Reviewed by Jeanne Hartman
In
iGhost a new musical at the Lyric
Theatre in Los Angeles, a young woman from Idaho faces ghosts that sing and can
surf the internet but the bigger story is the fight for love and identity in
this world and the next. A musical
needs a story big enough and strong enough to bring music out of the mouths of
the characters.
iGhost does exactly that.
This
is a musical that makes the audience laugh and weep and feel satisfied at the
end of the evening, especially when the final song makes one cry, which it did
for this audience member.
The story for this musical is inspired by Oscar
Wilde’s
The Canterville Ghost.
Composer, Adryan Russ and lyricist, Doug Haverty have taken this short story and
created a musical event that has the potential for a Broadway type of
production.
In this instance however, the story is told in
a small theatre in Hollywood on a small limited stage.
This however did not prevent the actors /
singers from bringing their “A” game to the performance.
The leading female role Virginia is played
beautifully by Rebecca Johnson.
Her voice soars in each song whether a solo,
duet or an ensemble.
The role of Virginia is infused with humor
that requires comedic timing, which Ms. Johnson handles deftly.
Trevor, the young leading man, is played brilliantly
by Zachary Ford.
He has the face of a young Jack Gilford and
the quirky charm of Gene Wilder.
He combines the awkwardness of the young Duke
with the charm of a young man smitten with a girl who speaks her mind.
Paul Zegler and Bonnie Snyder, who play Mr. And Mrs.
Umney, the servant couple, totally charm everyone who is watching them, with how
comfortable they are in their own skin and their unspoken loyalty and love for
the young Duke.
The ensemble plays the numerous characters
needed to tell a story that is big enough for a musical. This cast of characters
frames the story with talent, charm and love of the story.
The leading ghosts are, Simon played by Peter Welkin
and Lucinda, portrayed by Dorrie Braun.
The challenge for these veteran actors is to
play ghosts -obviously.
They both have beautiful singing voices but
the challenge of creating their ghostly characters still requires some more
exploration.
They do however, create sympathetic characters
lost in the world of the afterlife, lingering in the castle, each unable to see
or hear each other.
The duet, “If That’s Not Love,” with Virginia, the
young woman, and Lucinda, the female ghost, was especially touching and poignant
and the final number, “Anything Is Possible,” is worthy of any major musical
finale.
Given the limitations of the stage, both the cast and
the director, Jules Aaron, have created an evening in the theater that allows
everyone to share in the desire that love can cross over into the beyond.
Yes the big beyond!!!
The songs emphasize the huge emotions that cause the
trouble and that help find the solution. As in any true musical the music and
lyrics in
iGhost drive
the story to the finale.
This reviewer looks forward to a performance of
iGhost
where the production is able to add the special effects that will add to the
ghostly charm that this story brings to the production.
This production is part of a festival of musical
theatre performances.
To see the other performances go to
www.PlayWorksMusic.com
and
www.Lafestival.org.
You can also get more information about this
performance at
www.LyricTheatreLA.com.
Go see this production at the Lyric Theatre.
Bring your imagination and your ability to see
past the limitations of the production values and allow your creative eyes and
mind to see what this musical can become.
The music and the performance by these artists
make that very easy.
Contributing writer JEANNE HARTMAN, the Actors
Detective, coaches
professional actors in
Her book, The Right Questions for Actors,
is written in an inter-active book style that supports actors. Veteran actors
call it their “new Bible” when it comes to preparing for auditions.
It is available at her website and on Amazon.
Her studies at the