Review: The Flood

The new musical The Flood probably will never be a big-time Broadway musical with razzle-dazzle and big-name stars. That's why it's not to be missed in it's current production by Prospect Theater Company. There are some stellar performances, like Jennifer Blood as a young mentally challenged girl trying to find her footing, and some not-so-great performances as well, but the thing that makes this production soar is it's beautiful score by Peter Mills & Cara Reichel. The songs range from podunk-charming (one is titled, "Hell, We're American") to majestic, and infuse the story with an emotional modesty and truth that makes the audience easily sympathetic to what is basically a small, naiive, red-state town on the brink of disaster, with no one but nature and a short-sighted Mayor to blame.

From the outside, the stories are laughably typical. A high-school couple struggles with decisions about their future together, and whether they should stay in the small town they were raised in, or sow their oats somewhere more glamorous. An farmer proposes to his long-time girlfriend, the local schoolteacher. The mayor is trying to run the family shop, but his son is a rebel with a temper who makes things difficult. These stories are far from new, but the delicacy and specificity with which they are written and performed makes them interesting all over again.

Rather than try and force the audience to find what is old new, the musical celebrates what is traditional, while also questioning traditions that go unchecked. The show opens with a humble yet proud song all about the history of this small town, but once the flood hits and everything is washed away, there is a sense of rebirth amidst the sadness and loss. Also admirable is the utter lack of "poor us, our houses are underwater" self-indulgence that one expects in a showcase production about a national disaster. One of the most moving points is when a character returns to her wrecked house, full of water, and notices how of her many posessions, "it's amazing the things that float."

Moxie hopes someone takes note of The Flood and works to develop it, as there are many aspects worthy of the New York theater world's attention. In the meantime, it's running through November 19th.