THE HANGOVER REPORT – Dave Malloy’s singular GHOST QUARTET haunts Next Door at NYTW

Brittain Ashford and Gelsey Bell in Dave Malloy's "Ghost Quartet" at Next Door at NYTW.

Brittain Ashford and Gelsey Bell in Dave Malloy’s “Ghost Quartet” at Next Door at NYTW.

I recently caught the inaugural performance at New York Theatre Workshop’s intimate 65-seat black box Next Door at NYTW space, a remounting of Dave Malloy’s singular song cycle, Ghost Quartet. This marked my third viewing – after having seen it at the Bushwick Starr and the McKittrick Hotel (home of Sleep No More, appropriately) – of this loopy, evocative “musical”. I’m happy to report that the piece in this most intimate of incarnations is the most impressive I’ve seen it, retaining its quirky, dark magic, while being performed more confidently than ever (Brent Arnold, Brittain Ashford, Gelsey Bell and Mr. Malloy have all performed in Ghost Quartet‘s previous runs).

Mr. Malloy’s eclectic score is a spectral delight that grows upon repeated listens. In particular, his lyrics are elegant and pungent, playfully descriptive and rich in detail. These songs form a beguiling web of loosely interrelated characters universes, mostly related to musings on the notion of the “ghost”. What’s made playfully clear when watching Ghost Quartet, at least to me, is the gorgeous idea that performance, in its ephemerality, is by definition ghostly.

I’m also happy to report that the quartet of performers have noticeably grown in confidence since blazing on Broadway in Mr. Malloy’s game-changing Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. Ghost Quartet, especially the women, is now performed with a sexy aggressiveness that I don’t think was the case before. It’s exciting to see the song cycle take on this different hue. If you can still snag a ticket to this one, I’d highly encourage you to do so, especially if you weren’t able to catch it before. It’s the ideal Halloween entertainment.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

GHOST QUARTET
Off-Broadway, Musical
Next Door at NYTW
1 hour, 35 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 5

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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