I’m in a troubling position. I have to review what I feel is the worst show I’ve seen so far this year, a task in which I would normally partake gleefully. But
this time, I hate to do it, because it’s a world-premiere musical by a local playwright who obviously worked very, very hard on the final product. The creator of the show may read this, feelings may be hurt and, worse, I don’t have anything constructive to say about a show that is beyond repair.
The show is “See Jane Run!,” which is enjoying its premiere through Aug. 14 atActor’s Playhouse in Coral Gables. In this revue of short musical numbers and sketches, Maribeth Graham (who wrote the lyrics and cowrote the book), Irene Adjan and Jeni Hacker bounce around the stage breathlessly and energetically, changing characters on a dime. The show is intended to be an all-encompassing look at the complex, harried 21st century woman, but the end result, despite some peppy song numbers, is a real drag: an hour-and-a-half-long mid-life crisis that’s as disconnected as it is derivative.
Part of the problem is simply a lack of editing. The show has a whopping 31 songs/sketches in all, from a tribute to Michelle Obama to a secret lesbian affair to a feminist book signing to a series of first dates. And in an absence of quality control, the 90 minutes feel twice as long as they are. Some of the songs are not bad, if lyrically predictable – opening tune “Periodically” shows some promise (and it sticks in the head), as does “Paul Today,” a moving number about day-to-day life with a wheelchair-bound husband.
But most of the time, frankly, I wanted to walk out – like three patrons did at the show I attended last weekend, after a particularly crass song about a psycho woman stalking her ex with a shotgun. Humor is subjective, of course, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I didn’t laugh even once – and this show had many, many intended jokes (including a skit about a suburban housewife who administers phone sex while folding laundry, played as if this cliche had never been done before). If the drama fares slightly better, it proves difficult to really latch on to any of the dramatic concepts, because once we do, the show has already whizzed onto the next setup.
One aspect of the show that can’t be criticized is the acting. Graham sings her words with gusto, Adjan is a delight to watch as usual and Hacker is the best of them all, hitting the most powerful high notes and finding her characters’ emotional centers with a performance that exceeds the middling material she’s given. “See Jane Run!” is not ready for prime time, and may never be, but these three ladies again show us why they deserve the spotlight.
“See Jane Run!” is at Actor’s Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables, through Aug. 14. Tickets are $44 to $52. Call 305/444-9293 or visit www.actorsplayhouse.org.
