Review: OFF THE STREETS at Revolution Stage Company

It’s not often you get to see a new piece of work that not only has a profound message, but has fantastic music and talent to match. Tuesday night I did.

Off the Street is a musical written by Matthew Naylor & Jeanie Cunningham, book by Gary Powers, that is currently running at Revolution Stage Company. It’s about homelessness - which is not an easy subject to broach, so 90 minutes of a musical about those who have no shelter from the storm might seem like a lot - and it is, just not in the way you think. 

The music is beautiful, and has a driving beat. I was hit right in the solar plexus with the opening number, Beg for Money, a full frontal in-your-ears opener that grabs your attention and never lets go. It’s a great ensemble piece that sets expectations sky high, and keeps on soaring. 

It’s a tough sell, of course. Especially in the Greater Palm Springs demographic where songs like NIMBY, an acronym for “not in my backyard” bring home their point about where to house the homeless. Fantastic closer for Act I.

If you’re not open to self-reflection, go see Mamma Mia. But if you like thought-provoking theatre, this is for you. Its overall theme is how society has let down the homeless population in a big way. While they beg for money, the greedy politicians (personified by one comically villainous character) create roadblocks for housing and care while pocketing kickbacks and bribes. I know that doesn’t sound like a hoot and a holler, but the show is so good!

It deftly skewers the “powers that be” and society in general for a very good reason. This past summer, I interviewed Heather Vaikona of Lift to Rise, a local organization that assists with funding for the construction of affordable housing, and she said something profound, “we don’t have a money problem when it comes to homelessness, we have a values problem.” 

To prove that point, the audience runs into a few sketchy-looking people on the way to our seats. They stay on the periphery, just like on the streets. And just like on the streets the audience kinda avoided them. Brilliant bit of staging by Director Gary Powers. 

Our homeless characters each have a turn relating their reason for being on the street, not surprisingly none chose this life. Not Molly, or Lyla, Easy Jackson, Gunner nor Crash woke up one day and just chucked a good life away to live under the sweltering sun of the fictional town of Palm Sprinkles. (Oh yes, they go there.)

They are there because circumstances including war, drugs, and mental health are all part of our characters’ storied past. Here, in the street, they have built the family they seemingly lack, a unit with a matriarch who loves and cares for them, and they love Lyla in return. Since I brought her up, let’s talk about Lyla.

Jeanie Cunningham not only plays Lyla, she composed the music and lyrics with Matthew Naylor. There is a plot line about a queen in the show  that actually teases a few meanings, but the true queen was Cunningham’s voice and performance. She’s got a great vocal style and draws us in with This Dusty Place, then takes us to church in her duet, Here We Are with Ruby. Top notch job.

Steve Giboney’s Gunner gives us a great portrayal of a veteran suffering from PTSD, and tells us his story in Lost and Found. Although Isaac Gaeta-Tollette’s Easy Jackson was a little pitchy at times, when he’s on, he’s spot on. And his portrayal of an “overly sexualized” gay man whose parents sent him to conversion therapy is just as manic as it needs to be.

Joseph Portoles’ as Crash is dark and subtle and his performance of Needles is riveting. He matches Cunningham’s intensity, and the two share a very touching moment.

Last and certainly not least in the homeless Jeopardy category is Alisha Bates as Molly. I’m not sure how old Molly is supposed to be, but she is childlike in nature. When Bates opens her mouth and sings Climate Change is Real, you forget everything. Including asking yourself how this childlike creature even knows or cares about climate change. (You might ask yourself later, as I did.) But I’m not mad at it, and Cunningham must be thrilled to have that voice singing her music. Bates is young and has a stunning vocal range. I hope she makes it to Broadway.

Not on the streets are Ruby, played by Sonia Reavis, who can, and does, match Cunningham’s vocal power, and her friend Karen (Wendy Adele Evered), a caricature of all the Karens. Our politician, Tracy Grover Douglas, is basically a gay Snidely Whiplash and Brent Reis has a blast chewing every bit of the scenery vocally & physically with The Queen.

Director Powers also takes the stage as our provocateur and intrepid reporter, Dan Darling, who narrates the story (from a book Powers also wrote) that supports these incredible songs.

It’s hard to describe how I felt when I left the theatre after rising to my feet for curtain call when the ensemble ended with Off the Street. I knew I had seen an important play, and I absolutely got the message. Let me amend that, I felt the message. The songs aren’t the least bit preachy - they just reach you in the most palatable way: music with some rock & rhythm.

A quick note on professionalism: the supporting tracks took a smoke break right before the second act, and Matthew Naylor had to jump on the piano and play live. I barely noticed; that’s how good the music is.

I recall, now, how I felt the first time I heard Tapestry by Carole King. I knew it was very special. That’s how I feel about this show. 

I highly encourage you to see it. 

Get tickets at Revolution Stage Company 

611 S Palm Canyon Drive

November 18-21 

Cast and crew

Music and lyrics: Matthew Naylor & Jeanie Cunningham

Musical Direction: Jeanie Cunningham

Book: Gary Powers

Executive Producer: Dan Kerrigan

Director: Gary Powers

Keyboards: Matthew Naylor

Lights: Mariah Pryor

Makeup & Hair: Lynda Shaeps

Stage Manager: Gustavo Sanchez

Sound Design: Kelly Mcguire

Sound Tech: Alex Danson

Cast: 

Molly: Alisha Bates

Lyla: Jeanie Cunningham

Karen: Wendy Adele Evered

Easy Jackson: Isaac Gaeta-Tolllette

Gunner: Steve Giboney

Crash: Joseph Portoles

Dan Darling: Gary Powers

Ruby: Sonia Reavis

Tracy Grover Douglas: Brent Reis

Music

ACT I

Beg for Money - Company

This Dusty Place - Lyla

Shell Game Shuffle - Dan Darling

Needles - Crash

Eye Shed a Tear - Easy Jackson

Nimby - Company

ACT II

Lost and Found - Gunner

The Queen - Tracy Grover Douglass

Climate Change is Real - Molly

Here We Are - Ruby & Lyla

Off the Street - Lyla & Company

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