New York Musical Theatre Festival presents

WEARING BLACK

311 West 43rd St. Third Floor
NY NY 10036

7, 10, 11, 13, 15 July

Book, Music and Lyrics by Riley Thomas
Directed by Jeremy Scott Lapp

Featuring Devin Ilaw, Erin Maya, BJ Gruber, Hayley Anna Norris, Alexis Field, Kevin Schuering and Mark Coffin

When Evan’s twin brother dies of a drug overdose, the emotional wreckage he leaves behind starts to destroy everyone who loved him in Riley Thomas’ dark musical WEARING BLACK. The show opens with a lovely, slow-building ballad that nicely introduces the characters, although the vocal blend was a little uneven.

The simple, multipurpose set is well used, but lighting was muddy and did not cover the whole area in which the actors were placed. It is not apparent why in that small space it was necessary to use body mics. It was incredibly distracting when they were taking off their clothes and all you noticed was the mic pack and cord. There was also a lot of head touching that had to be hesitant so as not to disturb the mics. Credited in the program was Fight Choreographer and Intimacy Specialist Andrew Kenneth Moss. That is the first time I’ve heard of an Intimacy Specialist, but he should have insisted on either leaving their clothes on or getting rid of the mics!

The cast all have strong voices, but there were two swings on in the performance I saw (as Evan and Alyssa), so that may be why the blend and timing were sometimes a little off. Neither the music nor the lyrics were exceptional, and except for one delightful engagement scene, the show is unrelentingly grim. It could definitely use a little more lightness, not only to relieve the emotional darkness, but to understand why these characters all care for each other in the first place.

- Jean Tait -