[NEohioPAL]Berko review: SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD (Cain Park)

[Roy Berko]

CAIN PARK’S ‘SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD’ WOWS AUDIENCE

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	

"Hear my song--
 It'll help you believe in tomorrow
 Hear my song--
 It'll show you the way you can shine
 Hear my song--
 It was made for the time
 When you don't know where to go
 Listen to the song that I sing 
 You'll be fine"

These words set the tone for ‘SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD,’
now on stage at Cain Park.

TONY award winner Jason Robert Brown, the show’s
author, is one of a new breed of American musical
theatre conceivers.  The writer of the critical smash,
‘PARADE,’ is often compared to Stephen Sondheim
because of his stylish, clever, dramatic and often
funny lyrics and broad range of musical sounds.

‘SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD’ is not your “usual” musical
theatrical fare.  In fact, it defies classification. 
It has no plot, the songs do not fit a mold of sound,
the performers don’t consistently create a single
character, so it’s not a musical comedy or drama. 
It’s not a series of songs based on a theme, so it’s
not a musical review.  It is probably best described
as a “theatrical song cycle.”  

Brown says of his first work, “It’s about one moment. 
It’s about hitting the wall and having to make a
choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.” 
In the work, he transports the audience with musical
vignettes (there is not a spoken word in the entire
production) from a 1492 Spanish sailing ship, to a
woman on the ledge of a building threatening to commit
suicide, to a man caught in a corporate corruption
scandal, to a woman about to give birth, to the
horrors of war, to people at a school reunion, to a
couple about to reunite.  Each segment is a playlet in
itself.

First produced in 1995 the show ran for only 28
performances in New York.  That doesn’t mean it was a
flop.  That is the maximum performance run of shows at
the WPA Theatre.  It has since been performed by
hundreds of college and community theatres to
generally favorable reviews, depending on the cast.

There is no question about the quality of the Cain
Park cast.  The quartet can all sing.  Not just sing,
but sing very, very, very well.  They not only fit
their voices perfectly to every piece of music, they
dramatically interpret each song.  They sing meanings,
not just words.  They vary their facial and body
movements to fit the mood.  THIS IS PERFORMANCE AT
IT’S HIGHEST LEVEL!  They are well aided by music
director Nancy Maier and her fine band, Janiece
Kelley-Kiteley’s inventive choreography and Carol
Dunne’s “right on” directing.  

Except for the fact that the cast isn’t multi-ethnic,
which was the way the show was intended to be, there
isn’t a flaw in the production.  The lack of an
African American male performer lessens the effect of
a scene in which a young ghetto dweller shares his
dreams of escaping from his personal hell by using his
basketball skills.  And even that glitch, in the great
plan of things, doesn’t take the sheen off a wonderful
theatrical experience.

Mitch McCarrell (Man 1), Neal Mortimer (Man 2), Hannah
Laird (Woman 1) and Tracee Patterson (Woman 2) are
marvelous.

McCarrell, a Times Tribute Theatre Award winner for
his amazing portrayal in Cain Park’s ‘BAT BOY,’ has a
powerful voice, interprets songs well, dances with
ease, and lights up a stage.  His “On the Deck of a
Spanish Sailing Ship” portrays the proper angst and
yearning of the search for the unknown.  His “King of
the World” is a show stopper.  “Flying Home” was
mesmerizing.

Neal Mortimer also has a fine voice and acting skills.
 His “The World Was Dancing” was well interpreted as
was his duet, “I’d Give It All For You” with Hannah
Laird.

Laird has a big and well-pitched voice.  “I’m Not
Afraid of Anything” was sung with an edge of
vulnerability that perfectly fit the song.  

Multi Times Tributes Award winner Tracee Patterson did
what has come to be expected from her--she gave a
powerhouse performance.    In the perfectly
interpreted “Just One Step” she held a note so long
that the audience was gasping for breath.   She
emotionally tore up the audience with her rendition
of“The Flagmaker, 1775.”  


CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:   In this town where standing
ovations automatically follow every show, no matter
the quality, the audience’s jumping to their feet and
screaming praises finally meant something.  The Cain
Park version of ‘SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD’ is one of
those special evenings in the theatre.  The power of
this show are the performances.    YOU MUST SEE ‘SONGS
FOR A NEW WORLD!”

‘SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD’  runs through  August 14 in
the Little Theatre in Cain Park.  For tickets call
216-371-3000.  


Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.

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