6 / 10
The intriguing Hanging Rock allure has been adapted as a musical, book and lyrics by Hilary Bell and music (and arrangements) by Greta Gertler Gold, and directed with somber celebratory flourish by Portia Krieger. Although comparison with previous formats may be uncalled for, they are also inevitable. The stage version has much to recommend it, but there are troublesome drawbacks.
6 / 10
Bell’s book and lyrics often struggle to reflect the seductive eeriness of its source material, with lines that feel overly literal or dependent on the rhyme scheme. The simplicity distracts from a story that relies on ambiguity; how can we accept the mystery of the vanishing girls when so many other plot points are stated directly to the audience?
In PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK: THE MUSICAL, Gold’s score makes it clear that this is not a mystery you simply watch. It’s a mystery you enter. The music becomes a kind of weather system that circles, shifts, and pulls the audience along.
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, the new rock musical, is now in performances at Greenwich House Theatre. Learn more about the production and read the reviews here!
Now running at Greenwich House Theatre is PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, the new rock musical. Adapted from Joan Lindsay’s novel, with book and lyrics by Hilary Bell and music and arrangements by Greta Gertler Gold, the production is directed by Portia Krieger and is playing a strictly limited engagement in New York.
Production photos have been released for PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, the new musical adaptation of Joan Lindsay’s novel now playing at Greenwich House Theatre. The production features music by Greta Gertler Gold and book and lyrics by Hilary Bell, directed by Portia Krieger.
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK: The Musical, adapted from the novel by Joan Lindsay, with book and lyrics by Hilary Bell and music and arrangements by Greta Gertler Gold, will begin performances off-Broadway next month.
