The face of this two-man<\/a> band lacks much conviction to join the fight, smitten as he is with his pianist (Jeremy Cohen). Sam Bolen, who co-conceived the new musical with writer-composer Mark Sonnenblick, narrates the story with remarkable stamina and a honeyed voice. Though for the better part of this 90-minute show, being in love seems to be his character\u2019s only trait \u2014 until losing that love takes over.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n What little conflict arises in the meantime has to do with his lover\u2019s severe fixation on respectability \u2014 setting himself apart from downtown queer riffraff inside his vintage tux. Of course, both characters already enjoy every advantage of being white men<\/a> with means, a privilege briefly acknowledged but hardly interrogated here. There\u2019s not much sting to the adversity they do face, which only highlights the unseen cruelties that fell upon many others less fortunate. History has tended to focus on the latter for good reason. Heartbreak is a drag, but there are worse things. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The many ways to say \u2018I love you\u2019 drive Sonnenblick\u2019s loungey jazz score, inspired by the American Songbook and orchestrated by a top-notch onstage band. One particularly clever number turns the frequent nuisance of police raids into an upbeat ode called \u201cMy Boy in Blue,\u201d with wry asides like, \u201cI don\u2019t know I just him so\u2026 arresting.\u201d Max Friedman directs the York Theatre Company production tucked into the lower level of Saint Peter\u2019s Church, a setting that ultimately lends the story\u2019s celestial bent an uncanny resonance.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n What happens when you realize \u201cyour whole life was just a rehearsal for your memory\u201d? At its most profound, Sonnenblick\u2019s musical explores the penumbras suggested by its title, which refers to the time and location of the duo\u2019s act: midnight, the tipping point between one day and the next, and a bar called the Never Get, an allusion to perpetual unfulfillment. Every experience is always in the process of turning the corner into memory. Including, and perhaps most indelibly, the kind of love that makes you sing.<\/span><\/p>\n Recent theatre features\u2026 Follow Naveen Kumar on Twitter: @Mr_NaveenKumar The post Gay Romance Blooms Atop a Baby Grand in New Musical \u2018Midnight at the Never Get\u2019 \u2014 REVIEW<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/em>(photos: carol rosegg)<\/p>\n