NYC | Review | Kid Victory

Daniel Jenkins and Brandon Flynn in Kid Victory.
Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Homosexuality, catfishing, and child abduction. That's what's going on in Greg Pierce and John Kander's new musical Kid Victory. There's been so much television and cinema about child abduction these past few years, I suppose it was inevitable that someone would decide to turn this theme into a musical. The script is not bad, but there doesn't seem to be a very compelling reason that this should be a musical. The score is functional, but lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. This also means that some moments are lacking

It should be pointed out that this a distinctly adult story; don't take the kids. It's not the easiest story to get through – a rollercoaster, certainly, but "feel good" and this show have nothing in common at the end of the day. That's not normally what you expect when tap dancing is on the table (or stage).

One of the highlights of this show is the played-out relationship between the protagonist, Luke (played by Brandon Flynn), and his father (played by Daniel Jenkins). This part of the narrative made me want to see more.

FRIGID NYC | Review | A Crisis Called New York

New York is surprisingly not frigid this time of year, but Frigid NYC is here and things are heating up at the Kraine Theatre. One of the shows that I saw was the confusingly named A Crisis Called New York. It almost seems to have been written to cash in on NYC caché, even though nothing seems to have anything much to do with NYC in particular. But whoever said that NYCers weren't stereotypically self-centered?

Written by Alisha Espinoza, A Crisis tells a tangled set of love stories, sometimes with dancing and sung music. It's an entertaining combination with a little bit of a reality TV show feel. The vignettes come fast with the 8-person ensemble; one featuring Danielle Patlingrao and Jordan Schroeder was especially of interest. The exploration of our neuroses and insecurities is universal.