[NEohioPAL] Review of "Bklyn: The Musical" at Porthouse Theatre

[Bob Abelman]

Porthouse talent rises above mediocre musical ‘Bklyn’



Bob Abelman

Cleveland Jewish News, The News Herald, The Morning Journal



While sitting in your seat in Porthouse Theatre’s outdoor amphitheater, it is likely that “Bklyn: The Musical” will seem particularly familiar.  It is not because the show is tapping universal truths, resonating with social relevance, or conjuring commonly held slice-of-life scenarios, which it doesn’t.  It’s just that the work – written by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson, and first staged in 2003 – is astoundingly unoriginal.  

If you’ve read “Oliver Twist,” seen a production of “Annie,” or watched the film “August Rush,” then “Bkyln’s” core story about an orphan coming of age and seeking a long-lost parent believed to be alive will ring a bell.  Its plot revolves around a young Parisian singer who was raised in a convent and, recalling an unfinished lullaby written by her Brooklyn-born father, crosses the ocean in pursuit of the man she has never known.  The show is grounded in so many recognizable tropes that every twist and turn is predictable. 

If you’ve seen “Dreamgirls” or any one of the 19 seasons of “American Idol,” then you’ll certainly recognize the frequent R&B-flavored anthems and the high decibel, note-holding belting being performed on this stage.  High risk/high reward vocal calisthenics are called for so early and often in this musical that one quickly takes for granted the immense skill and effort they require. 

The story is served up as a highly implausible, frequently schmaltzy, modern-day fairytale as told by the troupe of homeless street performers who amble onto the stage to earn some loose change.  But the show’s infusion of staggeringly saccharine ballads and the beatific depiction of the central characters – particularly the troupe’s leader who also serves as the show’s narrator and calls himself the “Magic Man” – fail to find the heart required to drive this form of storytelling. 

Porthouse’s Eric van Baars’ well-intended direction and always interesting but constrained choreography – clearly impacted by COVID-19 restrictions – does little to bring out the sorely needed magical realism encoded into “Bkyln’s” script and score.  The same can be said for Cynthia R. Stillings’ no-frills lighting design.  But it is better embraced in scenic designer Ben Needham’s romanticized rendition of urban squalor.  It features a stand-alone, center stage section of street corner complete with a graffiti-covered wall, chain link fence, assorted trash cans from which props are pulled, and a functional traffic light.  Costume designer Suwatana (Pla) Rockland is similarly inspired but, with COVID-19 regulations prohibiting close-quarter costume changes, she is limited in what she can add to this production.  

So, not a great musical or particularly compelling staging.  Fortunately, Baars has pulled together a seven-member cast that is remarkable.  Watching them perform is the reason to see this show.



For more of this review, go to:  https://www.news-herald.com/things-to-do/porthouse-talent-rises-above-mediocre-musical-bklyn-the-musical-theater-review/article_f90863c4-e4c7-11eb-9252-8baa33d6ac3b.html
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