A Story In Concert
The Rock and The Rabbi finds its best theatrical moment of synergy between song and story during "Big Fish/Little Fish." The Rabbi has had his hand in a bit of fishing success for Simon and his friends, and a light-hearted game of musical one-upmanship begins.
The other players, and I call them that because they're not just musicians but active participants in the story, compare the size of their catch through their solo instrument performances. One strums his bass guitar while another works the bellows of his accordian. It's a wildly entertaining moment with some fantastic goofiness interjected by percussionist Craig Uppercue.
Unfortunately, it's a high point not quite duplicated again.
The other players, and I call them that because they're not just musicians but active participants in the story, compare the size of their catch through their solo instrument performances. One strums his bass guitar while another works the bellows of his accordian. It's a wildly entertaining moment with some fantastic goofiness interjected by percussionist Craig Uppercue.
Unfortunately, it's a high point not quite duplicated again.
And Theme Remains
Instead, the show falls into a pattern of narration followed by song. And while each has moments of great effectiveness, they don't always blend as well as they could.
The actors are largely confined to their one area on the stage, and I found myself wanting to see the story come alive rather than simply hear it relayed through dialogue and music. I didn't miss the spectacle of flashy costumes or colorful set design; I missed the too infrequent moments of theatrical action once they passed.
The Rock and The Rabbi is in many ways a narrated concert rather than a traditional theatrical musical. But this is not to say the point of the story gets lost. It's an inspirational tale of devotion and faith, guilt and redemption, far from your typical robes and sandals bible story.
I suspect there will be some unhappy with the fact that it is undoubtedly a Christian-based production, and that's too bad in my humble opinion. Whatever a narrative's origins or the audience member's personal beliefs, engaging stories and inspirational themes still make good theatre.
The actors are largely confined to their one area on the stage, and I found myself wanting to see the story come alive rather than simply hear it relayed through dialogue and music. I didn't miss the spectacle of flashy costumes or colorful set design; I missed the too infrequent moments of theatrical action once they passed.
The Rock and The Rabbi is in many ways a narrated concert rather than a traditional theatrical musical. But this is not to say the point of the story gets lost. It's an inspirational tale of devotion and faith, guilt and redemption, far from your typical robes and sandals bible story.
I suspect there will be some unhappy with the fact that it is undoubtedly a Christian-based production, and that's too bad in my humble opinion. Whatever a narrative's origins or the audience member's personal beliefs, engaging stories and inspirational themes still make good theatre.
In the case of The Rock and The Rabbi, incredibly powerful and varied musical numbers do the bulk of the work in eliminating the need for theatrical spectacle. It is when the songs and the narrative join together in stage action that the production is most effective. Those are the times the audience forgets they're watching a story being painted on a blank canvas and instead concentrates only on the meaning of the story itself.
