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My e-mailbag recently contained a note from a young composer — an ardent reader of this column, he said — urging me to listen to the new CD of a not-quite-off-Broadway musical he wrote. This is a not uncommon occurrence; as usual, I replied that my column space was limited (which it is) but that I would try to get around to it. The fact is, the press agent for the recording had a week earlier also urged me to listen to it; not simply because he was representing it, but because he himself loved it. So I already had it near the top of the stack.
I listened to the CD, which — I'm afraid — hurt my ears. If you know what I mean. This composer has some very good ideas, I think, and his lyrics contained provocative and intelligent images; but the music was loud and abrasive, so much so that I decided not to review it. (A review would have meant listening to it another couple of times.) I have a hunch that this fellow might well be talented; perhaps the harsh style of the music was dictated by the subject matter of his show, which I didn't see during its brief run. I will certainly give him another chance the next time 'round, but this particular musical is not one that I can recommend.
Immediately thereafter — like the next day — came another e-mail from another young composer. Urging me to listen to his cast album, adding that as a longtime reader he was sure I would like it. I gave him the same answer and trepidatiously — if that be a word — dropped the CD into my computer. It turns out, the guy was right.
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Noah Weisberg |
Who this Barry Wyner was, I didn't know. A BMI Workshop writer, he won both the Jerry Bock and Richard Rodgers Awards for Calvin Berger. (Bock and Rodgers are good company, seems to me, for a budding composer.) He also won the Kleban Prize. So, I suppose it is fair to say that his work had already attracted attention, at least in some circles. It didn't take me long to discover what the Bock and Rodgers and Kleban administrators already knew.
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Krystal Joy Brown and Dana Steingold |
More impressive are the lyrics: funny, smart, and forever propelling the action along. And sly; Wyner keeps throwing in comments — Calvin is a musical-comedy rendition of the loquacious Cyrano, after all — that add another layer to the already bountiful humor. Less Rostandish than Harnickish, but therein lies the charm.
The Ghostlight CD features the cast from George Street. Noah Weisberg leads things as Calvin; Krystal Joy Brown and David Hull play the pretty lovers; and Dana Steingold is the other girl, Bret. Weisberg and Steingold are especially refreshing, perhaps because they have the best material. But the whole thing is refreshing, bubbly fun. Aron Accurso leads a five-piece band in Besterman's effective small orchestration.
From the scraps of dialogue included on the CD, it seems that the show has a snappy libretto (also by Wyner). While Calvin Berger is perhaps unlikely to find its way to a commercial run, it seems like a natural for stock & amateur groups. Especially those looking for a small, tuneful, contemporary musical with a youthful cast of characters and lots of laughter.
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(Steven Suskin is author of "Show Tunes" as well as "The Sound of Broadway Music: A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations," "Second Act Trouble," the "Broadway Yearbook" series and the "Opening Night on Broadway" books. He also pens Playbill.com's Book Shelf and DVD Shelf columns. He can be reached at [email protected].)