CROSSxROADS

CROSSxROADS
Music and Lyrics by Anthony Costanzo. Book by Peter Fitzpatrick. Directed by Tyran Parke.. Chapel off Chapel. April 16-30, 2016.

It’s a heady feeling to be at the World Premiere of a new musical - an Australian musical at that. The excitement in the foyer was palpable, and I was amongst the most excited. We theatre lovers and Musical Theatre Tragics all want to see a smash hit created here, but perhaps our expectations are too high, and our patience is wearing thin. However, even the most generous of theatre-goers may have been a little disappointed at the end result of CROSSxROADS after nearly four years in development. Don’t misunderstand, there are moments in CROSSxROADS where you see the unrealised potential and your heart soars and you think, ”Maybe, with a little more work….” And every single person in the audience WANTS this show to succeed.

The book is the problem (isn’t it always). With a very slight story and dialogue filled with cringeworthy clichés, it presents real problems for the future (if any) of the show. Despite that I was impressed by the level of performances and great voices. Our Musical Theatre artists are all so good, that it’s often hard to single anyone out.

Alinta Chidzey is a true triple threat with a great voice, great looks and an endearing quality on stage. But she’s also a spectacular dancer and so I was disappointed not to see that skill put to use. In fact I wondered why the production had brought the terrific Michael Ralph on board to choreograph, and then limited his skills to a short routine between the magical Bianca Baykara (who gets better with every show) and the impressive Ryan Gonzalez. It seemed to be a wasted opportunity. Still, Chidzey gave Amy an extra dimension that didn’t seem to be there in the writing, and she certainly nailed both of her first act numbers – ‘Amy’s Moving On’ (though I didn’t believe she is the kind of character who would refer to herself in the third person) and the powerful (though, once again heavily clichéd) ballad ‘Take Me Away’, which closes Act One.  But the best, most intimate, number in the first Act I is the duet between Chidzey and Stephen Mahy as her love interest Rick. ‘That’s My Shit’ felt like a properly integrated song, an extension of dialogue.

Stephen Mahy, who impressed in Jersey Boys a couple of years back, was fine as Rick, the man afraid of commitment, though the character itself had nothing new to offer and is two dimensional throughout. Fem Belling was impressive as ditsy Boho Hannah – Amy’s highly unlikely best friend, and Joe Kosky makes the most of the comic foibles of an otherwise clichéd character in Barrel - Rick’s best friend. The two make a feast of ‘Floating On Cloud Nine’, which is the only song in Act One to show any real wit or energy. Bronte Florian succeeds in several cameos, and the fabulous Edward Grey was excellent but completely under-used.

Act Two features a funeral which fails to evoke the emotional response it should because the structure of the show means we have all but forgotten the character’s interaction with others. Still there are several good songs along the way, if one excuses the anachronistic folly that is ‘Eyeful Of The Eiffel’. I am still reeling.  But ‘M.E.N’ does provide real wit and joy, thanks to a terrific performance from Belling and Chidzey.

Anthony Costanzo writes some lovely music and lyrics, but in this case far too much of it lacked real spark and passion. A show needs a couple of stand-out songs. Even if you can’t hum or sing them on the way out, you should at least be talking about them. Rick’s solo ‘My Own Yellow Brick Road’ comes closest to being memorable in act two, but it still is perhaps one more pass away from being ready. However, I can imagine that Costanzo had real trouble finding moments for music to soar. Since the dialogue doesn’t grow credibly or organically from character, the songs often feel superimposed. You can only do so much with a script that is full of clichés and totally lacking in originality. It’s a boy meets girl story in which everything that happens is telegraphed in advance and actors are made to say lines like “Whatever happened to the girl that was going to change the world?” It’s hard for any actor to make that cliché believable. And when the end lines are Rick(sic) “I like this ending to our story” and Amy replies (sic) “This isn’t the end, it’s the beginning”, there were some audible groans across the aisle from me at the cheesiness of it.

The much touted concept is simply a derivation of If/Then – and that show made it work - with snatches of Sliding Doors, St Elmo’s Fire and even Groundhog Day and An Affair to Remember/Sleepless in Seattle thrown in for good measure - with Eiffel Tower replacing the Empire State Building. But if you are going to play “What If” with alternative scenarios, then those scenarios have to have their own truth and dynamic, they have to present REAL alternatives, otherwise there is no Crossroads, no dilemma over what direction to take. But it’s not just the lack of story momentum and credibility that is at fault; it’s the lack of character development that hampers the actors - there’s no subtext to really show them growing - nothing going on inside that we can identify with, and so we are not moved emotionally. Paradoxically the book is simultaneously over-earnest and superficial.

Tyran Parke nails some things beautifully in his direction, but there are staging elements which defy explanation. The simple set of staggered white legs allows for projection of captions on them. So, if you are reading – say – “One week later – Turkey,” why have a cast member step forward to announce (sic) “It is one week later, in Turkey.”? It adds nothing and actually slows momentum.

At 2hrs 40 with an interval, the show is far too long. The book needs a major rework to take away its sawdust dryness and add intimacy, passion and CONNECTION…not only between the characters but connection with the audience. With the best of Costanzo’s songs there is probably, with more work, a strong 90 minute one act musical that will touch our souls in the same way Violet did recently. Certainly there is the talent to do that. With a new book and more work perhaps CROSSxROADS can become the musical we are all hoping for. Who knows? We will keep hoping.

Coral Drouyn

Images: James Terry Photography

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