February 13, 2015

ONE DAY, The Musical

LOCATION

3LD ART & TECHNOLOGY

80 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10006 (212) 645-0374

Oh, is ONE DAY, THE MUSICAL ever worth the trip way off the beaten Broadway path! MICHAEL SOTTILE, the Music/Lyric/Book writer and co-director who collaborated on over twenty Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, gathered the material for ONE DAY from reading true teenage journal entries and poetry over two decades. He combined their writing into non-linear vignettes that introduce us to the journey of eight teenagers as they face the inner struggles and thrilling triumphs from drug abuse to sexual awakening while discovering that no matter how different we might seem, there is a core in each of us that can be healed through openness and connection with others.

This is the first show I’ve been to in who knows how long? where I was moved by each song and I could make out every word of the lyrics. And each note the actors hit, each step of their electric dancing, (choreographed by co-director RAY LEEPER) is in synch with the characters’ emotions, their stories.

The space is bare, originally a sound studio, but lighting director, JASON LYONS, manages to transform the set with sometimes sultry, sometimes frenetic, sometimes celestial lighting that changes as fluidly as the moods of the teens.

Each actor/singer/dancer is encore-worthy. Watch for the hilarious expressions on HONEY RIBAR‘s face as she types and sings her fantasies while singing All I Want and then how she transforms herself into a demonic temptress who is willing to get her man, the astonishingly talented AARON SCHEFF, at any cost. You’ll be spellbound watching CHASE O’DONNELL‘s weirdly brilliant eyes as she takes you into the secret excitement of bulimics while belting out Tips & Tricks on How to Puke your Guts Out. BEN SHUMAN and CHARLOTTE MARY WEN, a couple in a relationship that won’t fly because of Ben’s trust issues, sing about it in a way that twists your kishkas (a good thing, believe me.) But some of their dialogue, through no fault of their own, is psychobabble, such as “We’re both reflections of each other.” MARCO RAMOS acts the part of a bullied gay youth in a way that would make a Skinhead say, “Oh, I get what he’s going through. Forgive me.” AUSTIN SCOTT will make you get out your Kleenex when he sings The Dream. NYSELI VEGA, ALIYA STUART, ANDY SPENCER, and BRENNA BLOOM also sparkle.

Video and projection designer ANDREW LAZAROW, created new dimensions. A lonely silhouette in a window, close-ups of a couple who was simultaneously being gossiped about by cell phone, and especially impressive, views of characters walking through corridors. What work of art about youth wouldn’t have social media, and thanks to Andrew, we get to read their tweets.

The musical begins previews Saturday, February 7, 2015, with an opening night of Thursday, February 19, 2015 and is scheduled to run through Sunday, March 1, 2015

For tickets, go to their website: http://www.onedaythemusical.com/