April’s edition featured composer/lyricist Katie Thompson and sixteen of her compositions. Almost all of them had a rock component—some driving, some bluesy, some power, and some rock-tinged. In general, her lyrics were pretty good, although some of the humor was a bit heavy handed. While I liked her style, there was too much similarity for my taste.
She opened by singing “Gotta Get Better,” from the show she’s currently writing, Haunted. Three others from the show were presented, with “Sleeping in the Ground” my favorite of the bunch. She was able to wrangle some top-notch talent throughout. In the first set alone, there was a guy who is currently in Motown and a female swing from the Off-Broadway musical Heathers. Both performed very well.
Another set included five songs from R.R.R.E.D. A Secret Musical, apparently about redheads putting a halt to the earth being turned into a place with no redheads at all (I’m not making this up, you know!). Three of the titles are “The Rules,” “I’m Not Pregnant,” and “Redheaded Stepchild.” Why, yes, Ms. Thompson is a redhead. R.R.R.E.D. has seen productions in Los Angeles and NYC (at NYMF—New York Musical Theatre Festival). From the songs presented, it seems as though this show might have legs. One of the performers in this segment is getting ready to begin a new musical version of An American in Paris in Paris! The idea is for it to open on Broadway in 2015. But I digress.
One of the songs from Trunk Songs (songs written for other shows but not used in them—in this case, mostly from R.R.R.E.D.—or other occasions) was “Too Pretty,” which was a nicely written and performed waitress’ lament. In addition to writing for musicals, Ms. Thompson also composes stand-alone songs, some of which have made it onto three CDs. One of these songs, “My Heart,” was of interest to me because of the descriptive way words were used to portray various aspects of the singer’s heart without actually ever saying the words “my heart.” I found that to be rather clever.
For me, the most infectious humor came from the last piece on the program, “I Love New York,” which catalogued some of the frustrating, mind-numbing difficulties that are a part of this fair city—yet still we love it.
Ms. Thompson is definitely talented, and she has a knack for attracting very talented people who want to work with her. Without experiencing the book, or a more complete storyline, of her musicals, I can’t fairly assess how well they hang together. Maybe by hitting the highlights only there was a bit too much sameness. Maybe that’s tempered within the framework of a show. I’ll certainly keep her on my radar screen from time to time.
As usual, this series is a well-produced, effective square in the patchwork quilt that is new theater music and up-and-coming composers, lyricists, and performers.
ConcertMeister
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