Musical (Rocking) Chairs

I experienced, and basically enjoyed, two musical productions this past weekend. One was a Showtime-produced version of the low-budget satire "Reefer Madness," which originated in Hollywood; the other was a theatrical revue called "Bark!", still playing in its L.A. birthplace. The former was about pot; the latter about dogs. All I needed was to watch "Damn Yankees!" and "Guys and Dolls" to complete a musicalized experience of all my favorite things (until someone, probably that damn Lloyd Webber, composes a musical salute to sushi).

Okay, even to admit I attend musicals, much less like them, is a confession of my generational advancement. I can't help it--I grew up with them, as I did baseball, in the glorious decade of New York City, the '50s. Now it's a declaration of self-fossilization. When a recent "American Idol" featured show tunes, you could see the judges all squirming, not to mention the contestants, who were asked to cope with tonal melodies and lyrics that didn't sound like 4th-grade schoolyard rhymes. Okay, time marches on (which doesn't stop me currently from writing my own musical, but hey, it's my life) .

"Reefer Madness" was an interesting vehicle, not overwhelming, because it pressed its satiric point repeatedly. Too many production numbers were of the same broad tenor--pot smoking turns everything into an evil phantasmagoria of lust and gluttony. Perhaps because our current population has lost its sense of irony, the writers used a sledgehammer approach. The original "Reefer Madness" was so over-the-top that this would seem unnecessary. Still, it was fun, and attempted at times to point out parallels between that hysteria and current regrettable cultural trends of ignorance and moral posturing trumping common sense. And it's largley preaching to the choir. My own view is that marijuana laws are among the most insane and cruel impositions of law upon the libertarian rights of individuals to enjoy what nature provides. As a caveat, though, I must admit that I also disapprove of marijuana use by minors--they do not need that kind of distraction.

The doggie show, "Bark," was highly touted. It's basically a low-rent version of its diametrically opposed cousin, "Cats," without the garbage cans. Six pooches in doggie day-care sing various numbers about their lives. I found the show to be ingratiating but having a lot more bark than bite. Except for one number that was spoken, there was no dialogue. Not that you want to have dogs yapping at each other about who gets the chew toy, but the lack of confilcts within the doggie relationships mitigated the humor and any dramatic tension. This made for a rather truncated show--no more than 75 minutes, which at $40 a pop is not a lot of theater (unless you are in Gotham or Vegas).

The dogs were of very fine voice, though. I was impressed that a local equity theater could cast so many talented singers, with significant credits in film and on Broadway. And there was one very trenchant moment, predictably, with a penultimate song by an aging dog ready to give up the ghost, and singing goodbye to its owner. Now imagine a theater filled with dog-lovers, all of whom have probably owned a dog and seen it put down or (like me) are dreading the upcoming inevitability. "Not a dry eye in the house" was the literal result, myself included. Although there was a typically upbeat finale, the lingering effects of the melancholy song, and the reality it suggested, dampened the mood as we exited.

When "Reefer Madness" opened in New York, it was three days before September 11, and of course the show, with its jaundiced view of governmental idiocy, could not survive the trauma. It may have a better life in Showtime reruns. As for "Bark," its local success will certainly encourage a move to the Boig Apple, but I predict it will not succeed there because of the softeness at its core; it needs to be more textured and substantial. I rather dread the potential reviews, whose archness I can already foresee--from "Happiness Is Not a Warm Puppy" through "A Dog of a Show" to "Put This One to Sleep." Yeah, keep this a local phenomenon and everyone will be happy.