“Songs of a New World”
Bold.
No, seriously, that’s the first word I thought of
when I tried to sit here and figure out where to begin- “Songs for a New
World” is a seriously ballsy show that takes a bunch of risks where it
could have chosen to play much safer. Director
Noah Reeves dresses his stage in newspaper print from top to bottom
with only four major pieces of furniture to tell the small tales that
make up the whole of the show- it’s minimalism that carries a bold
statement- it’s small but it’s everything. It’s and
the newsprint reflects the vastness of what the show wants to
accomplish. And when the music begins, we are immediately struck with
the next risky venture- the cast moves forward without the aid of
microphones.
And it caught me off guard.
“Songs For a New World” is a musical piece of
performance art where the cast (2 men, 2 women) take on various roles
representing people who have come to a moment of decision in their
lives. Whether it comes to love, finance, liberty, war,
or the dreams of a High School Basketball player; each of the
characters represented are caught in a moment in their lives where one
decision could mean the world. And the vocal pieces here are difficult,
with challenging pitches and word play. And all four
performers step on the stage without the aid of a microphone so these
pieces need to be loud in the near 80 seat capacity theater- they need
to sing loudly enough to match the accompaniment. They need to project
their voices so everyone can hear them- and
as I sat near the back of the theater, I was immediately aware of the
challenge facing these performers.
And it works.
The four actors had chemistry with one another and
there was a sense of support for one another as they represented the
many tales being told- each of them remained present in the moment, even
if they were not the focus of attention. I
was really impressed with these performances and these vocalists.
4 out of 5.
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