Review: FINN at Kennedy Center

With the holiday season now upon us, there are many theatrical viewing options. Many of them have a holiday theme, but for those of you that want something off the tinsel and caroling path, I am about to tell you about a world premiere commission musical that the Kennedy Center is running at this festive time of year.

This Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) presentation is called Finn and takes us under the sea for a musical swim with a very good message – just be yourself and don’t worry what others will think of you. The show is the creation of Chris Nee and the super spectacular and somewhat underrated songwriting team of Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond. The trio collaborated on the book, music, and lyrics.

The story takes us to the ocean floor where we meet Finn (Dylan Toms), a shark that just wants to be a fish, especially during the Jubilee, a celebratory dancing extravaganza. Unfortunately, as a hopeful recruit of the shark guard, run by his sister Aggie (Caelyn D. Williams), he is required to provide security with his fellow trainees. The guard consists of an over-the-top Roscoe (Deimoni Brewington), the ready-to-serve Lola (Jamie Goodson), and the “would rather eat everything in sight” Bruce (Ben Ribler).

When Finn meets Seasil (Kalen Robinson) a regal tang fish under the watchful tale of her Auntie (Kara-Tameika Watkins), things get a bit soggy as sharks are not meant to fraternize with fish. What follows is a story of staying true to yourself versus pretending to be someone else to satisfy family or friends.

I want to get two things out of the way before I start praising Finn. First off, I think the message the creators are trying to tell is an excellent one. However, I am questioning the age recommendation of age five and above. The underlying theme of the story might go over the heads of the youngest viewers, but they will enjoy all of the rainbow colors in You-Shin Chen’s set, E-Hui’s lighting, Anne- Closs Farley’s costumes, and Patrick W. Lord’s projections.

The second is something I probably would not have observed if I was not married to a person who stutters. One of the fish in the show stutters when he gets nervous. This perpetuates a false myth. The reasons people stutter are much more complex than that and playing stuttering as a simple physical manifestation of nerves – or for comedic effect – continues to be an issue in stage and screen. Also, the actor stutters the exact same number of times on the same consonant. This is highly unrealistic. Stuttering is not pretty, consistent, or predictable and should not be portrayed as such.

Now for all the swimmingly pleasing pluses. The score by Kooman, Dimond, and Nee really makes this show soar. From the opening number “Today’s The Day” and Finn’s song of wanting “Sparkle and Shine” to the show’s finale “Time to Be Me” the songs have a big Broadway feel that is infectious to be sure. Michael Kooman provides the dance arrangements and underscoring.

It also helps musically that the recorded track sounds like a real orchestra instead of 1990s midi sounds. Kudos to orchestrator/music producer August Eriksmoen for creating a track that makes me smile rather than cringe. Nathan Beary-Loughstein’s musical direction really brings out the beauty of the score.

While we are on the topic of what you hear in the show, let’s acknowledge the fantastic underwater soundscape designed by Justin Schmitz. I don’t know what he did to create it but trust me, you should take note as you are watching.

Director Adrienne Campbell-Holt’s direction keeps even the fussiest theatregoers interested from beginning to end as does Billy Bustamante’s knockout choreography. The “At The Jubilee” number, in particular, is quite stunning.

Performance wise, the stand out is Dylan Toms’ performance as Finn. His demonstrated need and desire for acceptance really puts the show’s message front and center.

Other notable performances include Caelyn D. Willimas’ Aggie. With her “no nonsense from the Bronx” type attitude, you don’t want to mess with her.

I also very much enjoyed Kaelen Robinson’s Seasil. Her vocal feature “Can’t Keep It In” in a true highlight. It’s also a treat to see Kara-Tameika Watkins onstage at Kennedy Center in her TYA debut as Auntie. All I can say is, what took so long?

The shark guards Deimoni Brewington, Jamie Goodson, and Ben Ribler round out the cast and provide comic relief. I question if a few of the jokes about human feces are needed but maybe the younger set finds those kinds of things funny.

As the designers went to town with the amount of light, sound, and projection cues, special acknowledgement needs to be given to Production Stage Manager extraordinaire Becky Reed for calling an unsurprisingly flawless performance.

Overall, Finn is the best Kennedy Center World Premiere Commission I’ve seen in a long time. It basically has everything going for it. Take a deep dive into your seats in the Family Theater at Kennedy Center and say you saw a great new musical this holiday season.

Running Time: 65 minutes with no intermission.

Finn runs through December 22nd, 2024, in the Family Theater at Kennedy Center which is located at 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566.

Lead photo credit: The company of Kennedy Center's World Premiere Commission Musical Finn. Photo by Teresa Wood.

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