"The Girl of the Golden West" at the New Ohio Theatre
“The Girl of the Golden West” Words and Direction by Jeremy Bloom Music and Additional Words by Catherine Brookman, Ellen O’Meara, and Joe White Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
What could possibly go wrong when a group of talented actors and musicians put together the world premiere of “a soulful new musical ode to the unexplored expanse of our nation’s forgotten periphery and the baffling potential of what might have been?” “The Girl of the Golden West,” described by the creative team as a musical based on “a play-turned-novel-turned-Puccini-extravaganza,” chronicles the story of the only female in the Gold Rush town of Cloudy Mountain, California. Intriguing concept!
Bringing this concept to the stage has limited success at the New Ohio Theatre/2012 Ice Factory Festival. In his 1785 poem “To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With A Plough,” Robert Burns penned his oft-quoted phrase, “The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men Gang aft agley.” What is agley (awry) in the production of “The Girl of the Golden West” is the inability of the audience to hear what is being said and sung on stage! Exposition is important in a musical like this: the audience must know who these characters are and why they all arrive at the Polka at the same time. It is essential to know the details of why Ramerrez is seeking revenge and why the Sherriff is jealous of the attention he gets from The Girl.
Starr Kwofie is easily heard and understood. Tom Hennes is barely audible, especially when the director has him facing away from the audience (which happens all too often). Catherine Brookman can also be easily heard and understood but when she sings duets or group numbers, her voice overpowers the others. It is puzzling how a group of musicians can pay so little attention to issues of volume and balance.
“The Girl of the Golden West” could be a significant piece of theatre and still might be if the sound issues are addressed. Additionally, when Brian Rady plays Nina, it would be more powerful if he just used the fan to indicate the switch to and from Nick. Using stereotypical gestures for Nina is trite and simply invites silly audience giggling. There was a lot of giggling and tittering at Wednesday’s performance. When the audience could hear a line or two, they decided to laugh.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 2012 Ice Factory Festival. I only wish I had better things to say about this ultimate offering in the series.
THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST
World premiere produced by Randy&Bloom and presented by the New Ohio Theatre/Ice Factory 2012. Words and direction by Jeremy Bloom; music and additional words by Catherine Brookman, Ellen O’Meara, and Joe White; additional music by Lucas Segall.
Featuring: Catherine Brookman (The Girl), Starr Kwofie (Sherriff Jack Rance), Tom Hennes (Johnson/Ramerrez), Ellen O’Meara (The Sydney Duck/Band), Brian Rady (Nick/Nina), Lucas Segall (Happy Haliday/Band), and Joe White (Handsome Charlie/Band).
Performances of “The Girl of the Golden West” continue through August 4. Performances are Wednesdays - Saturdays at 7pm. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students/seniors and can be purchased online at http://www.NewOhioTheatre.org or by calling SmartTix at 212-868-4444. For more information on the festival visit http://www.NewOhioTheatre.org, and for up-to-the-minute festival updates, join the conversation on Twitter, at @IceFactoryFest.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Thursday, August 2, 2012
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