ALMOST FAMOUS: ALMOST FABULOUS, BUT FLAWED
6 / 10
Theatre-goers who favor musicals derived from popular movies constitute a subspecies. If one may generalize, they want a product that cleaves pretty closely to the source material, ideally with some original songs and witty dialogue thrown in. Novel twists to the plot? Not so much. Thus, for those of us who attend shows hoping to be ushered through challenging, uncharted situations, these reenactments can be a bit of a bore. London-based director Jeremy Herrin does his utmost to pep up this musicalized revenant of the hit 2000 movie. Cameron Crowe, the original author/protagonist (it's based on his own teenage quest) wrote the book and co-crafted the lyrics with composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal). They've worked in a few amusing allusions to the limitations of pre-internet communications, so there's that, in terms of novelty. Kudos are also due the skilled contributors who concretize the narrative in 3D: clever, adaptable set by Derek McLane, period (1973) costumes by David Zinn, evocative lighting by Natasha Katz (that thunderstorm!), just-short-of-deafening sound by Peter Hylenski.
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