‘IN TRANSIT’ (left to right): Nicholas Ward, David Abeles, Margo Seibert & Moya Angela. Photo: Joan Marcus

IN TRANSIT
Book, music & lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan & Sara Wordsworth
Conceived with Gregory T. Christopher and Karla Lant
Directed & choreographed by Kathleen Marshall
Circle in the Square
235 West 50th Street
212-239-6202, www.InTransitBroadway.com

By David NouNou

In Transit has to be the most contrived musical of this year–or in many years. I can see where the creators came up with the idea that millions of people ride the subway every day; why not write an a cappella musical about it? It would be about New Yorkers seeing themselves riding the subways and how idyllically their lives get intertwined. Well, what they came up with was a germ of an idea–if I can even call it a germ at that–and riddled it full of clichés.

You have the actress who has been auditioning for 15 years and never got a part but works as a temp in an office. You have the gay couple who wants to get married but one of their mothers is a Texas religious zealot and he introduces his fiancée as a roommate. You have the West Coast girl who was a grad student and left it to come to New York to be with the boyfriend she just met, only to be dumped by him and now she’s running in marathons in order to forget him. You also have the Wall Street tycoon who lost his job, saved nothing and is in desperate need of funds. Also, there is the requisite nasty token-booth lady, the one empty subway car that reeks of stench due to a homeless man, and the ever-annoying delay announcements.

Now for most of us a subway ride is not a pleasant experience. What with crammed cars, pushing and shoving, people hogging two seats, constant delays, it’s an ordeal just to get from point A to point B, but we have to do it because we really don’t have much of a choice. However, the authors, in a delusional manner, figured that chance meetings, romances, altering one’s life can help you move forward with all the nice people you meet on a subway. What a crock.

What it has going for it are some wonderful voices by the entire cast. After all, they have to sing a cappella. Standouts include Moya Angela (who plays three different roles), Justin Guarini, Erin MacKay, Margo Seibert and James Snyder. Kathleen Marshall, the director/choreographer who can usually take dross and turn it into silk, in this case has kept it as dross. As if we haven’t been disappointed enough earlier this year–what a way to end the 2016 Broadway season on another sad note indeed.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 14, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on December 13, 2016

‘IN TRANSIT’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘IN TRANSIT’: Erin Mackey & company. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘IN TRANSIT’: Margo Seibert & James Snyder. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘IN TRANSIT’: Justin Guarini & Telly Leung. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘AMAZING GRACE’: Josh Young (center) and the cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

AMAZING GRACE
Book by Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron
Music and lyrics by Christopher Smith
Directed by Gabriel Barre
Choreography by Christopher Gattelli
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
(877-250-2929), http://www.amazinggracemusical.com/


By David NouNou

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be filthy rich? To have so much money that you can actually burn it? Well, if you see Amazing Grace, I guarantee you will get a sense of what it’s like to waste a lot of money (reportedly $16 million), both literally and figuratively.

I can only venture to say that no one on the production or the creative side has heard of such musicals as Scandalous or Leap of Faith and what their eventual outcome turned out to be. It’s truly “amazing” that there are still believers that would entrust millions of dollars to a novice song and book writer, Christopher Smith, a man who was once a policeman in Pennsylvania, had no training in writing any form of musical, and gave up his day job because he was inspired to write a musical about John Newton, the British slave trader and son of a captain of a slave ship, who in time became an abolitionist. John Newton ultimately found redemption and inspiration in writing the church hymn “Amazing Grace,” but the fact that this alone is the basis and title for a Broadway musical is absolutely mind numbing. If I had to bet on which of the two storylines had a better chance of success—the former about investing in a novice policeman and the arc of his story to write a musical—or the latter about John Newton, the wretch that was saved and wrote a hymn, I think you know which I would pick.

In all fairness to Amazing Grace, it is not dull like the dreary behemoth Dr. Zhivago from earlier this spring, or as sloppy as other religion-inspired musicals like Leap of Faith or Scandalous; those were aimless train wrecks that kept surprising you with their ineptness. However, there is a story here, be it ever so flimsy, but the saga is hackneyed, trite and full of clichés. There are no surprises here; piety oozes from every line. It is a musical “by the numbers,” you can anticipate what the scene is about, what will happen, what the song will imply, and you can second-guess the next scene before it takes place. Needless to say, one figures out the outcome of the show by Act I, Scene II.

John Newton (Josh Young) is a no-good English wastrel and son of a wealthy slave trader. His mother died at an early age and he has grown to rebel and resent his father, Captain Newton (Tom Hewitt). He has two people who believe in him: Thomas, his slave (the excellent Chuck Cooper) and his childhood sweetheart, Mary Catlett (Erin Mackey). At a slave auction that John runs behind his father’s back, both Abolitionists and Redcoats break up the proceedings. In the fray is Major Gray (Chris Hoch), who is smitten with Mary. On a drunken Christmas Eve, John is scuttled and sent on a slave ship to Africa by Major Gray, thus clearing the way to lure Mary away. Due to John’s surliness, his father doesn’t stop the proceedings and sends John to learn about the meaning of life the hard way. His trusted slave Thomas goes with him. Meanwhile, Mary, witnessing what goes on in the slave trades, joins the Abolitionists about the unfair treatment of the slaves. John’s slave ship is sunk off the coast of Africa and is captured by Princess Peyai (Harriet D. Foy) and gets treated by her the way he treated his slaves. Suddenly, a light bulb goes off and John sees the light and, as they say, the rest is history.

Mr. Smith, composer, lyricist and book writer, has set up his scenes and characters in the most predictable of fashions and given them message songs to sing about being “Truly Alive,” “I Still Believe” and seeing the light, all laden with piety. The intent may have been very sincere, but the results are stock scenes with stock characters in stock situations and are not aided at all by Gabriel Barre’s lackluster direction.

Josh Young, who gave a sterling performance in his Tony-nominated role of Judas in the 2012 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, has a fine tenor voice. Although he is the hero of the story, he doesn’t bring much to the scenes; he grouses and misbehaves in the beginning, sees his errors in the middle and finds salvation in the end. Oh, joy. Erin Mackay, who never gave up on John, is defiantly lovely throughout. Tom Hewitt redeems himself from his previous disaster, the Broadway musical adaptation of Dr. Zhivago; at least he can control his performance here. The best part of the show is Chuck Cooper, who always delivers a power-punch performance, this time as the slave Thomas/Pakuteh; as usual he’s imbued his character with dignity and grace, and his final scene is poignant indeed.

Since there are very few surprises to the storyline, I won’t do a spoiler alert. You’ll just have to sit through the show like I did to learn what the final song of the show is.

‘AMAZING GRACE’: (left to right) Stanley Bahorek, Harriett D. Foy, Tom Hewitt & Chris Hoch. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘AMAZING GRACE’: Erin Mackey & Laiona Michelle. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘Amazing Grace’: Chuck Cooper, Josh Young & company. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘Amazing Grace’: Laiona Michelle & Rachael Ferrera. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘AMAZING GRACE’: Erin Mackey & Josh Young. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘AMAZING GRACE’: Erin Mackey. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘AMAZING GRACE’: Josh Young. Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 22, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on July 21, 2015

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