| A shambles. Apart from evoking nothing about New York in the late 1970s, scenically or sonically, THIS AIN"T NO DISCO is dramatically incoherent. There are seven principle characters ranging from insufferably ludicrous to barely there. They come and go, sing a lot--much of it inaudible--and yet it's entirely unclear what, really, is happening or is supposed to be happening. And what this show is about. Further, when the singing stops, everyone speaks, apropos of nothing, in painful ryhyming couplets. Both the director and the choreographer do what they can to juice this jive up, but the property is just a muddle; it brings everyone down. The Scissor Sisters might have been able to write a score for this period, but Trask is at a complete loss. His music--despite a couple of good songs--is largely generic and vague when it needs to be careful and specific. It's neither here (disco) nor there (punk). As is this facile, lazy show. |
