Saxe and the City: The Music and Lyrics of Peter Saxe
The Duplex, NYC, September 20, 2019
Reviewed by Chris Struck for Cabaret Scenes
Saxe and the City was not a spoof on Sex and the City, even though you could be forgiven for thinking it was. Actually, it was the final show of IndieWorks Theatre Company’s inaugural summer lineup. In many ways, this show went over well with the audience, who were likely drawn to the consistently fun atmosphere that appears to be a theme of IndieWorks. Saxe and the City delivered plenty of laughs alongside the more serious efforts presented by the performers. For this show, a quartet of performers shuffled through the various themes and seasons in a song cycle revolving around a year in the life of Peter Saxe (pictured) and his friends. Each performer had shining moments, both emotional and comedic. For example, during an “audition season 8-bar section,” one of the performers sang a tale in which “Boy meets Girl, but then something wasn’t quite right. Boy loses Girl then meets Boy.”
Meghann Reynolds set the tone early and often, performing “My Own Valentine” exceptionally well, singing, “For singles like me, a chocolate or two/Godiva is best, but Hershey’s will do” before adding, “I am my own Valentine.” Russell Fischer performed a moving rendition of “Hold Me in Your Arms” expressing the hope that the first night of a fling would be the of beginning of something. That’s a theme that can really resonate to people in and out of relationships. Along the same vein of diving into something, Sierra Rein’s convincing performance of “I Leap” showed off her diverse range when she sang, “It’s all up to me, here on the ledge, I pledge to make that Le—ap.” As she shied away from diving off and then followed through with that intention later in the song, we could really feel the character grow. Likely the funniest performer of them all for his comedic timing and good humor was Matthew Condello. His performance of “If I Were a Twink” was both believable and saucy. Mixing the song’s naughty humor with the desire for appreciation evident in both the lyrics and the singer’s acting, Condello performed Saxe’s song wonderfully.
Pay attention to IndieWorks which has a new musical, The Giant Hoax, coming to theater row this November.