THE HANGOVER REPORT – Pipeline’s new musical FOLK WANDERING is soulful, if in need of further shaping

The company of Pipeline Theatre Company's "Folk Wandering" at A.R.T.

The company of Pipeline Theatre Company’s “Folk Wandering” at the Mezzanine Theatre at A.R.T.

I recently caught Folk Wandering, a new musical from the young, ambitious folks at Pipeline Theatre Company at the Mezzanine Theatre at A.R.T., a wonderful new theater complex in Hell’s Kitchen. I recall being impressed by and having a great time at their inventive, environmental staging of Dave Malloy’s Rasputin musical (!) Beardo, which was staged in a church in Brooklyn. With Folk Wandering, Pipeline is once again attempting to push musical theater forward, albeit in a more subtle way.

In form, the piece calls to mind the trailblazing concept musicals of Stephen Sondheim. Folk Wandering is comprised of essentially a trio of seemingly unrelated but structurally interlocked mini-musicals about three women during various points in our country’s history. Over the course of the show, a common notion emerges – that of the constantly searching, wandering spirit inherent in the human spirit. It’s a worthy topic, universal and certainly soulful. Luckily, many of the show’s songs, written by a rather large set of contributors, is musically accomplished; it’s pretty impressive that such a cohesive score was the result of such a collaboration.

However, I had some small misgivings. Despite a number of beautiful and touching moments scattered throughout, I felt that the show could use more cohesion and shaping. Indeed, the show almost seems to accidentally stumble upon these moments. With more elbow grease from its creators, the show has the potential to be a really be a nuanced, emotional stunner. And although the cast was generally very good, it was obvious that some performers exuded more talent than others. On the whole though, Folk Wandering is a fascinating new musical – one that deserves to be realized further.

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FOLK WANDERING
Off-Broadway, Musical
Pipeline Theatre Company
1 hour, 40 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 25

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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