By William Wolf

JOHN & JEN  Send This Review to a Friend

It is easy to see why Kate Baldwin would want to star in this off-Broadway revival of the Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald musical “John & Jen” on the occasion of the show’s 20th anniversary, presented anew by Keen Company. The dual roles she plays are exceptionally demanding and provide her the opportunity to show what a great musical theater actress she is. The theater may be small, but the achievement is large.

Baldwin is also felicitously accompanied by Conor Ryan as her extremely personable co-star, who also plays two roles. They act and sing so superbly together in a production that I find among the most pleasurable this season. Jonathan Silverstein, Keen Company’s Artistic Director, deserves special credit for the intelligence and taste with which he has directed “John & Jen.”

The musical drama has much to say about family relationships between brother and sister and mother and son and how events affect them. It says it mostly through song, with a lovely score by Lippa and perceptive lyrics by Greenwald. The two collaborated on the very clever book.

I have to warn you against spoilers coming, but it is difficult to discuss the musical without telling you the basic trajectory. At the outset Baldwin plays Jen and Ryan is John, who are child brother and sister. Older actors playing kids can be excruciatingly unbelievable. But in this instance, thanks to the skill of Baldwin and Ryan, the characters are utterly charming as we see the beginning of their bonding together.

Gradually we watch them grow up and see the relationship as it evolves. The first act ends on a highly emotional note, and one who does not know the show may wonder, and perhaps correctly guess, what can come next.

In the second act, Baldwin is now a mother, and Ryan is her son. The dynamic has changed and once again, we see evolvement, under fresh circumstances, but with the built-in baggage of all that has gone before and new challenges.

The staging is always simple, abetted by Steven C. Kemp’s compact scenic design and Sydney Maresca’s costumes. I can’t stress sufficiently what satisfaction is to be derived from the work itself and from watching Baldwin, extremely attractive and with her gorgeous voice and acting ability, and good-looking Ryan, with his singing and acting ability and likability, bring the characters to pulsating life. At the Clurman Theatre, Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street. Phone: 212-239-6200. Reviewed February 27, 2015.

  

[Film] [Theater] [Cabaret] [About Town] [Wolf]
[Special Reports] [Travel] [HOME]