Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Logo of The Spectrum
Thursday, March 28, 2024
The independent student publication of The University at Buffalo, since 1950

50 Ways to Bury the Plot

Sometimes the fault of a show doesn't lie with its actors and musicians in the actual performance, but rather with the writers and directors who try too hard to give their story a complex meaning.

The brainchild of Randall Kramer, Jon Lehrer, Jason Bravo and John Fredo, Something So Right made its world premier last Saturday at the Center for the Arts.

Based on the songs of Paul Simon and billed as a music, dance, and theater collaboration between LehrerDance, MusicalFare Theater, and UB Center for the Arts, the show revolved around a loose conceptual plot line.

Opening with a cryptic spoken word passage by The Guide (Jason Bravo), the show quickly segued into a funeral scene. However, it's not until later that it becomes apparent if the funeral is for the main character, Frank (John Fredo), or his wife, Lorraine (Terrie George). In the presence of the casket, Fredo sings "Late in the Evening," as all around him dancers couple up, portraying moments in the life of a relationship. Creating a confused mix of song and dance sans any real plot direction, the show drops the audience into a world of guesswork.

With scarce actual acting, barely managing to fulfill the promised theater aspect, the first act is a highly confusing conglomeration of 12 songs that apparently tried to unsuccessfully chronicle Frank and Lorraine's relationship. With conflicting timelines and a muddled portrayal of events through dance, the convoluted plot line seemed to only be apparent to the actors and dancers. The creators either didn't want, or didn't have the ability, to let the audience in on the secret.

Four songs into the production, the show finally managed to elicit applause from the audience with "The Sound of Silence." Granted, this enthusiasm can mainly be attributed to the fact that it was the first real Paul Simon hit performed.

As the first act drew to a close, the plot slowly began to take on some semblance of coherence.

Act II has more coherence then its predecessor, swiftly moving Frank through his deep depression, culminating with "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and segueing into a last uplifting refrain of "Look at That." As the final lyrics finished echoing through the theater, the actors, if not the plot, somehow managed to receive a standing ovation from the viewers.

According to Kramer and Lehrer, the show is "all about love…[it] presents a relationship as it transitions from giddiness to isolation, from loss to discovery, from reality to fantasy."

That is all the show manages to convey, bare-bone ideas without any real content to back them up.

However, the musical talents of John Fredo manage to serve as the high point of the show. Singing for almost the entire duration of the play, his vocals brought a new life to the timeless lyrics of Simon.

Complimenting the efforts of Fredo was the choreography of Jon Lehrer, most notably during "The Sound of Silence." With dancing taking up the entirety of the show, the eight dancers from LehrerDance where pushed to the full extent of their skills.

For some, the plot wasn't of the upmost concern: just seeing a fresh take on the old tunes sufficed.

"It was a very interesting recombination of works seen in a way I haven't seen before," said Martha Bohm, 34, Buffalo.

If a tribute to the memory of Paul Simon's hey day was all that viewers were seeking, then Something So Right satisfied. If, however, one was looking to actually experience a deeper scheme behind the music and choreography, then they left the theater sorely disappointed.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com


Comments


Popular









Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2024 The Spectrum