FOR TONIGHT performed this afternoon at the Opera House, finishing up the Festival weekend.
The music is genre-defying, from a choral hymn to folk to the energetic, indie rock sound of the Gypsies. Composers Shenelle and Spencer Williams have created an amazing score, and music director, Drew Wutke, did a wonderful job bringing this music to life. Seriously, I have the lyrics to Mirela’s song, “Don’t Forget Me,” stuck in my head. And not only did I love the music, but I also felt like Whitney Rhodes, Spencer, and Shenelle created characters that denied any and all tropes they could’ve fallen into. Mirela plays a love interest, but her incredibly moving (and catchy) song, “Don’t Forget Me,” feels more like a dimensional power ballad than a simple love song.
This musical is complex, but I think I distill it to this: FOR TONIGHT is about finding a life that is more special than just a collection of activities. Hayden Parry, played by Tyler J. Whitaker, knows what it looks like to live without appreciation for life – he’s surrounded by people that do, from his brother, to his friend Winn, who he moves in with after journeying to Liverpool. Winn and his fellow dockworkers sing “Keeping Us Alive,” a song about work that does exactly what the title suggests – keeps them alive – but not much more. Hayden goes on his great quest for growth because he wants a life in which he can embrace the music, without having to “Keep It In” – another great number in the show.
Like “Keep It In,” most of the songs that begin as solo performances expand to include the entire ensemble. Even with the most personal of songs, by the end, each person in FOR TONIGHT is participating. I loved this unique pattern because I think it supports how universal the emotions portrayed are – it wasn’t just one character feeling them, but everyone in the show.
Director Joe Barros balanced the emotional journey of FOR TONIGHT with the physical one, as the characters developed with an exciting arc and the dance of the gypsies, choreographed by Joe, created the mystifying, vibrant world that Hayden longed to join.
Congratulations to the creative team and cast of this show! I hope I get another opportunity to see FOR TONIGHT again soon!
Goodspeed Geeks 