“The Travels” at the New York Musical Theatre Festival at The Ford Foundation Studio Theatre (Closed on Saturday July 26, 2014)
“The Travels” at the New York Musical Theatre Festival at The Ford Foundation Studio Theatre (Closed on Saturday July 26, 2014) Music by Kelly Hoppenjans Lyrics by Aaron Ricciardi Directed by Travis Greisler Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited
Meet the Travels: Mr. Travel (J. Anthony Crane) ostensibly travels the globe with sidekick (and lover) Warren (Matthew Patrick Quinn) televising his adventures back to the United States. His broadcasts confirm that the USA is the best of the best and all other locations on the globe are the worst of the worst. France, for example, is terrible because of its bidets. Mrs. Travel (Luba Mason) is the June Cleaver-like stay-at-home mom who does her best to do what is right (rightness) and avoid what is wrong (wrongness) – the mantra of this futuristic Orwellian country (overseen by Mr. Ruler) that is no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave. Teeny Travel rounds out the Travels clan and just cannot seem to behave as her parents would hope. She has so many demerits (items of support) that she would be located to the Mill was she not one of the Travels. This is satire at its best.
“The Travels” – an epic play with songs – is currently running as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival and is an interesting trope (here an extended metaphor) for the loss and recovery of personal freedom. The Travels inhabit a futuristic America where hypocrisy has supplanted honesty, where indifference has conquered unconditional love, and where wrong and right have landed wrong side up. This is a world where even Consuela (Michelle Rios) wife of the President of Ecuador and her son Pinto (Jose Ramos) are no more than foreigners who may not speak their own language and are fit for either working at nail salons or being domestics in the homes of the 1%.
Under Travis Greisler’s tight direction, the ensemble cast excels at character development and making their characters believable enough to care about or relegate to the Mill. In addition to those mentioned, Jamie Bogyo is a delightful Adonis Perfect who buys into the sham of the Travels and is willing to betray anyone to maintain his inner order. And Leslie Alexander shines as Mrs. More the teacher who has only five children’s books to encourage deep thinking in her students.
The music and lyrics are pleasant and the songs move the plot forward with ease. One song, perhaps entitled “Little Lemmings” (no song list was provided), makes an unfortunate and cheap reference to the death of Natalie Wood and might be re-worked. This type of low-brow lyric is unnecessary in a product as sophisticated at “The Travels.”
Ultimately, at the hands of Pinto who notices Mr. Travel seems to be recording his world-wide travels on a nearby sound stage (“Why does Mr. Travel have two shadows?”), a revolution is mounted by Teeny Travel who “is mad as hell and can’t take it anymore.” Her declaration of revolution speech quotes not just Peter Finch in “Network” but a fusillade of quotes from all the movies she has been secretly watching. This is an epic tale where the women take the lead with heroic aplomb.
The premise of “The Travels” is refreshing, original, and solid; however, some of the execution of this delightful premise and some of the staging needs refinement and clarification. Some of the cast sit on the sidelines for long periods of time – perhaps there is a way to integrate them into scenes as “non-present” observers. “The Travels” is definitely worth the look now and, hopefully, in the future.
THE TRAVELS
“The Travels” is presented by The New York Musical Theatre Festival and Cohen Theatrical. Director: Travis Greisler; Musical Director: Assaf Gleizner; Scenic Design: Christopher Heilman; Costume Design: Mira Veikley; Lighting Design: KJ Hardy; Sound Design: John Emmet O’Brien; Production Stage Manager: Joshua Quinn; Press Representative: Joe Trentacosta/Spinger Associates).
The cast features Leslie Alexander, James Bogyo, J. Anthony Crane, Holland Mariah Grossman, Luba Mason, Matthew Patrick Quinn, Jose Ramos, and Michelle Rios . The band includes Assaf Gleizner (Conductor/Keyboards); Dan Glaude (Acoustic and electric Guitar); Ray Sullivan (Electric Bass); and Sam Wagner (Drums).
“The Travels” concluded performances on Saturday July 26th at 5:00 p.m. at The Ford Foundation Studio Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street, NYC 10036. Tickets: $25. For tickets, visit nymf.org. Direct ticketing link: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/935950. Runtime: 90 minutes with no intermission.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Saturday, July 26, 2014
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