Review: Truer Than Fiction

By Michael Block

The portrayal of LGBTQ characters in mainstream media is pretty consistent. They are either over sexualized, littered in stereotypes, or face dark plot lines. But why? In Jamie Jarrett's new musical Normativity, Jarrett tries to break the norm and rewrite our story.
As part of the 2016 New York Musical Festival, Normativity, with book and score by Jamie Jarrett, Charlie is trying to finish his latest novel. But when he is about to kill off his queer character Emily, she comes to life in hopes of changing the narrative. Now in the real world, Emily is forced into living life as a real person and finds herself falling for a young girl named Taylor. Meanwhile Charlie has a relationship on the rocks with his lover slash editor Anne, proving you should never mix work with pleasure. Normativity deserves praise thanks to Jarrett's passion to give inclusion and visibility to a community that deserves a place on stage. Jarrett has composed a solid modern pop rock score. But where Normativity needs some growth is through the book. Jarrett has set a strong goal with hopes of changing the narrative but the plot is slightly convoluted and needs to find a way to break free from the preachy tendencies. There's nothing audiences hate more than being told how to think. That being said, Jarrett has a solid foundation to work from. The book needs work. Whether it's by bringing a new book writer in, changing the plot, or working with a dramaturg, once Normativity gets a facelift, it will be something noteworthy. As it stands now, the text is like watching a Freeform (formally ABC Family) or MTV scripted series geared toward teens. If that's not the target demographic, the dialogue needs to shift away from clichés. The other journey Jarrett could take is deciding who the central character or prime plot line is. In its current form it shifts often. If it's Charlie the writer, his arc needs to have more cultural conflict. If it's Emily the character, she needs to see how this world she's unfamiliar is functions. If it's Taylor, which is likely the right choice, then the others need to alter her journey even more.

photo by Steve Riskind

The Normativity company is filled with vivacity and youthful tenacity. Leading the bunch is the remarkable Izzy Castaldi as Taylor. Her voice is uniquely perky that matches the character. She made what could have been a throwaway song in "Whatever" a moment, highlighting Jarrett's songwriting skill. Mitchell Winter lived in constant turmoil as Charlie. But that's how Charlie is written. There was very little time to see in process his choices forcing Winter to play the woeful card. Madline Wolf as Emily explores what it is to be young and naive. And it forced a scattered character, wavering from thought to thought. Vocally, she and Castaldi blended well.
Even with a giant playing space at the Pearl, Normativity looked sleek and purposeful. The floor treatment and subsequent locker piece from scenic designer Kristen Robinson were fascinating to the eye. It looked like it was inspired by Gotye's "Somebody I Used to Know" music video. With direction by Mia Walker, bold choices were made but some had lingering affects. The metaphor of ripping up the paper was smart. The remains of the paper from that part forward? Not so smart. Even with potential slips to be considered, it sadly just didn't look pleasing. Lighting designer Zach Blane proved his love of color, blasting the cyc with a different color all the time. I'm sure there was a method to his madness but it unfortunately felt arbitrary.
Normativity is an important idea that deserves a platform. Jamie Jarrett has some work cut out before it can be the musical with a lasting legacy. But it can certainly happen. And that's what's most exciting.

Review: Raul's Magical Memory Tour

By Michael Block

In order to move forward we have to remember the past. Our memories are with us forever, no matter how good or bad they were. In Jaime Lozano and Lauren Epsenhart's Children of Salt, a man returns to his home twenty years later to visit his grandmother. But before that can happen, he must come face to face with the past.
Inspired by a play by Hernan Galindo called Los Ninos de Sal, Children of Salt is a musical about memory. With music by Jaime Lozano and book and lyrics by Lauren Epsenhart, Raul comes to the beaches of Mexico after twenty years to visit his grandmother whose memory is decaying. The delayed visitation hits more roadblocks as he encounters people from his past. The plot very much makes Children of Salt a soap opera musicale. It's heightened drama. But book writer Epsenhart uses the memory device to tell Raul's story. Shifting from past to present, each encounter leads to an experience that changed the person Raul is. From his past love, Coral, to his best friend Jonas, Raul must face the past to accept the future. It’s a thin narrative but what keeps Children of Salt intriguing is the brilliant score by Lozano. It’s infectious. And the orchestrations are equally sensational, capturing the Latin flare. With a plethora of musical options, where Children of Salt needs some examining is through the book. Firstly, not every moment needed a song. It was exhausting and eliminated any element of surprise. Even though it’s based on a play, Epsenhart has room to explore.

photo by Russ Rowland

Character relationships could use a little more clarity, especially with Jonas, Coral, and Marina. To help that, perhaps cutting Camaron and his sister will make room for cleaner character building in other places. While they both are interesting stories, they don’t inform Raul's journey as much as the others do.
There’s no doubt that Mauricio Martinez is a superstar. Why he’s not an international household name is surprising. Martinez carried the show on his shoulders as Raul. He was a heartthrob with tenacity. Barrie Linberg as Coral has a dazzling voice and a stunning presence. Who the character was? Linberg tried to find something beyond the romantic interest. When we did see Martinez and Linberg together, there was innate chemistry. Relegated to backdrop plot, April Ortiz as Marina didn’t get to much opportunity to showcase her powerhouse vocals. But when she did, Children of Salt lived. As Angel, Joshua Cruz walked out on stage in a cowboy hat and managed to not break character. He was the antagonist of the story and a walking stereotype for bad ideas. His presence was strong but the character needed even more of charisma in the memory world.
Jose Zayas did a phenomenal job realizing his ideas. The concept was consistent. Was it the strongest for this story? Likely not. But when gifted a story that jumps in time, insisting that a vocabulary is constant is crucial for the audience. You just wish it was a bit cleaner. Scenic designer Arnulfo Maldonado allowed the audience to imagine the white sandy beaches of Mexico by simply dropping a carpet resembling sand, some rocks, and a long dock, on the Pearl Theatre stage and calling it enough. And it was enough. Lighting designer Zach Blane cleverly allowed the warm colors to play a dominating role in his design. Raul Ozuna dressed his company in linens and khakis and light colors that was evocative of the locale. Even though there was no wind, you could imagine the wind blowing through the fabrics. Where Ozuna and Zayas did struggle was finding a way to help the buddy quartet believably play kids. While the conceit would be different, maybe it would have been smarter to have four kids for the first few scenes. Some of those outfits were so ill-fitting that it was laughable, ruining the mood. The true hero of the creative team was choreographer Stephanie Klemons. Talk about utilizing the space! Klemons allowed her actors to move naturally while incorporating cultural dance styles. It lifted the music from good to great.
Children of Salt may not be an entirely original story but it’s one that shows much promise. Allowing it to stand on its own will be of great aid to Lauren Epsenhart and Jaime Lozano.