Theater review: Death: The Musical

by John Garcia of John Garcia's The Column

To see a fresh, new, unknown musical you have to jet to New York. Or hunt down those out of town try outs. Such as Aida when it was first produced in Atlanta. Hairspray & The Producers did their out of town runs in Seattle.

But Dallas? Talk about rare. That's about as rare as Tony Romo not choking during play off season. Wait one more. It's about as rare as a staunch Republican attending a Barbra Streisand concert. Insert rim shot. Thank you, try the veal and don't forget to tip your waitress.

It seems Pocket Sandwich Theatre (nestled in a shopping center strip) has taken a detour from their usual popcorn throwing melodramas and have mounted a new musical penned by local playwright/musical director/actor Scott Eckert titled Death: The Musical.

The basic premise is a show within a show murder mystery. We watch a theater troupe putting on some stuffy British play, only that in real life actors are being murdered either on stage or backstage. It's a mélange of Agatha Christie, Curtains (the Kander & Ebb musical about a cop investigating a murder); Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, even a dash of the horror film Final Destination. Thrown into this potpourri is a bounty of comedy that is geared for today's audience sense of humor.

Eckert's set up within the book is basic; however the weakest Act is the last when it is revealed who the murderer is. It's done in the same vein as Christie does with her lead character telling us how they did it and why. That could use more polish, redefining, and could use more of Eckert's comedy that soars within the first two acts. Also the first act's exposition could use some editing and retooling. But the framework is there and it is overflowing with excellent comedy.

I never knew that Eckert had this great sense of humor! The book and lyrics are downright hilarious, causing you to bend over and laugh loudly. The word rare again springs up here. So many books for musicals just don't get anymore. Eckert's for the most part does.

The score has an amalgamation of Sondheim, Michael LaChusia, and even some old fashioned vaudeville. The songs are highly enjoyable with perky, pleasurable music. Eckert surly had to be influenced by many a composer what with him conducting their scores from the pit. But you also hear Eckert's own unique voice, which shows great, great promise. Instead of trying so hard to be "eclectic" like so many of today's composers, he simply composes songs that are terrific and enjoyable to hear.

The lyrics in several songs hit the comedic bull's eye dead center. They are witty, clever, scintillating, and wickedly hilarious. I was particularly impressed that he didn't fall into the trap door of having every word rhyme at the end. Several of the solos were composed to perfection in regards to character development and plot flow.

What the score could use though is a couple of more full company numbers. Such as after a couple of murders, they could sing to how the mansion they are in has become a murder weapon of its own (knifes, poison drinks, falling sandbags, etc.).

Or the pile of dead bodies could return towards the end of the show to reflect on being dead and being stuck backstage all night.

Eckert did overlook a possible great duet that I think he would have fun composing. The servants tell the audience & cast how tired and fed up they are how no one notices them or care if they are alive. That they are just invisible. Which is true in so many plays and musicals-the servants tend to just take coats and pour drinks on stage. With Eckert's delicious sense of humor, I think he can compose a show stopping number of how these "actors playing servants" really feel.

The music is rich and textured, but it needs full orchestrations. For this production it is only keyboards. The score is really deserving of full orchestrations to bring out the finesse within Eckert's compositions.

Nonetheless Eckert's score, book, and lyrics really are fresh, funny, and immensely entertaining. He has something here, he truly does. It does need to be put back into the creative oven and baked a little longer. But once it is done, he will serve one fantastic dish of a musical!

What I felt hindered the production and their possibility on expanding the physical elements within the plot was the actual space. Pocket Sandwich is a small theater with no fly rail space or possesses a large stage. Eckert needs a bigger stage so that he can really explore more the great physical comedy that is already there. One sight gag was already killed because you can see it when you walk in. Also the knives that popped up blended in color with the set so you had no idea one actor was killed by it until a cast member stated it. I honestly think in a bigger space this musical can really expand and discover great riches within the physical comedy & staging.

The entire cast delivers a knee slapping, gut splitting evening of laughter. Sure, sometimes their British dialects did disappear and there were a few minor line flubs (particularly the third act), but overall they all sold the material with solid commitment and fun.

Sara Shelby-Martin chews the scenery with such glee; it's like watching a female Nathan Lane in a silver satin gown. As the bitchy diva, Ms. Martin relishes each comeback line or back stabbing comment, savoring the reactions from her delivery. She circles each female on stage like she's the vulture, and they are the pigeons; and trust me, it is Ms. Martin leaving the stage with a couple of white feathers in mouth and a delicious wicked grin.

She easily has the best singing voice in the company, and has a fantastic 11:00 O'clock number called "I'm Going Back". Think of "I'm Still Here" from Follies. Ms. Martin never fails to impress me with her talents-and here she once again succeeds.

Loree Westbrooks should be arrested by the comedy police for stealing this show with her hysterical performance as "Stacy/Clara". With a combination of Carol Burnett and Christina Applegate, Ms. Westbrooks generates some of the best laughs of the night as the soubrette. Her facial expressions are priceless, and her physical comedy moments are dead on-resulting in the audience applauding after one such hilarious bit. Her big solo "I Can't Do This" has the familiarity to "Another Hundred People" from Company - and Ms. Westbrooks handles the rapid patter wonderfully.

As "Derrick/Alex", Tony Martin delivers a first rate comedic performance as the one man who becomes a chicken when the murders occur. His second act work is pure tour de force comedy. I won't spoil it for you here, but it is hilarious.

I've never seen Jonathan McCurry in a major role around town in past productions. So what a terrific treat it was to see him display talents within him that have never been shown.

He portrays "Jake/Damon/Edgar"- which in the play are twins. With a devil may care swagger & egotistical aura, he radiates within his characterization. McCurry has one of the best numbers of the night (musically, lyrically, and its staging). The song is titled, "You've Never Really Lived til You've Died". It's a dazzling character number that McCurry sells with solid showmanship. It was the only solo that had choreography and lots of movement-which I loved. McCurry is marvelous here.

Other swell performances within the cast include Alexis Nabors as the sexy ingénue (she's a brunette, but the character screams blonde); Jad B. Saxton as the wealthy niece (she has some fantastic physical comedy in the second act); M. Shane Hurst as the butler "Forsyth"; Samantha Bianchini as the female Bobby cop "Perkins"; and Charles E. Moore as detective "Hardman".

This is still a work in progress musical, but I sincerely do hope that producers around town will go and catch this musical because it really is worth investing in and mounting a much richer physical production. The material is there. It is laden in laughter.

Death: The Musical only plays one more weekend. If you want to laugh non-stop and see a spanking new musical, then you need to rush to PST and catch this show. I must say you will walk away with stomach craps from laughing so much.

GRADE: B+