When my wife and I left ‘Sunset,’ she said she didn’t like it much but she was glad we saw it, and I agreed. The show does not work, and the second act essentially repeats the first, but there is much to admire here — the score, the performers, the design. It’s a worthy and honorable failure.
Full disclosure: I too have been an LCT for many years, and strangely, I find that I’ve enjoyed many of the shows that have been critically drubbed. I’m not saying they’re great shows, but I enjoyed and am glad I saw ‘Women on the Verge..’, ‘A Free Man of Color,’ ‘Nantucket Sleigh Ride,’ and even ‘Four Baboons…’ The only LCT show I truly detested was ‘The Frogs’ … That was an unmitigated disaster to my mind. And, of course, when LCT hits a home run, as it often does, well, it’s great to be a member. But I admire LCT’s willingness to take a chance on a new, original musical, even as they produce sumptuous revivals that must help to sustain the operation.
I wish ‘Flying Over Sunset’ had been able to complete its scheduled run because despite its inarguable shortcomings, I think it deserved to. |
