Sunday, January 07, 2001
'Songs' hits right note
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Jackie Demaline
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The coming week was almost marked by a double opening of Jason
Robert
Brown's revue Songs for a New World. Middletown's Actor's Rep
canceled its
plans for a second stage production just before the new year,
leaving IF Theatre Collective to give the show its local semi-professional
debut.
What is Songs' attraction for edgy, young directors? It strikes a chord,
says Benjamin Mosse, 24, IF's artistic director.
“It's his thoughts
and feelings about coming to New York at 21 and
not knowing anybody, just having a dream.
“It's about moments
in the lives of young adults who embark on the
discovery, understanding and reconciliation of a strange, sometimes
daunting
new world.
“It's about those
moments of change in life, and surviving them and
moving on stronger. These are things that happen to everyone,
and the message
is essentially that it's going to be fine. Bear with life as
it happens, and
it's going to come out fine.”
Life certainly isn't turning out badly for Mr. Brown, who won a Tony
Award for Parade and has a string of new projects.
Songs, Mr. Mosse says, may be a musical, but it's also exactly the
kind of show IF wants to do. “We want to get inside people's heads and
tell their stories.”