Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Adam Seidel’s promising ORIGINAL VOICE takes a glimpse of the music industry

• By drediman
• May 23, 2019
• No Comments

Jane Bruce and Sebastian Chacon in Adam Seidel’s “Original Sound” at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Photo by Russ Rowland.

I recently had a chance to take in Adam Seidel’s Original Sound at Off-Broadway’s Cherry Lane Theatre. Mr. Seidel’s promising new play refreshingly takes on a topic that isn’t regularly explored in theater by depicting the process by which new songs within the merciless machine that is today’s pop music industry are created. The piece primarily tells the story of two young musicians – one with everything to lose (Ryan, an established pop star who has run out of inspiration) and the other with everything to gain (Danny, a talented but inexperienced upstart) – who have the opportunity to form a special collaboration and create some exciting music.

Under the swift and confident direction of Elena Araoz, Original Sound is polished and engaging. However, Mr. Seidel’s play feels, at least at this juncture, somewhat under-baked. That’s not to say that it’s bad; Original Sound has a number of things going for it. The outline of a great play is there (including a genuinely fascinating plot twist), and the playwright has a knack for writing snappy, assured dialogue. That being said, the play could benefit from the inclusion of a number of additional scenes so as to more fully flesh out the story and the relationships among its characters. As it stands, there are too many gaps, which prevents audiences from fully immersing themselves in the play’s world.

Happily, the performances are very good. As Danny, Sebastian Chacon is convincing, bringing an unvarnished charm and real passion to the role. As the jaded Ryan, Jane Bruce is pitch-perfect and also possesses a legit, killer pop voice. In addition, the play features a few secondary roles that are unfortunately as yet a bit underwritten; they’re nevertheless gamely performed. Most notable is the presence Wilson Jermaine Heredia – Rent’s Tony-winning original Angel – who brings welcome complexity to the role of Danny’s sketchy father, despite being introduced far too late in the story.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

ORIGINAL SOUND
Off-Broadway, Play
Cherry Lane Theatre
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 8