Word: songe
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Avni, however, as Mad Wu, is saddled with a thankless job: with little place in the plot, or in the world, he arrives to serenade Dora with a relentlessly ironic lounge song about himself, his song and her. If there is something to frustrate the audience in this play--and there is much that is on the border between challenging originality and frustrating whimsy--it is his character. The self-conscious Other (he is a self-described "Chinaman" seeking to break stereotypes about homeless people), he mischievously implies with a quavering song that he is in on all the play...
...distinctive warbling voice and the generally cheesy lyrics that we've all grown to know and love: "There was a time I was so lonely/Remember that time, it was a Friday/You made me feel so fine/we did it my way/I sat on your knees every Friday" (from "Joe", a song about Dolores' well-loved grandfather). While songs like "When You're Gone" and "I'm Still Remembering" may cover old ground in terms of song lyrics, the Cranberries manage to present these well-worn ideas in such a way as to make the listener happily enjoy every little trite...
...similar instance of the Cranberries straying too far off course occurs in the song "I Just Shot John Lennon", a track examining the tragedy of Lennon's death from the perspective of the fan and the fanatic. Dolores comments, "Even though we were all too young to actually remember when he died, his death had an impact on us." Once again, the group's intentions are sincere, but it is hard to take them seriously when you hear their punchy song accompanied by four fake (but rhythmically accurate!) gunshots at the conclusion...
Fortunately, the second act comes off far better than the first. Although problems with singing and balance continue throughout the show, the actors are much more enthusiastic and, with the help of several exciting songs, move the plot convincingly along. After several misadventures with the Wicked Witch Evillene (Liz Vladeck), Addaperle's more refined sister Glinda (Tracy Erickson) arrives and, in a delightful scene and song, brings the musical to its happy ending...
...easy show to produce, and is probably a little too ambitious for this cast in this venue. However, if you can make it past the first act you just might be charmed by the cast's enthusiasm, and you will almost certainly leave with a fun song caught in your...