Reviewed by Judd Hollander
Juxtaposed with these situations are ones that examine those who exist on the fringes of society, a place where hope has long since become a thing of the past and simply making it through the night can require the sacrifice of ones very soul. These are folks Larson himself could have seen during the years he lived in Greenwich Village.
The final third of the show assumes a more political bent, with offers that run the gamut from over-the-top satire, such as a skit focusing on the creation of the perfect candidate, to something far more grounded in reality, as when two women compare notes about what it takes to make it in a “White Male World.” Also explored is the fragility of our environment, via the almost dirge-like “Iron Mike,” about the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, along with the ultimate question of who you can trust, especially when everyone seems to have their own personal version of the truth. It also helps that the show’s program contains background information on each of the numbers presented, which help to provide an extra layer of depth and understanding as to their origins.
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Conceived by Jennifer Ashley Tepper, directed by John Simpkins and presented with the support of the Larson family and estate, many of the songs have an almost poetical feel to them as they pull the audience into the stories being told and the characters who inhibit them. Highlights, in addition to those already mentioned, include the ironically named “Valentine’s Day,” which shows how a desperate need for love can lead to a path from which there may be no escape.
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The cast is excellent, with each member of the company getting their own individual moment to shine. Also deserving of mention is the choreography by Bryon Easley, and Charlie Rosen’s work on the musical arrangements and orchestrations.
The show also contains an overall air of poignancy as it recalls, via video clips, the circumstances surrounding Larson’s passing. He died in 1996 of an aortic dissection on the early morning of the first scheduled preview performance for the Off-Broadway run of his musical “Rent,” for which he wrote the book, music and lyrics. “Rent” would earn Larson, among other honors the Pulitzer Prize, and when the show moved to Broadway, three Tony Awards.
Previously staged as a concert in 2018, the show pays its subject the ultimate compliment when it notes how not a word of what Larson has written was changed for this production.
With songs that runs a gamut of styles and emotions, The Jonathan Larson Project proves to be a wonderfully entertaining, totally infectious and extremely thought-provoking experience.
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