For The Last Time
Off-Broadway at The Clurman Theatre
When you hear the buzz about a new musical with a jazz band, it’s hard to resist, so here I found myself on a drizzly Wednesday evening.
The story takes place in New Orleans in 1950. Miriam (Brittany Campbell) has moved to New Orleans to pursue a career as an artist. Her friend Hilda (Anita Welch) decides to join her to see if she might enjoy New Orleans and improve her own career as a writer.
Soon enters Kenyon (Carl Clemons-Hopkins), the resident “player”, and his sidekick, the mild mannered trumpeter Donatello (Britton Smith). Kenyon and Miriam are a bit of an item, and naturally they try and set up Donatello with Hilda. Things don’t move along exactly as planned when Miriam sees something special in Donatello and asks him to pose for her. Feelings are emerging between them, but Donatello sees something dark in Miriam’s past and starts asking questions. Miriam denies it and when he tries to comfort her, she sends him away.
The truth becomes known when a mystery man shows up a short time later, and it is revealed that Miriam’s sadness stems from sexual abuse from her own father. She believe this man, who was her Art Teacher and lover back in Chicago, had something to do with her fathers death, but he tells her it was suicide. Nonetheless, she senses grave danger from this man, and wants nothing to do with him. He leaves her with a warning that he will return.
In the next scene it’s Mardi Gras, and Kenyon opens his new club. There is lots of drinking, singing and dancing and everyone is in great spirits. The mystery man shows up and finds Miriam and Donatello together, and at the end of the first act, the mystery man is sent plummeting to his death.
Despite the dark themes, there is some extremely lively music, as well as some moving ballads that are sung by skilled and vibrant voices. The 8 piece jazz ensemble are impressive, and are smack in the middle of the simple set, which is two levels and creatively transforms from apartment, to club, to church and even a windmill.
In Act II we find Miriam and Donatello hooking up. Donatello emerges from the bedroom very troubled and if you weren’t sure before, you now know that he was responsible for the death of the mystery man, and cannot deal with it. Miriam tries to comfort him but he cannot live with what he has done and flees, to Miriam’s dismay.
On the other side of the stage Kenyon and Hilda are in a similar quandary. Kenyon has fallen for Hilda, but the only thing on her mind was the murder she just witnessed and how in her good conscious she going to live with this secret. She is angry and confused and seeks spiritual guidance.
Donatello finally returns to say goodbye, and tells everyone that he is just going to keep walking and do good deeds along the way. He wants to leave his trumpet with Kenyon for safekeeping, but he and Hilda have already packed their bags and are leaving New Orleans.
Donatello sings the title song “For the Last time” and the others soon join in. Miriam too has packed her suitcase, and everyone is ready to start a new life somewhere far away. The question is, will they ever get far enough away to escape the past?
There are optimistic voices coming from the basement of Theatre Row. Come and check out this soulful score and this talented cast of jazzmatastic voices. For tickets and more information visit http://forthelasttimemusical.com/tickets.php -ThisbroadSway 5/27/15