Late in Cornelia Street, one of the characters given to Big Thought Statements (most of them) says something like "America is over, don't you think?" Coming from the British writer Simon Stephens, this feels a little like a threat and almost made me laugh.
It's a world premiere and I imagine they are working on it. The lack of an act I finale or act II opening number makes me wonder whether the intermission was added recently. The cast are giving it their absolute all and commit fully to the story, singing with distinction despite the score's sameness. Gisel Jimenez and Mary Beth Peil in particular are great, and the show comes more alive when a non-ballad arrives. Meandering inoffensively through a few musical motifs and about two dozen plotlines that maybe could have worked on Cheers if there were more jokes, the show feels as lost as a tourist in the West Village, but I guess the actors were good. |
