man, slumped in his chair, wearing a dressing gown, and watching the National Geographic channel on the TV, with a box of tissues within easy reach. Draw your own conclusions.
If you thought that you were a chocoholic, relax. Rachel Rai shows addiction at its ludicrously funny height as she sings about a chocolate bar called an
Oh Henry! When the sight of one in a vending machine drives you to org*sm, and you see the machine as a rival, you know that you have problems.
Brady Lloyd changes the mood completely with the gently humorous ballad,
Lucy's Laugh, telling how he adores it, but then admits it is hideous and, finally, comes back to acknowledging that he loves it and cannot live without her.
I Think that He Likes Me introduces Claire McEvoy as a girl who believes that she has read a couple of signals in the behaviour of a male friend, interprets them, expands upon them, and becomes increasingly excited by the imagined prospects for the future as she blows everything right out of proportion.
The comic songs are far and away the strongest, and certainly drew the most applause, as well as a few gaps of surprise amidst the laughter. The ballads are pleasant enough, but hardly memorable, and this is a problem with the writing, not the interpretations. It is the wonderful performances of the four enormously talented young artists that makes this production stand out, and stand out it does.
The success of this performance requires equally superb musicians and, fortunately, that is what it has, with Aa
Ron Nash, Piano/Musical Director, Luke Ciaramella, Guitar, Milush Piochaud, Bass Guitar, Matt Crago, Drums, and Seb Mansell, Cello, providing excellent, highly polished accompaniment.
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