Caught the matinee of the new Stephen Trask and Peter Yanowitz rock opera, THIS AINT NO DISCO and unfortunately for me, a great idea turns into a second rate show fairly quickly here. Many writers have tried to musicalize the sex drugs and rock and roll glamor of the famous 1970s night club turned cultural icon, but none have come as close as THIS AINT NO DISCO does to getting it right....mostly because they chose the rock opera format....this works well!
What doesn’t work...their melodies and lyrics rarely excite. The slower songs/ballads feel like the the same song throughout and I’m not talking about a reprise. This also has a lot to do with the overdone/trite story of two young people trying to become stars and the struggles that go along with that choice. I hate to say it, but nap time anyone? Because we’ve heard every aspect of these characters from movies,tv , books through the years nothing feels interesting. It’s the biggest problem here and not even Rick Elice can help write them out of it. The irony here is that studio 54 has tons of rich drama to focus on and they still chose the fame game route.
Tony winner Darko Tresnjak doesn’t help one bit by showing he has no Rhythm for this kind of musical...every time any kind of dialogue (written in rhyming verse throughout) is spoken the energy PLUMMETS to the ground (think the RENT film). Shockingly, the choreography by Camille A Brown feels like a high school dance teacher took on the task. Not one glamorous witty or sexy dance number in a studio 54 musical? Interesting. It doesn’t help that the chorus doesn’t have the talent to pull off the pacing moves or characters this show needs.
The cast is well...uninteresting. Nothing really more to say here sadly. They are forgetful before they leave the stage. This is a problem I see more and more lately...bad casting. The big theater casting agencies in nyc need to do better. They cram untalented people down Theater goers throats instead of finding really interesting talented people to do the job...the reality tv singing completion has really left a stain on musical theater talent and casting directors have hidden it with the couch instead of trying to remove it...sorry, not sorry.
Costumes by Sarah Laux feel referential more than period specific or as creative as the unique people who dressed for studio 54 back in the day.
The stars of this show are the set, lighting, and projections. Jason Sherwood’s eternal moving New York scaffolding covered side walks mixed with just enough glamor from the inside of studio 54 make him yet again, the up and coming set designer of the moment. His billboard and storefront signs plastered on screens up the back wall and onto the ceiling over the audience, give you the feeling you are walking through seedy 1970s Times Square, an inspired touch. He will be everywhere in a few years. Ben Stanton’s club lighting hidden in every crevice of the ny street scaffolding takes you inside the dreams of the characters even in everyday situations. He lights the screens Inventively too. And the projections overlaid on the billboard/storefront screens that help with place time and story are both specific and Andy Warhol like art pieces at the same time, bravo.
The idea and design have potential, but the otherwise talented and celebrated creative team miss the mark in the worst way possible....trite and uninteresting. That’s not how people like Grace Jones recall studio 54 from the interviews I’ve seen.
joined:7/18/11
joined:
7/18/11
Posted: 7/22/18 at 5:07pm