The original 1995 off-Broadway production of “Songs for a New World” ran for just 31⁄2 weeks and was met with a Variety review that called the show “more cabaret convention and piano bar posing than any one revue should have to withstand.”
Nevertheless, Jason Robert Brown’s first produced show persisted as a favorite for colleges and local theaters, despite its vocally demanding score. Sunnyvale Community Players (SCP) are taking it on in a production that opens Oct. 29.
The show has five performers who play multiple roles throughout the show but still have consistently developing character arcs . The abstract musical is a series of songs connected by the theme “the moment of decision.”
Brown, who went on to win Tony awards for Best Original Score for both “Parade” in 1999 and “The Bridges of Madison County” in 2014, has said that “Songs” is “about one moment. It’s about hitting the wall and having to make a choice or take a stand, or turn around and go back.”
“Songs” moves from the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship to a ledge 57 stories above Fifth Avenue. SCP cast members Ande Estrella, Ryan Liu, Hayley Lovgren, Daniel Lloyd Pias and Hayley Steele play characters that range from a young man who believes basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich comes true but does not end happily ever after.
“Each song is a powerful experience that takes us to that moment in life where suddenly everything changes, and then surviving in a new world,” said SCP Artistic Director Kevin Surace in a statement. “Given war, viruses and politics dividing people, this musical seems more relevant today than ever as we find our way in this strange new world.”
“Songs for a New World” is directed by Erica Wyman, who helmed SCP’s production of “Big Fish” last season. Christopher Hewitt is making his debut with the Sunnyvale company as the show’s vocal and music director.
“Songs for a New World” runs Oct. 29-Nov. 13 at the Sunnyvale Community Theater, 550 E. Remington Drive. Tickets are $38-$44 at www.sunnyvaleplayers.org or through the box office at 408-475-1198.
Source: www.mercurynews.com