Atlanta
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Photo by Michael Lamont
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By Joseph N. Feinstein
A successful musical is a combination of many parts: an interesting story; fine acting; excellent scenery and lighting; and, of course, great music sung with feeling and credibility. Atlanta, the new musical at the Geffen in Westwood, has only the last component. For this, we say thank you to Marcus Hummon. And, sorry, but you'll not be hummin' any of the songs you've heard, for few of the lyrics will be understood, and those you've heard are not memorable. Sadly, I have never yawned so often at a play in a very long time.
The time is 1864 in the hills of Georgia. The plot concerns a Union soldier (Ken Barnett) caught behind enemy lines who kills a Confederate and "borrows" his uniform to assume his identity for the duration of the play. He finds a packet of letters from the soldier's girlfriend who is named Atlanta. He continues the correspondence with her, falling in love long-distance. That sounds like a reasonable plot, and it is. It's the introduction of the rest of the cast which gets on our nerves. The Southern accents become quite unintelligible, the dialogue is trivial, the make-believe sets look make-believe, and the mad Colonel (John Fleck) and his whip are obtrusive. However, the music's beat grows infectious and we look forward to the next song, and the next, for whatever action is happening on stage is of little consequence.
Once nice touch was to realize the impact Shakespeare had for authors Hummon and Adrian Pasdar. The little vignettes by Hamlet (Leonard Roberts), Puck (Moe Daniels), and Cleo (Merle Dandridge), who are the slaves that Colonel Medraut has brought with him into battle, do add a measure of the Bard's words which always sound so good. Enunciated so clearly, unlike most of the other dialogue, these speeches were demanded for the Colonel's pleasure and were integrated into the story quite nicely.
The swinging Blue Grass music was effected by the orchestra of five stalwarts: Andrew Rollins, Kevin Toney, Chris Ross, Karen Briggs (playing a mean violin) and Ryan Crossley. Leonard Robert's strong voice was a true pleasure to listen to.
Atlanta Geffen Playhouse 10886 Le Conte Avenue Westwood Tel. 310-208-5454 Plays Tuesday - Thursday @ 7:30 p.m.; Friday @ 8:00 p.m.; Saturday @ 4:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.; Sunday @ 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. Tickets: $35 - $115. Until Jan. 6
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