THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter’s RED ROSES, GREEN GOLD is both exuberant and grating

The company of "Red Roses, Green Gold" at the Minetta Lane Theatre.

The company of Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter’s “Red Roses, Green Gold” at the Minetta Lane Theatre.

Last night, I caught Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter’s Red Roses, Green Gold – or as I like telling people, the Grateful Dead jukebox musical – at Off-Broadway’s classic Minetta Lane Theatre. I find reviewing this one kind of frustrating, as I liked much about it, while finding other elements nearly unforgivable.

First the good. The musical is exuberantly performed by a mostly young, fresh-faced, and multi-talented cast. Indeed, as with many musicals these days, these thespians are required to be singing, acting, dancing, and musical instrument-playing quadruple threats – and they do so with brio. It’s also nice to see a pretty diverse cast eagerly strutting the stage of the Minetta Lane. Also, much of Mr. Garcia and Mr. Hunter’s score, familiar to many in the small and enthusiastic audience last night, sound wonderful and right at home within the context of a live musical theater performance.

Now the ugly. This production is a clear example of how not to execute a sound design. The show, particularly during the musical segments, sounded extremely muddy (unfathomable in such a small space) – at times too loud, and the voices (many of them very attractive) were nearly always indecipherable and indistinguishable. Hopefully these sonic troubles were just an issue at last’s performance. However, the more fundamental flaw of Red Roses, Green Gold is Michael Norman Mann’s grating, juvenile book, which sets the songs to a loose plot set in 1920s Cumberland. The book’s inane onstage shenanigans nearly brings the whole endeavor down with it.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

 

RED ROSES, GREEN GOLD
Off-Broadway, Musical
Minetta Lane Theatre
2 hours, 15 minutes (with one intermission)
Through March 18

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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