The Fortress of Solitude @ The Public Theater @ The Newman Theater

The Public Theater bills itself as the “only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare and the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure.” As such, the theater takes more risks than more commercial theatres and this is readily apparent in the world premiere of The Fortress of Solitude, a new musical written by Itamar Moses, with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman, that bends reality and fantasy to tell a unconventional coming of age story of two boys growing up in Brooklyn in the late 1970s-and what happens after those boys are all grown up.

The Fortress of Solitude revolves around Dylan Ebdus (Adam Chanler-Berat), a boy whose parents move him into Gowanus, Brooklyn at a young age, because his mother Rachel (Kristen Sieh) feels that Brooklyn is where things were going to happen. At first, Dylan feels ostracized by being one of the only white boys on the block, he quickly develops a strong friendship with his neighbor, Mingus Rube (Kyle Beltran) after Rachel suddenly leaves her husband and son with no intention of coming back, unbeknownst to Dylan. Mingus’s father Barrett Rude Junior (Kevin Mambo) used to be a successful R&B singer, but now only sings back-up. Dylan and Mingus are close friends, playing and putting Mingus’s graffiti “tag” everywhere they can, until life and tragedy drive them apart.

The performances in general are top notch. Adam Chanler-Berat deftly leads the fairly large cast with his normal adorkable charm and flawless vocals. He nimbly ages Dylan from a young boy to a young man with subtlety, and showing all the emotional highs and lows skillfully. Kyle Beltran also shows an amazing journey from awkward child to a beaten-down young adult in a masterful way, reminiscent at times of Donald Glover in Community. The most vocally impressive was Kevin Mambo as Junior-his voice made my hair stand up, and hit amazing heights every time he sang a note, particular when he first shows off those tones in “Superman.” The ensemble is wonderful too, stepping in and out of multiple roles and vocal styles with ease. Particular praise goes to the Greek chorus, the Subtle Distinctions (Britton Smith, Akron Watson, and Juson Williams). The only slight misstep in the story was the characters of Dylan’s parents (Sieh & Ken Barnett), neither of who were really distinctive in the narrative, so the audience doesn’t really seem to care about them. Thematically it makes sense to have Rachel stick around in Dylan’s subconscious, particularly in a musical, but at times she seemed unnecessary and boring.

The music and lyrics by Michael Friedman, most know for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson are both contemporary and era appropriate mixes of emotion and passion. The music really drives the story on, as good musical theatre should do. No song particularly stands out, particularly since many blend together, making it hard to figure out where one ends and another began, but none are clunkers either. One particular lyric in “The One I Remember” sums up the music with the ine “Everyone’s singing a different song / But if they all sing together / it can’t be wrong.” And the mix of songs really does work well together, weaving in and out of Itmar Moses’s book, guided by the smooth and careful direction of Daniel Aukin.

Officially opening on October 22, The Fortress of Solitude is only running at the Public Theatre until November 2, so get your tickets now to see this fierce and awesome new musical.

Review By: Chrissy Cody

Photos By: Joan Marcus

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson @ Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

Move over traditional musical, indie rock is here to stay on Broadway. What RENT did for the village, Spring Awakening did for raging hormones, and Next to Normal did for a reversed Oedipus complex; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson takes the typical history lesson by the collar, and gives a big F.U. to political correctness, stuffy explanations, and pompous “just-the-facts” attitude. It is set ablaze with a powerful score, an electrifying cast, and a production that captures the ferocity and complexity that was our seventh president – Andrew Jackson.

Even with an unusually quiet audience for such a powerhouse of a musical, the energy of the entire company – band included – creamed the scene with power and passion with not just the book, but the sheer subject matter. Touchy subjects – such as mass genocide and the infamous Trail of Tears – were approached with pristine wit and tenderness, creating an unsettling and yet spot on discourse within the audience members. The cast and crew nailed the feel good and thoughtful musical with a balance of ease that made it appear effortless.

Alex Timbers and Michael Friedman have created, what one audience member jokingly remarked, “The No-fear-Shakespeare for the history books, but done right!” Their work was refreshing among the other dime a dozen revivals and movie-made-musicals that seem to be creeping into the Big White Way. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is the little patch of underground utopia that restores faith for the modern musical.

Benjamin Walker is a riot as Jackson, with his keen sense to capture the unruliness and internal struggle of a brilliantly mad man, he does not fall short of kicking ass and taking numbers as well as making you weep. On a scale of one to ten, he blazed through at a constant fifty, light up the stage with his voice, timing, and clarity of his role. Also, Maria Elena Ramirez’s role as Rachael (Jackson’s wife), was stunning. In her most poignant number “The Great Compromise,” the little woman gives her character a sharp turn from the comedy into tragedy with such grace and precision, giving further definition to her character. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson’s stellar cast is rounded out by the brilliant ensemble. Each member does a great job of portraying many different characters and even picking up an instrument or two to play with the band!

With the Bernard B. Jacob Theatre looking more like the interior of a bar – with the décor landing somewhere between an old fashioned tavern and an AC/DC concert – the generation gap of both era and genre made for a phenomenal combination. As stunning as the costumes were, continuing to stick to a westernized feel of today’s multi-layered look, there were several unnecessary costume changes among the chorus members; which did nothing to enhance the plot or scene, but more so to inflate the ego of the fashion gods. The lighting aspect was a stunning visual orgasm, as color changing neon tubes protruded from the stage, rippling on and off between numbers for the hard rock effect; while hundreds upon thousands of strings of lights glowed overhead – and over every space available for that matter – to create that old time feel of Southern comforts for the more somber numbers. Justin Townsend, lighting designer for this production, better take one hell of a bow for pulling off one magnanimous spectacle.

With the tired, but true saying, “history always repeats itself,” the message in this production is clear, keeping its audience members interested in more ways than one. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is a must see, if not for the reasons above, then for at least a really crazy guy, in some really tight jeans.

Review By: James Russo & Sarah Hogan-DePaul