Will Van Dyke and Jeff Talbott
Crazy Rainbow Days: New Songs by Will Van Dyke & Jeff Talbott
Feinstein’s/54 Below, NYC, October 28, 2018
Reviewed by Chris Struck for Cabaret Scenes
The duo of Will Van Dyke and Jeff Talbott is a little bit quirky and a lot talented. In some ways, the quirk of their working relationship resembled a see-saw—when one floated down the other floated up, and both were needed. And in the wonderful world of Manhattan theater, where talent often attracts talent, it was especially exciting to see these two work with a fantastic cast to perform songs from their new musical, The Circle and The Wheel. As with all of the works in progress that I’ve seen, there were times when there were just a few too many lyrics in a song, but overall (with just enough context for the potential twists and turns of the show), these songs gave the performers chances to shine.
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The outstanding performances, in order of appearance, were by Orfeh, Annaleigh Ashford, Taylor Iman Jones, and Kate Baldwin. Orfeh’s rendition of “I Hate to Love You” stood out because her impressive voice and stage presence artfully distracted from the complicated lyrics. This combination made lyrics like “When I look into your eyes, I see you’ll never compromise, so it’s no surprise I hate to love you,” work in a spellbinding way. Ashford could have stolen the spotlight from the song she was singing, but a distracting little video was played during her performance.
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“The Snowman” would ring true to anyone who’s gone to school and disagreed with a teacher, and could have applied to many other situations. After the teacher chides the protagonist for making a snowman made of square bricks with “Listen up! Snowmen should be round,” the character’s mother comes along to tell him, “Go and make your snowman.”
The tone of Jones’ “It Doesn’t Have to Be Love” was similar to that of “I Hate to Love You.” Her stunning voice was a show all its own on one of many numbers about a no-nonsense approach to love. Yet lines like “no need for roses or poetry” could have been interpreted in many different ways, not just a as knock-your-socks-off beautiful vocal ballad. The balanced approach used by the accomplished Baldwin on her solo of “Monterey” made an escape to that city sound as enticing as sipping piña coladas and getting caught in the rain.
Over the course of the show, there were times when the writing impressed while at other times, the performer shined. In between songs, Talbott kept it going with light-hearted patter. For the finale, he sang “Love Each Day,” reminding the audience to keep happiness in their hearts.
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Joining pianist Van Dyke were Alec Berlin (guitar), Steve Gilewski (bass), Bryan Bisordi (drums), Monica Davis (violin), Jocelin Pan (viola), and Allison Seidner (cello). Van Dyke and Talbott’s musical could be on Broadway soon, so keep your eyes out for it.
