![]() ![]() This technique works so well that it’s hard not to wish for a little more experimentation. The occasional use of fades to superimpose performers beside each other is as complicated as the editing gets. ![]() That said, Jennifer Ellis digs into its cabaret extravagance with such verve that it’s hard not to grin along.įilmed on-stage in the Calderwood Pavilion with video production design by Wesley Verge, Songs for a New World is shot in a straightforward manner with few fancy flourishes. It’s a funny sequence, but its connections to the play’s central themes are muddled, to say the least. Claus makes it clear to us that Santa is a lackluster husband. “Surabaya-Santa,” from the show’s second half, is an odd, Kurt Weill-inspired number where a dissatisfied Mrs. ![]() Some of the tunes are pleasant enough though they don’t leave a strong impression. These experiments are successful most of the time, but on occasion a song doesn’t quite measure up. Its assortment of songs reflect the effort of a skilled but inexperienced young artist trying out different musical styles and subjects in order to see which suit him best creatively. It is plain that Songs for a New World was devised early in Brown’s career. Victor Carrillo Tracey in the SpeakEasy Stage production of Songs for a New World. This detail puts the entire song in a new light, grounding its sense of yearning in the context of a Black Lives Matter world. Monroe, who is Black, wears a t-shirt that reads “Stop Killing Us” while performing the number. Director Paul Daigneault, however, builds on the tune’s emotional foundation to add a political point. Taken on its own, the song is a story of a man who is demanding to be released from a prison, to be set free and allowed to seek his true potential. “King of the World,” a memorable piece from the second half of the show, is performed with righteous fervor by Davron S. Many of the best songs are dramatically precise and specific, but Brown can handle more ambiguous territory as well. He makes us feel how deeply the character believes in himself, and by the end of the song we believe in him too. This character could come off as overly cocky in the wrong hands, but Mitchell grounds his confidence as a response to the rough upbringing he’s had to overcome. Mitchell as a teenage basketball player who’s determined to take the world by storm. Another highlight is “The Steam Train,” featuring Dwayne P. Both the structure of the tune and Duncan’s performance underline the situation’s tension and uncertainty it’s funny and frightening all at once. This song centers on a woman who’s fed up with her marriage to a wealthy and unfeeling man: she threatens to end it all by jumping off a skyscraper. The best songs are those that are inspired by a brilliant kernel of musical storytelling, such as “Just One Step,” a number performed with rapid-fire bravado by Laura Marie Duncan. The piece is usually staged with a cast of four, but the company’s nine-person ensemble adapts to its structure without a hitch. It also provides SpeakEasy the chance to put forward plenty of talented performers. The concept is nothing if not flexible: it gives Brown the freedom to explore different narrative devices and musical genres without being confined to a rigid narrative. Each musical number is animated by a sense of change and uncertainty they often depict people who are about to make a choice to cross a threshold into something different - a new way of living. Yet the songs aren’t so disconnected that it comes across as a revue. It’s not quite a musical play because it lacks recurring characters and a narrative through-line. Songs for a New World is a piece that’s difficult to categorize. The play grapples with the jumble of emotions prompted by the end of the pandemic while also serving as a potent reminder of what a joyful experience musical theater can be. We may not be quite there yet, but it feels as if we’re on the cusp of a return to the customary.SpeakEasy Stage’s production of a virtual version of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World fits our moment of transition perfectly. This is a relief especially for those who make a living in the arts after a year and a half of closed performance venues, many are itching for the chance to create and experience theater live and in person once again. With COVID-19 vaccination numbers rising and cases steadily dropping, it seems as if things might finally return to normal. L to R: Rebekah Rae Robles, Victor Carrillo Tracey, Alexander Tan, and Mikayla Myers in the SpeakEasy Stage production of Songs for a New World. A benefit production for the SpeakEasy Stage Company, streaming through June 8. Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown. Songs for a New World grapples with the jumble of emotions prompted by the end of the pandemic, while also serving as a potent reminder of what a joyful experience musical theater can be. ![]()
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