A spaceship crashed in Manhattan last night.
You didn’t hear about it? I did. I was in the theatre that it hit.
That’s the back story of the off-Broadway musical Voca People playing now at New World Stages.
I hadn’t heard much about the show until Jimmy Fallon gave it a rave review. Then it seemed like everyone was talking about it.
The eight performers — residents of the planet Voca performing to gain ‘life energy’ for their spaceship so they can return home — act as alien as they appear. When they first walk on stage, they can’t even speak English; however, linking hands with an audience member quickly engages their ‘universal translator.’
Space age gimmicks aside, the vocals and harmonies of Voca People are — forgive me — out of this world. The entire act is a capella; they create every note with only their mouths and microphones. While I could have done without the narrative, the song selection, quality of performance and sheer energy made me an instant fan.
Seriously — they do a rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” that is worth the complete price of admission. And their interaction with audience members is an endearing combination of awkward and awesome.
So, if you’re near the theatre district and see a UFO…
Run towards the light.
Twice
I loved the movie Once.
So much that I boycotted the musical when it opened off-Broadway . The original stars weren’t in it — how could the musical compare?
My heart was closed.
Then the show moved to Broadway, and the TV commercials began. Yes, ‘guy’ and ‘girl’ were different, but their voices, the harmonies were as beautiful as the movie that inspired them. So I decided to give the show a shot.
Most importantly, every voice, every note was perfection. There were a lot of tears in the audience. (People were talking about it as they left the theatre, so it wasn’t just me.)
The only thud in the production — which occurred at the start of the play and made me sad — was the playwright’s need to ‘funny up’ the script, making the characters extreme stereotypes of themselves. This was especially true of ‘girl,’ who was a quirky, jokey one-liner, which was counter to her gentle spirit in the movie.
But once she and ‘guy’ began to sing, she softened and the music drove the show, as it did the movie.
And all was forgiven.
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Posted in Broadway, Commentary, Entertainment, Life, Movies, Music
Tagged books into movie, boycott, Broadway, Broadway theatre, commentary, creative lighting, entertainment, extreme stereotypes, harmonies, instruments, intermission, Irish bar, life, Manhattan, movie into musical, Movies, New York City, Off-Broadway, Once girl, Once guy, Once movie, Once musical, one-liner, orchestra pit, staging, tv commercial