THE HANGOVER REPORT – Stephen Trask and Peter Yanowitz’s anticipated new musical THIS AIN’T NO DISCO is a tone deaf, unintentional parody

The Disco Ensemble of Stephen Trask and Peter Yanowitz's "This Ain't No Disco" at the Linda Gross Theater, courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company.

The Disco Ensemble of Stephen Trask and Peter Yanowitz’s “This Ain’t No Disco” at the Linda Gross Theater, courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company.

Last night, Stephen Trask and Peter Yanowitz’s anticipated new musical This Ain’t No Disco opened at the Linda Gross Theater, courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company. Set in 1979 New York City, it follows the trials and tribulations of a group of struggling artists and the fabled club scene (Studio 54, Mudd Club) that fueled it all. Think Rent meets Saturday Night Fever, and you’ll kind of get the picture.

Where to start. The main problem is the show’s tone – what should have been edgy, heightened, and sexy unfortunately comes across as clichéd and tired. I mostly blame director Darko Tresnjak, who aggravates the whole endeavor by giving us a superficial, woefully tone deaf staging that registers as an uneven, at times garish, parody (I suspect unintentionally) instead of a soulful portrait of a bygone era. It’s a shame since much of Mr. Trask and Mr. Yanowitz’s music is actually quite good, but their book (which was co-written by Rick Elice) and lyrics need to be rethought from the ground up. It’s bizarre that a creative team of this pedigree could have produced a musical so clueless. Perhaps too many cooks with divergent backgrounds in the kitchen?

I really can’t fault the pretty game, mostly young cast, many of them in possession of distinctive, even knockout sets of pipes. It was also a treat to watch them commit themselves to Camille A. Brown’s energetic, evocative choreography. Standouts for me were Samantha Marie Ware as a struggling, self-harming beat poet/singer and single mother, as well as Will Connelly’s The Artist (indisputably a stand-in for Andy Warhol); both at least struck some semblance of authenticity. Despite their best efforts, however, most of the other performances came across as painfully cartoonish caricatures.

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THIS AIN’T NO DISCO
Off-Broadway, Musical
Atlantic Theater Company at the Linda Gross Theater
2 hours, 20 minutes (with one intermission)
Through August 12

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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