CurtainUp
The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
Annotated Listings
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CurtainUp The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
Annotated Listings |
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A CurtainUp Review
Neurosis
Frank is an aspiring magician who has trouble advancing his career or even keeping his job in a magic shop. He has problems with self-esteem (he hasn't got much), with sex (he hasn't had any in four years) and, of course, with his mother (he has one, and that's more than enough). Abby is a successful career women who tends to pick loser boyfriends. She has finally decided what she really need is a Jewish boy who'll "treat me like a temple/And when I'm feeling blue/He'll know how to console me/Cause Jews have suffered too." Inevitably, Frank and Abby meet at a hotel where Abby has had a meeting with a client and Frank is attending the Legends of Magic gala. Unfortunately, they've both brought along their constant companions: Frank's Neurosis (Brennan Caldwell) and Abby's Neurosalina (Morgan Weed), who like renegade imaginary friends, keep reminding them of everything that will go wrong. In fact, it isn't until much later, when Abby finds out Frank is Jewish, that sparks begin to fly. But Jewish men come with Jewish mothers, and Frank's, a shrew named Geri (Susan J. Jacks), is a doozie. In "Meet-The-Parents-Tango," one of the show's most successful numbers, despite the efforts of Frank's father, Kenny (Joel Blum), Geri manages to turn the sparks into dying embers. In the meantime, Frank is seeing a psychiatrist named Samantha (Lacretta), who helps neither Frank nor the plot. She might be totally superfluous if not for the fact that Lacretta has a dynamite voice. Director Andy Sandberg keeps the play moving smoothly through its many scene shifts. The actors have loads of energy and powerful voices. The music is upbeat (although the songs are so indistinguishable from one another it's easy to confuse reprises with new songs). And the lyrics are often quite clever. All of this makes Neurosis very enjoyable but does not compensate for the lack of character and plot development. Simon's men and women were three-dimensional people with problems we could all recognize. The characters in Neurosis have more of a cardboard quality and their problems are too easily solved.
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Search CurtainUp in the box below PRODUCTION NOTES Neurosis: : A Musical That Gets in Your Head : A Musical That Gets in Your Head Directed by Andy Sandberg Cast: Jennifer Blood (Abby), Joel Blum (Kenny), Brennan Caldwell (Neurosis), Susan J. Jacks (Geri), Lacretta (Samantha), Ian Michael Stewart (Kurt/Larry/Others)Morgan Weed (Neurosalina), Kevin Zak (Frank) Scenic Design: Charlie Corcoran Costume Design: Michael McDonald Lighting Design: Jake DeGroot Sound Design: David Sanderson Arrangements and Orchestrations: Ben Green Production Stage Manager: Gregory Fletcher Running time: 2 hours with one intermission DR2 101 East 15th Street From 8/24/18;opening 8/27/18; closing 10/20/18 Reviewed by Paulanne Simmons Aug. 29, 2018 REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "'copy"' or"'CTRL+C"'
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