Kathleen France & Dawn Derow
Revolution
The Duplex, NYC, February 22, 2015
Reviewed by Rob Lester for Cabaret Scenes
Piano draped with American flag, Revolution’s draped with emotion and gravitas. Long before Kathleen France and Dawn Derow sing the blunt “War” (“What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!”), that point of view is as clear as their glorious, versatile voices. They and director Lennie Watts find varying ways to reinforce that sad fact, letting the gut-punch pow of facts and music do the job, not preaching and protest songs. It’s gripping. Surveying American history, affecting war-glorifying jingoistic attitudes, this so-smart MAC Award-winning show incorporates vignettes to make its points (quiz show, letters from the front, peppy fact presentations, Rosie the Riveter). Even more “riveting” than Rosie are the vocal harmonies, a huge asset. “Dixie” dazzles. Bandleader Andrew David Sotomayor shines on piano/arrangements, gorgeous vocal blends, deeply moving solos; wailing the iconic “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” and “Over There,” he’s awesomely authentic.
Daughters of Air Force veterans, the singers are sober, feeling witnesses, not dismissive judges. (Director Watts’s dad was a WW II P.O.W., they reveal.) Heartbreak of war’s costs is everywhere. Some pop items’ mega-repetitive lyrics/more obvious messages make them peak too early. Musical theater numbers score: Pippin’s “War Is a Science”; Assassins’s chilling “Gun Song”; Hair’s “Easy to Be Hard.” Impressively impactful.
