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35MM: A Musical Exhibition
4 stars (Out of 5)
Stage 36, ArtsHub Ortona, 9722 102 St.
I’m just going to get my biggest criticism out of the way off the top: I don’t particularly care for the concept of 35MM. It’s novel, but didn’t land for me.
The 2012 musical (or song cycle) was created by Ryan Scott Oliver, inspired by his partner Matthew Murphy’s photographs. There’s no real throughline.
And, as the production projected the images on a big screen in the cavernous ArtsHub space, I spent a lot of time trying to link the images to the songs. Some work really well, as with the songs On Monday and Hemming & Hawing. Others, such as The Party Goes With You and Leave Luanne felt disconnected from the photographic inspiration. In my opinion, anyway.
So it’s a good thing the performers — Matthew Gregg, Corben Kushneryk, Layne Labbe, Damon Pitcher and Mackenzie Tennessen — are such strong, dynamic singers. They navigated the various styles of the production with ease.
Labbe, especially, brought the angst of young love to life during On Monday, and Kushneryk hilariously depicted the horrors of nannying for a terror child named Caralee.
The show, directed by Jim Guedo, made great use of the space, and allowed a chance for all the performers to be seen and heard by the audience, and the band, under the direction of Steven Greenfield, gave the singers energetic and emotive accompaniment.
There were some minor moments where the music overpowered the singers, or they were singing too quickly to be understood.
But these are minor quibbles, as the songs really did carry the day, which is reason enough to venture off the main Fringe site to what is quite a unique venue.