Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!
nytheatre.com review by Jo Ann Rosen
August 26, 2009
Turn to Danny Ashkenasi's Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!, a musical fable based on a story by Herman Melville, for something a little different. After all, isn't that what FringeNYC is all about?
Ashkenasi's 15 songs constitute the journey that Herman, a destitute gentleman in despair, takes. The quest is sparked by a glorious sound of a crowing cock. The sound trumpets throughout Herman's day and fills him with joy. Merrymusk, a poor man with a sickly wife and four dying children, owns the cock. He has done work for Herman but has not been paid. Herman, despite his lack of money, offers him a large sum for the cock, which he believes he could find, but Merrymusk refuses because the spectacular crowing relieves his wife and children of their misery.
The loose structure of Cock-A-Doodle-Doo! lends itself nicely to the medley of songs, one leading into the next with the four actors strolling around the stage picking up instruments as they double as musicians. Rachel Green plays a Gentleman (violin); Aaron DiPiazza appears as the plain-spoken Merrymusk (guitar and keyboard); Andrea Pinyan is Dun, the creditor (flute, trumpet); and Ashkenasi is the anti-hero, Herman (keyboard).
Under Nick Martorelli's direction, Cock-A-Doodle-Doo! concentrates more on relating the text of the parable, which is charming, than showcasing the actors' talents. This is not meant to downgrade their abilities. Only, there is an air of "acting class exercise" hovering around the supporting roles as when Green and Pinyan double as cows in a pasture chewing their cud. The music is simple and tuneful, although at times it drowns out the lyrics, particularly of Ashkenasi's Herman. Given the play's nature there is wiggle room to have some fun with this material, and Martorelli seems to be having it.
There are articles written about Melville witnessing his father's illness and subsequent fall into madness. Cock-A-Doodle-Doo! is loosely based on that. Ashkenasi, who wrote the book and music and added some lyrics to Melville's text, is an enthusiastic performer. He does give Herman a wild-eyed, frenzied manner, almost from the start, which locks him into a one-note performance. Nick Martorelli's direction could help build nuance. Even a madman has down time. There are moments that do shine. Ashkenasi actually beams when he sings "Shanghai," and Pinyan's backup vocals are beautifully plaintive in this number.
Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!, presented by Fredrick Byers Productions, does not pretend to be more than it is—a good night's story told in slightly more an hour.
