[title of show]

There are ambitious Broadway musicals which use full orchestras, some a bit less so which use smaller bands and combos, and those which, for budget purposes one must assume, have just one or two instruments.

[title of show] is in the last category.  One keyboard.  Think of it as an indie film as opposed to a studio picture.  Some indies are great, and some studio movies are bombs, the difference being the amount of money spent in production which must include marquee stars salaries.  But aside from Hollywood’s regrettable practice of sequeling us to death and recycling formulaic scripts, if a studio has the bucks it can hire solid creative directors and talented writers.  They have a leg up if they choose to use it.

So what does all this have to do with [title of show]?  Well, indies have to be good to get by without production values.  Studios can razzle you and dazzle you so you don’t realize how thin they really are.  This play had neither the razzle nor the dazzle and was paper thin to boot.

The play ran 102 performances in a little less than three months, which seems about right.  In no category did it have the staying power which leads to word of mouth and ticket sales.

From the entrance of keyboardist Larry Pressgrove, the sole musician, there was a cult feeling among the audience.  Applause seemed sentimental, from fans who had likely seen the play before, somehow found something to like, and were sadly nostalgic that it was about to close.  I can’t explain that.  None of the songs grabbed me, and the story was, as i said, thin, as if streams of consciousness are interesting to observers with no connection to the streamers.  The actors play well enough, but the direction is minimal, the set is Spartan and there is no attempt at real lighting design. 

No matter.  Nothing would have helped this show run any longer than it did:  102 performances.  Not only am I surprised that it ran even this long, I am amazed that it made it to Broadway at all and won Obie awards for its off-Broadway run.  This gives hope to anyone of even meager talent that they could, themselves, someday get to Broadway.