Anyone who cares about theater has probably at one point or the other—or many—over the last couple of decades bemoaned the state of the musical. This once-glorious American art form has been in critical condition for some time, and we need new musicals and musical-writing talent, stat! This year one of New York City's summer theater festivals is trying to do something about it. The Midtown International Theatre Festival, in residence on West 36th Street from July 14 to August 3, is focusing on new musicals—the first time the festival has had a "theme."
The MITF was founded four years ago as a less "downtown" complement, in terms of both geography and the nature of its plays, to the Fringe Festival. It's using two stages in the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex for its 23 productions, with performances starting at 4 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. on weekends. New musicals hold court on the main stage (although they're only a portion of the works in the festival).
So, what possibilities are emerging for the musical theater fan? I've seen four of the new musicals at the Midtown Festival, and my foremost observation is that composers are finding inspiration in a variety of sources. One of the shows comes from a children's book, another is a traditional musical with some basis in history, one has a completely original (and futuristic) story, and the other is abstract and esoteric.
Of the MITF musicals I saw, I'd consider The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen the most commercially viable, and the most enjoyable. Based on a 1991 children's novel by acclaimed fantasy writer Lloyd Alexander, Prince Jen has music by Seth Weinstein and book and lyrics by Brian Vinero (the two previously collaborated on a musical version of Thackeray's Vanity Fair that's been workshopped around town). Prince Jen is a fictional young Chinese monarch who embarks on a journey of personal growth and enlightenment, making friends and enemies along the way—not unlike Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, especially with the lesson learned at the end. The musical is performed at the festival as a concert staging, with scripts held and some props pantomimed but in full costume, including several beautiful robes. In the style of Chinese opera, the show employs masks for some roles, fans and parasols—and a narrator whose comments address the audience as well as frame the story (he requests cell-phone silence via a Confucius-like adage).
