BWW Reader Feedback - 10/24/09

Sally Spectre The Musical - A Myth in the Making
Posted: 10/24/2009
Theatre West presents the premier of the full production of David P. Johnson's SALLY SPECTRE THE MUSICAL: A CHILDREN'S HORROR STORY FOR ADULTS, a macabre tale of a little girl and the many characters she encounters while being in a rather definite state of non being. The setting is a rather desolate Victorian home in New Orleans sometime in the late 19th century. Little Sally Spectre (Rebecca Lane) dwells within this home. She doesn't "live" in this home since one--she's is stuck there and two--she's dead! She was the victim of a ghastly murder, getting an ax affixed upon her head! The room represents a purgatory-type state of existence. In this room, two companions join Sally, Bartholomew (Matthew Hoffman) a full sized toy soldier, and Nero (Adam Conger) a harlequin. They serve as Sally way to get out from this room, and perhaps to get out of this forever holding pattern. Although Sally (or her ghost anyway) remains to be of a little girl with an ax on her head, these two, though not ‘dead’, find their way into their netherworld. It's not without its complications, either! This musical production is extremely witty and clever, in spite of its abnormal setting. David P. Johnson composed the book, music, and lyrics that don’t really show much horror. It's spooky and mysterious, but not scary for one bit! (It's rather difficult to create a scary musical in the first place!) Rebecca Lane as Sally holds much charisma and appeal, even when she plays her role with the aforementioned ax on her head! Adam Conger as Nero, who also appears as other characters, plays his role in an energetic mode. His persona reminds one of those "kiddie show" hosts that used to dot the local TV landscape a generation before. Other characters that appear are Rob Monroe as The Wraith, a specter life form that serves as the divide of Sally's post-mortem fate, Roger Cruz as Gustave, and Kerry Melachouris as Mable, who benefits as a Greek chorus capacity. Besides the fine performances by this talented crew, Adam Conger (who also appears in the cast) was the creative force in the set design of a decrypted home that would show itself agreeable as a haunted house. David P. Johnson (the playwright) provides the choreography; the on-stage keyboard performance (playing his role as "Archimedes Keys"), as well as the director! With such multiple roles concluded both on-stage and off, one may get the idea that this production falls within the "one man band" category, meaning that everyone playing more than one position stretches their tasks out too thin as the quality suffers in the process! In fact, that is far from the truth! Every element experience is rich and robust! It plays out as a full-fledged musical crammed with clever songs as well as a brilliant "book"! And it's a one-act as well, although it doesn't seem like a one act musical! It's not often that such shows as SALLY SPECTRE THE MUSICAL falls into this matchless bracket. It's the perfect piece to celebrate Halloween. In spite of its subtitle, this show is NOT for the kiddies! However, anyone of "tweener" age and up will find this piece amusing. They may not necessarily get the premise, but as the same subtitle states, it's a children's horror story for adults--or for those with sane adult minds! Rich Borowy - Accessibly-Live!