Songbook – January 2018 (1/29/2018)

Featuring the songs of Alex Koceja, lyrics, and Michael Uselmann, music

These two guys were arbitrarily paired together at the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Things clicked and they’ve been collaborating (though not exclusively, I think) since. Monday night’s program consisted of six songs from Heist, three from The Wyndameres, one from an untitled musical, and two stand-alone songs. The featured vocalists were Jensen Clifford, Mia Gerachis,
Moira Hammel, Gwynne Richmond, and John Shapiro, with an uncredited accompanist/music director and both Mr. Koceja and Mr. Uselmann stepping into backup vocal roles as well as (Mr. Koceja) on guitar.

Heist, which was the 90-minute thesis musical of our featured pair, had two con men planning to steal (actually swap out) a fabulous diamond necklace during the opening night performance of the 1950s show-within-a-show musical—all right, I’ll just stop there and get right to the music. One Last Job had a nice, jazzy Tin Pan Alley feel to it as performed by Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Clifford. A three-song medley from the show-within-a-show followed. Three Card Monte, sung by all five vocalists, was an up tempo description of the con and deception of the aptly named song. Don’t Bet on It had all of the hallmarks of a traditional musical theater song, in a good way. You Walked Away was the equivalent of a male torch song.

Which Is Me (we’re back into Heist, now) was a classic angst song—I’m torn between the real me and the me I want to be. Grounds for Dismissal was a bit of an in joke, as it was a list song presented by the dance captain/Equity representative of the musical Heist. All of the songs from Heist were good and showed a solid grasp of traditional musical theater writing.

The Wyndameres, set in 1929, also had a relatively convoluted plot, dealing with a linguist, Lorgnetta Wyndamere, who mysteriously disappears; one of her prize pupils, who has to sing and speak with a speech impediment; and the linguist’s family members, who are essentially hangers on and worried about funds once she goes missing. The Record Song has Lorgnetta’s brother listening to hundreds of recordings made by her and her pupil, hoping to find clues to her disappearance. There is some clever use of language throughout. Fanks to You is sung by the pupil, Elizabeth, to comfort Lorgnetta, who has just learned that she is dying (from what, I forget). It’s somewhat humorous, but it’s hard to know whether it’s OK to laugh at someone with a speech impediment. Poor Forlorn Lorgnetta is a valse triste sung, madrigal style, recalling Lorgnetta fondly while attending her funeral. As I said, complicated.

Devil Green Eyes is a confession—literally. A woman is in the confessional fantasizing about the priest’s green eyes, which is all she can see of him. Slightly awkward again, laughing about religion. Maybe it will play better within the context of the show, whenever it gets completed.

I Love You Me has a verse and then a chorus with a slight Latin rhythm and explores the real me theme again. One Death at a Time shows how progress can move slowly forward—as science progresses, the flat earth people become fewer and fewer, One Death at a Time. When the older folks were against women’s suffrage, and later black suffrage—well, there are fewer of them too, One Death at a Time. It’s an interesting concept portrayed in folk song–esque fashion.

I liked the writing and all of the performers though my socks were never knocked off. The craft is good; I just think Mr. Koceja and Mr. Uselmann need to grow into it and find their unique voices. I think they’re headed in the right direction.

ConcertMeister