The 1984 movie in which a suave Robert Preston came down from the heavens to
entice a computer-game wizard to travel to the stars to save the good guys
in an intergalactic war has remained a favorite of sci-fi buffs even as
higher-tech special effects extravaganzas have come and gone. Its
combination of youthful enthusiasm, irreverence and a certain adolescent
charm that even extended to the far-from-adolescent Preston, made it
memorable. Fred Landau adapted the movie for a small Off-Off-Broadway type
presentation and Skip Kennon who had created the score for the similarly
sci-fi musical Time and Again signed on to do both music and lyrics.
The result, as captured in this fine recording, is a chipper, charming and
tuneful package. |
Storyline: A musical version of the movie about a race of aliens who
search for a master strategist by distributing a computer space combat game and
then tracking down whoever achieved the highest score. Young Alex who lives
with his mom in a trailer park breaks all records on the game and is
recruited to save the Star League from the evil Zur and the Ko-Dan Armada.
The Storm Theater, an Off-Off-Broadway company, on the
third floor of a church parish a block from Times Square, produced the show
in
October 2004. This recording, based on that production, boasts the original
cast backed by a highly synthesized sounding support which, given the
computer-game component of the story, seems just right for the piece. The
booklet includes an interesting mini-essay by Landau (at least it appears to
be by Landau - it doesn't actually have a byline) and a fine synopsis that
allows you to understand the function of each song in the show. There are
enough photos to give you a good feeling of what the show looked like in the
small space on 46th Street.
The score ranges through a number of varying styles as
the different scenes and characters require, but there is a unifying feel to
the piece. Kennon's musical vocabulary is wide ranging and solidly grounded
in contemporary musical theater. There are parts that sound a bit like early
Flaherty and Ahrens, at others there seem to be touches of Alan Menken,
Stephen Schwartz or Jeffrey Stock. But they never seem like imitations. On
one track, William Parry sounds a bit like the he's singing the introduction
to Stephen Sondheim's Assassins when he tackles the song "Things
Change," but that shouldn't be surprising since he originated the role of
the proprietor in the original production of that show. While we are at it, here's a big
"welcome back" to the album's executive producer, Bruce Kimmel, who has
provided so many theater music fans so many great hours of enjoyment. He
founded Bay Cities Records which issued a number of theatrical pieces. Then
he ran the segment of Verese Sarabande Records dealing with show music. His
latest venture was the label dedicated to musical theater, Fynsworth Alley.
Through it all, he produced over a hundred show music albums including the
invaluable series of Lost In Boston discs of show tunes cut from hit
shows before they reached Broadway and Unsung Musicals of songs from
shows that didn't make it to the Great White Way. He introduced many fans to
some of the best singers of show tunes (including, he might point out with
pride, Guy Haines). This release on his
new label is good news, not just because its contents is so fresh and welcome
but because it is an addition to his latest venture. May he add many, many
more. |
