FringeNYC 2013: Save The Date: A Wedding Road-Trip Musical
Emily and her gay BFF Alex can't understand why, at 27, everyone they know is getting married! A chaotic journey to Emily's ex's wedding tests their friendship. While everyone else is getting their lives together, why are they falling apart?
Official production websiteShow details/ticketing at FringeNYC
Review by Mary Beth Smith · August 16, 2013
Early on Saturday morning, wedged into the middle seat of a rental car from Queens, I traveled down to New Hope, PA for the wedding of two dear friends. Flashback to the previous night when I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of Save the Date written by Gregory Jacobs-Roseman--a musical about weddings, friendships, and being at an age when it seems that everyone you know is getting married. The irony is not lost on me.
The story centers around Emily (played by Kristine Reese), a woman living in New York alongside three college friends. As we learn from the opening number, they have attended an exorbitant amount of weddings for almost everyone they know. We quickly discover that Emily (and the others) have been invited to Emily’s ex- boyfriend Michael’s wedding. We follow Emily’s journey from New York to Santa Barbara as she grapples with her feelings for Michael. On this journey we have Alex, the gay best friend (played by Noah Zachary), Jane (Barrett Wilbert Weed) who is entirely jaded by love, and Tina (Victoria Britt) who has been planning her wedding since she was a small child and fully believes in soul mates. These four characters create a hilarious tale as they each face their own relationship pasts and what it means for their future.
The strengths of Save the Date rely heavily on the actors involved. The four main characters are wonderful comedians. From slap-stick to sarcasm each one brings their own unique sense of comic timing to the story. The fights between the characters are a part of the game they are playing with each other and the relationship dynamics between them makes the audience believe they’ve been having the same conversations, fights, and drunken nights together for years. They are able to create a team that both plays against each other and for each other throughout the play.
While the strengths are many (acting, creative staging, lighting design, etc) there are a few weaknesses to also note. The music, while incredibly catchy becomes indistinguishable as the show continues on. The amount of songs and the repetitive nature of each one causes the show to drag about half way through, leaving the audience itching for something different. This speaks to a bigger issue with the story itself--it is not new or unexpected. It says nothing unique about weddings, or marriage, or being single in New York. In short, while Save the Date has a lot of heart it simply needs a bigger voice.
Save the Date is the perfect example of what a FringeNYC show should be. It is polished, well produced, and creatively staged. However it is also clear that this is the first production and that the musical itself will most likely go through a few more versions before finding the perfect balance of comedy and song. As Save the Date finds its voice it surely has a long performance history in its future.
Preview: Interviews with Artists from Save The Date: A Wedding Road-Trip Musical
We're asking artists from each show to answer questions about themselves and their work to help our readers get a detailed advance picture of the festival:
Gettin' Social · Patty (Actor)
- Do you prefer to read plays by yourself, read them aloud, or perform them?
All of the above! Reading a play lets the story unfold in your mind however you allow it to. Reading it out loud can clarify the characters that your mind has created. Performing allows people (instead of, you know, just your cat) to join you in your fantasy land. The audience/actor relationship is magical. - Where do you spend more time: on Facebook, on Twitter, or on stage?
I want to say stage, but the answer is Facebook. Maybe that should be my new life goal. Spend more time on stage than on Facebook. Twitter still makes me nervous. I'm not famous enough for anyone to care what I ate for lunch or want to see a duck-face selfie. - Why should your friends “like” this show?
It's hysterical. Bottom line. Your cheeks will hurt from smiling when you leave this show. Its smart, witty, and the songs will be in your head for weeks after you see it...#sorrynotsorry Also, I'm in it, isn't that reason enough? - What’s your character’s twitter hashtag?
#multiplepersonalitydisorder - Describe your show in a tweet (140 characters or less).
Friends becoming family amidst airport debacles, too many shots, crazy family members, and changing dreams. Dare you not to pee your pants. How many characters is that? Oh God, so much pressure! Twitter gives me hives!
The Five W's · Nikki Bosso (Designer)
- Who is more important in the theater: the actor, the playwright, or the director?
Although I believe that all of these roles are essential to a successful show, I definitely think that the director is the most important. Speaking as a designer, the director's vision is the starting point for my job. The ability of a director to not only motivate and guide their actors and designers, but also to create an entirely new world for the audience to lose themselves in is the most exciting thing about theater. - What aspects of design are you responsible for, and what exactly does that entail? Please be specific, e.g., if you’re the sound designer, what are the things that the audience will experience that you’re responsible for?
I am responsible for the costume design and styling, and with that comes the task of creating that distinct first impression that the audience gets when meeting the characters. To make a show truly believable the actors can't appear to be actors playing a character, they need to encompass their characters and I believe that costumes are an essential part of that development. - Where do you get inspiration for your designs?
People. Living in New York, you interact with swarms of people on a daily basis and to create characters, you have to study human beings, how they dress, how they use their clothing to show people who they are, what they like. You have to study people to create people. - When did you know you wanted to work in the theater, and why?
I grew up in a very musical family. My mother majored in music and had an absolute love forums oval theater. I grew up to love those things as well and really appreciate everything that went into them. When I discovered that I loved fashion and had no talent whatsoever for acting, I figured ou t exactly what I wanted to do with my life. - Why is your design discipline important?
