“Who Murdered Love?” could sound like an existential query for our time, however on this case it’s the theatrical product of Lissa Moira and Richard West.
They took the germ of an thought relating to the rivalry of the Dadaists and the Surrealists and produced a “Surreal Noir Dadaist Mystery Musical”, within the phrases of Moira. And if that’s not sufficient, “it has a psychedelic atmosphere as well,” she provides.
Working with West, who she names as her “partner in life, love and art,” they’ve give you an amusing and bold pastiche of kinds.
One begins to get the thought of what they’re as much as fairly shortly simply scanning the characters’ names. You’ve obtained the detective Sleepy Sam Pace, his assistant Gail Friday, the blonde bombshell shopper Honey Potts, the artists André Ranton and Darcel Du Camp, in addition to the elusive titular character DaDa Love.
The entire thing had been percolating for 14 years now, when Moira and West first mounted the show on the Theater for the New Metropolis, the place it’s taking part in as soon as once more however in a a lot modified kind.
Whereas some issues have stayed the identical — Louisa Bradshaw is once more taking part in the Countess Analise, a half that Moira wrote particularly for her — the show has bloomed musically with the addition of a lot extra tunes. The numbers are a combo of Moira’s lyrics and West’s melodies, with some further melodic contributions from Bradshaw, Gregory Nissen and Peter Dizozza, who additionally serves as music director and piano accompanist.
Numbers vary from “Oh No She’s A Blonde” to “Green Fairy,” described by Moira as a “psychedelic madrigal.”
“In most musicals the songs push the plot forward, “ Moira notes. “But many of these songs serve to deepen the characters. I’m using the songs for dramatic effect.”
The drama and witty repartée is introduced by a properly chosen group, as Moira tells us that “I have an amazing cast — I’m thrilled with everyone!”
The actors have been seen on Broadway, Netflix, the Steve Harvey Show, Carnegie Corridor, community tv, American Idol, nationwide touring corporations and have movies whereas some have written their very own movies and musicals.
Moira, a playwright, screenwriter, director, artist and poet and West, a author, musician and actor have spectacular resumes as properly, having written and produced — individually and collectively — quite a few profitable Off-Off-Broadway exhibits similar to “Sexual Psychobabble” and “The Best Sex of the XX Century Sale.”
The entire shebang isn’t with out some severe undertones, as Moira explains. “One of the things that we are trying to say in it is, what hope is there for the world if sensitive artists with elevated sensibilities, like the Dadaists and the Surrealists, are sniping at each others backs ? If we can’t care for each other, how can everyone else?”
“Who Murdered Love?” runs by means of Feb. 19 on the Theater for the New Metropolis. Extra data right here: theaterforthenewcity.net/shows/who-murdered-love-2023