BWW Reviews: HOW TO QUIT YOUR DAY JOB Plays at Capital Fringe

There is a humorous Venn diagram that shows that art is the intersection between absolute narcissism and crippling self-doubt. In the new musical "How To Quit Your Day Job" playing as part of the Capital Fringe Festival, the title premise follow four "generation inbetweeners" as they navigate through their own self-doubt and a little bit of narcissism.

Playwright / Lyricist / Director Star Johnson has crafted a wonderful story full of humor, cultural and local references, and witty dialogue between these four twenty-somethings. Performing at the quaint Corner Store Arts, the audience enters as composer Justin Paschalides plays some recognizable standards on the slightly out of tune piano that makes the whole environment feel comfortable. The four characters are already on stage and as the show starts they sing the catchy opening number "Generation In Between". That gap between Millennials ("what the hell is a Millennial?" the show ponders) and Gen X-ers is a good way to describe those who are stuck in the post-college life where finding who you are and what you're good at is different that what you do as your day job.

The four actors, Janani Ramachandran, Shannan E. Johnson, Vaughn Middler, and Olufemi Daaka do a great job with Johnson's script and Paschalides' catchy songs. Middler, in particular, is really solid as he delivers the monologue / song "Stephen, Andy, Johnny, & Lin" about his love of musical theatre after discovering "Cats." The funny song is full of geeky theatre references that are both smart and witty. Local rapper Daaka, who is making his stage debut here, is excellent in his native form performing "Diamonds". Johnson and Ramachandran as the two friends deciding to follow their dreams in New York play great off each other and both have great voices and they get to show them off frequently.

While the show has a simple plot of "quitting your day job" it is more revue style with Paschalides' music spanning variety of styles. Some of the songs work better than others but I thought the different styles were unique and interesting. I particularly enjoyed the Sondheim-esq "Critics" and the Barney-inspired "You're Not Special".

Overall, "How To Quit Your Day Job" is an enjoyable show that features some great writing and talent. The show plays as part of the Capital Fringe Festival at the Corner Store Arts near Eastern Market.

Click HERE for tickets and more information.

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