Playbill of The Week: Murder Ballad

9/53

November of 2012 was a pretty rough month for me. My bulldog Sugar became ill at the end of October, and by the first week of November she was gone. Before she got sick I had booked a trip to New York. It was the first time I was staying with a friend instead of hotels, I was by myself, I was sad, but at least I had my theatre. My first stop was to see Matthew James Thomas' last show with Spider-Man, and my second was for Murder Ballad. I knew only a few things about the show. The cast and the general plot. But anything that has a murder and singing involved is ok by me. I was running late to the show and terrified I wouldn't make it, I wouldn't want to walk into Cabaret seating late. That's the stuff of nightmares.

The show was nothing like I'd ever seen. It was raw and gritty, with massive vocals and major passion. The production I had included Will Swenson, Karen Olivo, Rebecca Naomi Jones and John Ellison Conlee. Which basically means you cannot go wrong. That cast is fire. The sheer power in that room was electric. The belting and star power blew the roof off of the tiny theatre.

The basic premise of the show revolves around a woman named Sara and her past and present partners. She ends up married with a child, and when her marriage starts to bore her she returns to her ex and things get nasty. While the story of Sara, Tom and Michael evolves the Narrator is doing exactly that, giving the audience back stories, and sometimes her insight into the situation. It ends with a crime of passion. And everyone lives happily ever after, cause after all it's just a story.

Now back to the cast. First in the role of Sara we have Karen Olivo, known mostly as Vanessa in 'In The Heights' and Anita in 'West Side Story' for which she won a Tony Award. She looks like Pocahontas with long, silky raven hair, with a voice like butter. Her voice has a real innocent quality to it, you feel for her when she sings, it's filled with emotion and power. Those together work perfectly for Sara. I mean she's cheating on her husband, abandoning her child, yet Karen still makes you feel bad for her, like it's not her fault. If you listen to the song Coffee's On, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Next we have Rebecca Naomi Jones as The Narrator. How this girl does not have a bigger following, a Tony Award and a show written for her is beyond me. To date I've seen her in American Idiot, Love's Labour's Lost and Murder Ballad, and she is consistently the best part of anything I see her in. Her voice is big, bright and smooth. She walks onto the stage and you want to know what she has to say. Her presence onstage grabs your attention and holds it until she exits, her performance of The Narrator was brilliant. She was sexy and edgy, the perfect person to tell this twisted tale of love. Listen to Clubs and Diamonds and you'll understand.

Onto the men of the show. John Ellison Conlee as Michael made me fall in love with the character. Michael is supposed to be the grounded, reliable man and John makes him that and so much more. He's comforting to the audience, to Sara, and yet he has this mesmerizing quality in his voice that makes you want more. When you first meet him you may be confused as to why Sara would fall for him, but after about 5 minutes you understand fully. He's charming and kind, strong and smart. Now, we move onto the final cast member which is Will Swenson as Tom. So I don't think anyone doesn't know who he is. Whether you've seen him in Priscilla Queen of The Desert, Hair or Les Miserables. Or maybe you know him because of his wife, Audra McDonald, you know, Godra. I have been a fan of Will's since Hair, which I'll admit I went to see because of Jonathan Groff and walked out with a love for Will that goes very deep. His hair(haha) is probably the first feature you'll notice, a beautiful dark mane, the next is his beaming smile, and then everything else. And once you get past his physical appearance, which may take a while, you notice his voice, his range and intensity in his voice is remarkable. It drags you in and keeps you intrigued even after he's done singing. It feels like his voice is wrapping around you and taking hold, you lose yourself in the sound. I completely understand why Sara went back to him, even though he is bad news. When you have someone that's that intoxicating it's hard to resist.

The show was everything I could have asked for and more. Small, inclusive. I mean Will Swenson was on top of my table singing I couldn't have asked for more. The theatre was transformed into a small underground club, pool tables, a bar and a small stage. Dark lights, red dressing everywhere. It was an intimate setting for an intimate story. Love, passion, murder. This show definitely doesn't get enough love and that needs to be fixed. The performances on the cast recording are just as rich and full as they were in person. I hope this little show continues to grow and gain a following. It helped me when I needed cheering up, and I'm sure it can do that for many more people. And if anything just listen to You Belong To Me and imagine Will Swenson singing to you.