This Has NOTHING To Do With Tennessee Williams, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  When I hear the name of Elysian Fields, I think of Stanley and Stella Kowalksi.  Isn't that where they lived, or at least nearby?  Imagine my surprise, when I heard it in this new musical, that the name comes from Homer's "The Odyssey" (which I have not read since high school) and refers to a place at the West end of Earth where men can inhabit freely.  Sounds good to me.  At one time, Manhattan seemed to be that.  But now...............

                                     Alas, if only I could dwell on the above and not have to talk about this new musical, also titled "Elysian Fields," and written by Steve Fisher and Marc Fliedner.  It played in the John Cullum Theatre at the American Theatre Of Actors, and this was its closing performance.  They have come up with an interesting premise--what if Abraham Lincoln had a gay relationship with Joshua Speed, meanwhile following two present day gay men named Abraham and Joshua.   It is a great idea, but like many great ideas it fails to work, not because of lack of the librettists' talent, but because they have tried to cram too much, musically and dramatically, into this show.

                                        Had the show been split into two acts, one centering on Lincoln and Speed, the other on Abraham and Joshua, this could have been a good show.  The composer and lyricist have a sense of musicality and melodic structure that gives the show some potential.  But the show is mired down in the concept of time travel, which I never fully grasped, and want to cover present day issues like civil and gay rights.  One could build shows on those issues alone.  Here, too many ingredients cause the soup to boil over.

                                          Cut, cut, cut, that is what the show needs.  Refigure it into the two-act concept I suggested, get rid of the ensemble, so Andres Coopman can provide more varied choreography and cohesive direction, and center it on the story of the two sets of Abrahams and Josuhas.

                                             By the way, the actors playing those roles, Harrison Drake and Casey A. Johnson are amazingly good.  Centering on them would give them more talent to display and keep this show on track, which it badly needs.  Drake is the hottest Abraham Lincoln I have seen, and that helps a lot.  Johnson as Joshua is cute-ish, but I wonder how the relationships would work.

                                             In any case, there is hope. "Elysian Fields" was a workshop production, an Equity showcase, so more work can be done on it.  If my suggestions are followed, the show could be on its way to a moderate success.

                                              Oh, and three hours is much too long, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!