4 X 4 = 8 Musicals
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4 X 4 = 8 Musicals
Forget what you know about big, splashy musicals,…at least for one night cause we’ve shrunk them down to fit on a 4’ X 4’ stage! Taking inspiration from the long running dance series Ten Tiny Dances, this show features eight original 10-minute musicals presented on a dinky 4’ X 4’ stage. These minuscule-musicals are accompanied by a live band and will prove that more is less. Part of the Fertile Ground Festival 2012.
Directed by Diane Englert & Brandon Woolley
Music Directed by Darcy White
Curated by Mark LaPierre
4X4=8 Musicals:
Work Friends
A story of unrequited cubicle love.
Written by Aubrey Jessen and Mont Chris Hubbard
New York Minute
The Subway is the great socio-economical equalizer. Now DANCE.
Written by Mark LaPierre
The Daydream Meanderings of the 27th Floor Data Entry Clerk
Her morning elevator ride includes fights for her honor, declarations of love and an unkillable, evil, slutty woman determined to ruin Sally's life.
Written by Valory J. Lawrence and Kurt Misar
Truth and Justice
What is truth and justice according to Adolf Hitler, Menachem Begin, Yasser Arafat and Anwar Sadat?
Written by Michael Allen Harrison
Crownheads
It is down to the nail-biting final three at the Miss Oregon Pageant. Follow Misses North Tualatin, Stumptown, and The Dalles as they grapple with increasingly high stakes and their own crown-centric ambitions. Who will win?
Written by Chanda Hall
Wishes of Eternity
A group of misfits join together to find community, acceptance, and 15 minutes of fame.
Written by Diane Englert and Jeffrey Kauffman
Young Flukes In Love
Fluke and Fleia are in love, and in a Boarder Collie, "Young Flukes In Love" is their musical comedy.
Written by Reece Marshburn and Sam Gregory
Occupy My Heart
Can a riotous heart be fenced in?
Written by Cameron McFee and Connery MacRae -
Performance Dates
Jan 26, 2012 7:30pm
Jan 27, 2012 7:30 pm
Jan 28, 2012 7:30 pm
Location
2257 NW Raleigh St.
Portland, OR
97210
Map
Reviews
4x4=8. Yes, they know the math is wrong, but the title is still apt. Live on Stage Productions’ contribution to the Fertile Ground festival consists of eight short musicals, each performed on a 4-foot by 4-foot stage. The idea was hatched by longtime Ten Tiny Dances lighting designer Mark LaPierre, who thought the small-stage concept would translate well to musical theater. He’s right, mostly. As with Ten Tiny Dances, the pieces succeed best when they don’t take themselves too seriously and use the space constraints to their advantage.
The majority of the eight mini-musicals that make up the evening achieve this; we’re treated to love stories set in a subway car, an elevator, and even—in a silly but fun duet by two liver flukes—in the dark of a dog’s belly. We hear a torch song titled “Occupy My Heart” sung by a protestor for his sociology classmate turned protest leader. Subway commuters turn into go-go backup dancers in “New York Minute,” the best-choreographed piece of the night. Chandra Hall’s excellently scored “Crownheads” features overlapping musical monologues by Miss Oregon finalists from Stumptown, The Dalles and North Tualatin. The best piece of the night is “Work Friends,” written by Aubrey Jessen and Mont Chris Hubbard, in which two Viking-loving cubiclemates (played by Joshua Stenseth and Matt Sa) consider taking their bromance beyond the office while toying with office supplies. The only major flop of the night is a piece that brings Yasser Arafat, Anwar Sadat and Adolf Hitler together to sing about truth and justice. It’s nearly impossible to understand a word of the dialogue through the thick affected accents, and the staging doesn’t help.
The ensemble cast appear in multiple pieces, singing their hearts out and having at least as much fun as the audience members. Notably outstanding performances include the very adept Joshua Stenseth and Rebecca Teran, whose solo in “Work Friends” nearly steals the show. Audrey Voon is equally captivating in very different roles as a bright-eyed jock discovering her beauty in “Crownheads” and as an annoyingly perky secretary in “The Daydream Meanderings of the 27th Floor Data Entry Clerk.” Let’s hope we get to hear more of her voice onstage soon.
SEE IT: 4x4=8 Musicals plays 7:30 pm Friday-Saturday, Jan. 27-28 at The CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St.. Tickets $25 at liveonstage.us.
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