FringeNYC 2013: Lydia and Tom: A New Musical

Review by Ethan Angelica · August 9, 2013

I love nothing more than sitting in the audience as a brand-new contemporary musical theater-writing duo showcases their first work to a willing and excited audience. That's exactly what I found at Lydia and Tom: A New Musical at FringeNYC. While clearly a show very much in its infancy, the production is a whole-hearted mounting and a beautiful showcase for its creators and performers. And it is definitely worth your time.

Lydia and Tom has the feel of a first-ever musical, written by some young 20-somethings who are sorting out what it means to live and love in early adulthood. And that's because it is. Composer Solomon Hoffman and writer Nick Parker are still students at Columbia, and, especially for their first foray outside the walls of academia, have shown that they know how to write great songs with a superb contemporary musical theater feel. This (basically) two hander is the tale of high school best friends who discover their friendship may be romance, or may be more than that. They grow up together, discover their passions, and ultimately realize that love is something that often requires more freedom than you expect. It reminded me very much of my first friendships and romances, and the charm and awkwardness of early adulthood is delightfully -- and honestly -- depicted.

Where the production falls short is in its thrust of story, and use of dance. Solomon and Parker have created a thoroughly complex musical, but have not provided enough connective tissues to fully integrate all of the story lines into the plot. Things move a little too haphazardly (the breakup number that shifts directly into an "I Love You" ballad seemed forced to me), and I never felt the satisfaction of understanding how everything I had seen fit together. A simpler, stronger through line would have helped elevate the already-extraordinary songs. Also, two dancers are used to express the internal thoughts of both Tom and Lydia. While this is frequently effective when they are given focus, their constant movement in the background often distracted me from the smart lyrics and nuanced performances, especially in smaller, simpler moments.

The team has clearly thrown their hearts into this show, and it shows. Director Alex Hare has provided a good pace and kept his actors simple and honest. Adrianna Aguilar's choreography (expertly performed alongside Zak Jacobs) is evocative and, when fully integrated into the story, adds intensity frequently lost in small cast musicals. Raquel Chavez and Sam Mickel both turn in top-notch performances as the title characters, and their voices are perfectly suited to the contemporary style of this show. As supporting ensemble, Rebekah Lowin and Jacob Samuels are a delight to watch. Jiin Choi's set design is ingeniously simple, and Lila Neiswanger is able to capture the mood with lighting that is at once suited for a play and a dance concert. Ilana Breitman’s costumes are perfect.

While Lydia and Tom is not yet a fully finished product, it is exactly the kind of thing that gets me excited about FringeNYC: brand-new theater artists from our city who show that they are here, they have something to offer, and they are ready to roll. Hoffman and Parker definitely know how to write musical theater songs for our time, and I am eager to see how they grow as they continue to refine their style and skill. They, and their entire team, are gems in the rough. Catch them now, so you can say you "knew them when."