Costumes are incredibly important because they are one of those things that really make a show believable, making a character move from paper into a human being on stage. They make them into concrete people in their own world rather than actors playing their roles on a stage.
Theater Beats Movies · Rachel James (Other)
- Is there a particular moment in this show that you really love or look forward to? Without giving away surprises, what happens in that moment and why does it jazz you?
Our main character, Emily, has a very lively imagination, so her numbers can go to epic places. When Emily receives the save the date for her ex-boyfriend's wedding, she dreams up this crazy scenario of who his fiancee is, how they met, and how tacky and insane their wedding will be. The number is called "That's How It Happened" and it's my favorite number in the show! - Does a video trailer help promote your show?
I think sometimes it can and sometimes it doesn't matter. For live theatre, especially downtown, word of mouth from people whose opinions I trust and respect will sway me more than video promotion. - What things does live theater allow you to do that you can’t do in movies?
Live theatre trusts and respects the audience more. Especially in a festival setting with so many shows sharing one space, there are limited resources for what can be brought in. The audience comes on the journey with us and we trust their imaginations to fill in the blanks. - People who like which of the following recent movies would also probably like your show: BOOK OF PI, LINCOLN, BRIDESMAIDS, MAN OF STEEL?
BRIDESMAIDS! Wedding? Check. Comedy? Check. Wilson Phillips? Well, we're a musical... - Why should audiences see live theater instead of just watching videos on the internet?
People. Yes, there's a lot of funny stuff on the internet. But you're alone. There's nothing like the shared experience of an audience watching live performers tell a story.
The Folks Back Home · Nikki Rothenberg (Director)
- When did you decide to become a director, and who or what inspired you to make that choice?
When I was in high shool, each year the seniors in the theater department were allowed to co-direct a children's show. There were, I think, 8 of us, and we did The Jungle Book. That was the first time I directed anything, and I loved it. - Who are your role models as a director?
When I was 14 I was really into The Lion King on Broadway, and it was the first time I was introduced to Julie Taymor. I just thought then, and still do now, that everything she does is so interesting and cool. Our styles might not be extremely similar - due to the lack of giant puppets in my work - but I still think what she does is great. Even Spiderman, despite its multitude of problems, the idea is still so cool! It is a musical about superheroes! What else do you want?? - Which word best describes how you think the folks back home would react to this show: SHOCKED, PROUD, THRILLED, DELIGHTED, ANNOYED. Why?
I liked that "annoyed" is an option. I assume most will be delighted, but I'm sure someone will be annoyed. - What are the folks back home never going to forget about this show?
The flock of 12 real live peacocks we have strutting around the stage! Oh no, wait, sorry, the songs. - If grandma left you ten million dollars that you had to spend only on theatrical endeavors, how would you use the money?
To purchase a theater and start a company that performs musicals, shakespeare, farces, and staged versions of 90's TV shows, starring hopefully AT LEAST one of the original cast members in each. Jodie Sweetin, I'm looking at you!
All About My Show · Gregory Jacobs-Roseman (Writer)
- Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
was written by me? JK. This is difficult to answer because I don't know the other shows yet. I will simply predict that we've probably set the record for amount of swear words in a musical. - What do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
The show focuses on the friendship between a straight woman and a gay man and how that friendship changes from college to adult life. Just because they were "besties" when they were 20, does that mean they're still meant to be friends as they turn 30? Is it weird for them to be so co-dependent at that age? Is it keeping them from finding love? Can a friendship grow toxic as we age? In addition to focusing on the friendship of the two main characters, the show also is about growing up and coming of age. These characters are already adults, but they're not truly "grown up" yet. Like the TV show "Girls" the story takes place during that time of stasis between 22 and 30: that time after you graduate college but before you truly have your life together. The story also focuses on what it means to commit. These are characters on the outside looking in when it comes to marriage. They're at the age when everyone around them is committing their lives to someone else. They can't seem to do the same for some reason. It's not that they don't want to, it's just that they're scared. - Why did you want to write this show?
This show is actually based on personal experience. It largely follows actual events that happened to myself and my then best friend in 2006. I just thought this ridiculous screwed-up trip we had taken was so bizarre and epic in scale that it needed to be told onstage. And because emotions were so high it definitely needed to be sung. - Who are some of the people who helped you create this show, and what were their important contributions to the finished product?
I initially conceived it as a four-actor extended musical sequence song called "You Can Count On Your Friends, or How I Got To Michael's Wedding" for a cabaret of mine called "Cold Turkey: The Songs of Gregory Jacobs-Roseman" back in 2008. After that show, our director, Nikki Rothenberg (who also directed "Cold Turkey") approached me and said: you need to expand that into a full musical. She's been my collaborator from the very beginning, and the show would not be what it is without her. There have also been so many generous actor friends who have donated their time for past demo recordings and readings -- too many to list here, but I'm so grateful for all they've done to help me develop the piece. - Which character from a Shakespeare play would like your show the best: King Lear, Puck, Rosalind, or Lady Macbeth -- and why?
I'm embarrassed to admit I need to brush up my Shakespeare. My friends give me crap for not knowing his work as well as I should. Off of this list, I'd probably say Puck, but really it would be Falstaff or Sir Toby because there's a lot of drinking in the show.
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