ArtLab and ShowTown Productions Present AMOUR Review — Singing Paper Dolls Delight

So up close in the forefront of our screen that he almost has the feel of a bobble head toy, the new mean guy boss (played by Thom Sesma) sings, “… I’m an ass… “ on a lo-o-o-o-ng extended note…

…that then completes in a quickened muffle ---

“…an asset to the organization…”.

It’s not the first moment when the combination of offbeat visuals and lyrics of this musical summon a giggle, nor anywhere near the last, in this quirky story of a shy nerd, Dusoleil (played by Drew Gehling), turned superhero.   At first Dusoleil doesn’t know what to do with his newfound ability to walk through walls.  But as the story unfolds, he flexes this power in Robinhood fashion, gaining many a crush from the very co-workers in his former office who previously wouldn’t give him the time of day.

Artlab AMOUR
(from left to right): Drew Gehling and Christiani Pitts
Artlab AMOUR
Christiani Pitts

What’s love got to do with it? – as they say.  Ah Amour--  if he can get attention and affection from the woman he secretly pines for—the unhappily married Isabelle (played by Christiani Pitts)— it just might be okay to roll with this walk-through-walls thing he now has going for himself.  It’s that reliable formula of boy-gets-girl—sort of.  No spoilers here!

ArtLab and ShowTown Productions Find a Formula for Socially Distanced Performance

Sound a bit cartoonish?  YES! – delightfully so, in this reviewer’s opinion, and especially when you add in that everyone in this cast seems to be filmed independently in front of their own green screen and then sewn together into collages with varying planes. The backdrops on the green screens are the sets—a street corner, an apartment inside or foyer, a doctor’s office, a courtroom, and panoramas of Paris’ 18th Arondissement, and more.  The visual effect is not unlike watching paper dolls come to life – and always with a catchy tune.  It might have been COVID-19 concerns that put each actor in their own green screen safe world, but it’s so effective you can’t help but think a real-world stage and live performance would come off as relatively ho-hum.

Artlab AMOUR
(from left to right): Rachel York, Kevin Massey, and Derrick Baskin

From an office décor of a supersized clock with gears showing the grind of time, to the aerial views of  Paris (and especially Montmartre), to cut out windows where a soprano can sing, and especially the Magritte like opener of hats and clouds raining down as an amuse bouche of the light-hearted surreal story that follows, there is great care in the visuals of this production.  And, from the opening dah-dah-dah harmonies until the last, this ensemble of ten Broadway pros are lovable caricatures seeming hell-bent to entertain, which they amply do.

Artlab AMOUR
(from left to right): Kevin Massey, Derrick Baskin, Kara Lindsay, Vishal Vaidya, Jennifer Sánchez, Thom Sesma, Christiani Pitts, Rachel York, and Adam Pascal
Artlab AMOUR
(from left to right): Vishal Vaidya and Thom Sesma
Artlab AMOUR
Derrick Baskin

A man who moves through walls?  Sound also like an allegory about getting past pandemic imposed isolation?  You too might feel as astounded as this reviewer was to learn from the program notes that the word tickles in nearly every song are NOT the original lyrics of this musical.  Amour’s English adaptation is by Jeremy Sams. It is difficult to imagine that the original French lyrics are as saturated with cleverness and bounce as these—but only the bilingual can report on that.  And perhaps even more bewildering is to learn that this is absolutely not an original musical born of the COVID-19 era as a metaphorical exploration of the walls the pandemic has constructed around us.  It’s actually adapted from the 1943 short story Le Passe-Muraille by Marcel Aymé, and its theater adaptation had a relatively short-lived prior life on Broadway many years ago.    What a brilliant stroke to stage it at this time!

Amour will likely especially appeal to musical lovers who have missed the thrill of sitting in grand Broadway performance spaces.  If you hate musicals and are allergic to entertainment that is more silly than deep, you probably should take a pass.

Artlab AMOUR
Rachel York

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Nominate this for The Picture This Post BEST OF 2021???
Click Readers' Choice

Want to see who won the Picture This Post READERS’ CHOICE competition last year?
WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO—

Yes!! Please note my vote to add this to the
Picture This Post BEST OF 2021

Amour is adapted from Le Passe-Muraille by Marcel Aymé (Les Éditions Gallimar).

CAST: Derrick Baskin, Drew Gehling, Kara Lindsay, Kevin Massey, Adam Pascal, Christiani Pitts, Jennifer Sánchez, Thom Sesma, Vishal Vaidya, and Rachel York

Music:  Michel Legrand

Libretto: Didier van Cauwelaert, English adaptation by Jeremy Sams

Director: Meg Fofonoff

CREATIVE TEAM: Jennifer Tremblay (costume designer), Mark Governor (music producer), and Sean Mayes (music director). Casting by Alexandre Bleau. Julie DeVore serves as the Production Stage Manager.

Artlab AMOUR
Adam Pascal

WHEN:

Friday, April 2 at 8:00pm EST
Saturday, April 3 at 8:00pm EST
Sunday, April 4 at 5:00pm EST

WHERE:

Online

TICKETS:

$20

Visit the Stellar page for AMOUR for tickets.

Images courtesy of ArtLab and ShowTown Productions

Amy Munice

About the Author: Amy Munice

Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.

Amy hopes the magazine’s click-a-picture-to-read-a-vivid-account format will nourish those ever hunting for under-discovered cultural treasures. She especially loves writing articles about travel finds, showcasing works by cultural warriors of a progressive bent, and shining a light on bold, creative strokes by fledgling artists in all genres.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY AMY MUNICE.

Share this:

Make a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *