While Broadway Rose occasionally offers its audiences access to relatively unknown plays, their current production is a rare treat, allowing the cast, production team, and audience to participate in the literal evolution of a work on the long journey from concept to final product. Collaborators Dan Elish (book and lyrics) and Douglas J. Cohen (music and lyrics) have been sculpting Elish’s 2005 novel, Nine Wives, into a finished (at least, for now) musical for well over a decade, and the result is The Evolution of Mann. The show has had three previous titles, songs have come and gone, and the loveable sidekick has been changed from Glenn to Gwen on the winding road from first reading at Boston’s Emerson College to the Broadway Rose New Stage.
Through one 90-minute act with 13 musical numbers, the authors take us through the story of single, thirty-something aspiring playwright Henry Mann as he moves from the heartbreak of being dumped by his fiancé through a series of romantic missteps until he finds the path to potential happiness. The songs are fully integrated into a charming, often very funny script that’s just loaded with interesting takes on the rom-com clichés we know and love – the heartlessly materialistic ex(Sheila), the pushy momma, the sophisticated babe (Tamar), the sweet girl-next-door schoolteacher (Christine), and Gwen (my favorite), the level-headed lesbian roommate who offers wry advice and ultimately steers Henry in the right direction.
Courtesy of a poorly timed Covid exposure, for opening weekend the lead role of Henry Mann was filled by director Isaac Lamb rather than by Broadway Rose newcomer Richie Stone. While I was looking forward to seeing Richie do his thing, it was a treat to be able to watch Lamb step in – he has the voice, the look, and the stage presence, knew the songs, and as director was uniquely suited to step in at a moment’s notice. Richie is expected to be back on the boards by the second week of the run, where he will be able to rejoin the other two cast members, Kailey Rhodes and Kortney Ballenger.
Rhodes is a Company regular, with four previous Broadway Rose shows under her belt. Since she wears several hats, playing Sheila, Tamar, Christine, and an intergalactic Daisy Buchanan (I won’t try to explain this one – you’ll have to see it!) she carries part or all of 10 of the show’s 13 songs. She copes beautifully, changing her look, affect, and vocal styling constantly to fit the fast-moving script – and she is just ridiculously cute throughout. Rhodes’ delivery of “Tale of the Otter” ensures that the audience will be rooting for Christine, irrespective of Henry’s concern about her unibrow.
My hands-down favorite performer is Ballenger – she’s sincere, smart, and funny but never silly (except for the Gatsby cameo), absolutely slays the show’s most important song (“The Unromantic Things”), and nails her New York accent and over-the-top blonde wig as Henry’s classic Jewish mother. Since the program says she’s based in Middle Tennessee, we’re not likely to see her on local stages again – reason enough to check out The Evolution of Mann while you can.
Sean O’Skea’s scenic design plants us squarely in the heart of NYC, capturing a cartoonish quality that perfectly suits the tone of the show – and the clever use of the revolving stage means that the action never stops for scene changes; Carl Faber’s lighting design moves our attention smoothly from one setup to another while complementing the changing moods of the show.
The score is typical of lightweight musical comedies - conventional rom-com tunes built as a vehicle for Elish and Cohen’s witty lyrics. Music Director/pianist Darcy White, with cellist Dale Tolliver and Attila Csikos on guitar, move the show along seamlessly and provide an almost continuous soundtrack underscoring much of the dialogue as well as the formal musical numbers.
The Evolution of Mann will not change your life, teach you anything startlingly new about love, or alter your opinion of starving New York artist types. It will provide 90+ minutes of solid entertainment, deliver a lot of laughs, and make you reflect on what’s important in human relationships. Reason enough to go!
The Evolution of Mann is playing at Broadway Rose’s New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Avenue, Tigard through Sunday, October 16.
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