Well I sort of did care – but it was about the duo of Linn-Baker and Brown. And what slayed me most was that I had heard some of this at a benefit performance for the LAByrinth Theatre Company. Shanley had written one of those loud argumentative love scenes. It escalated until the man finally yelled at the woman, “I’m going to populate the outposts of your soul!” It worked as dialogue. But it surely did not as lyrics.
Romantic Poetry is a production which, if you saw it at a high school and knew that the students had written it, you might say, “You kids did some incredible work. Good for you.” But kids did not write Romantic Poetry. There are some glorious voices, and mostly mediocre acting. Weighed down by the lead in this book and score, however, this boat never leaves the harbor. Oh, and the only romantic poetry to be found is in the title.
Shanley will survive. People who try usually do. So now – what are you up to?
Romantic Poetry - Book and lyrics by John Patrick Shanley; music by Henry Krieger; directed by Mr. Shanley.
WITH: Jeb Brown (Red), Jerry Dixon (Frankie), Ivan Hernandez (Fred), Mark Linn-Baker (Carl), Patina Renea Miller (Mary) and Emily Swallow (Connie)
Sets by David Korins; costumes by Laura Bauer; lighting by Donald Holder; sound by Brian Ronan; music director and vocal arranger, Sam Davis; orchestrations by August Eriksmoen; music coordinator, Howard Joines; musical staging by Devanand Janki; associate artistic director, Mandy Greenfield.
Presented by Manhattan Theater Club, Lynne Meadow, artistic director. At City Center, Stage I, 131 West 55th Street, Manhattan; (212) 581-1212. Through Dec. 14. Running time: 2 hours.
Article comments
1 - linda
This was stunningly bad.