THE RASCALS: ONCE UPON A DREAM written by Steven Van Zandt, lyrics and music by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati (Mirvish). At the Royal Alexandra (260 King West). Runs to Aug 25, $25-$99. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com. Rating: NN
If you’re a fan of the 60s band the Rascals, go hear them revive their hits at the Royal Alex. But don’t call it theatre.
Conceived and writen by Steven Van Zandt, it’s really a cross between a concert film and an arena show. All attempts at theatricality are pathetic.
Original band members Eddie Brigati (vocals), Felix Cavaliere (keyboard, vocals), Gene Cornish (guitar) and Dino Danelli (drums) trot out the tunes, sometimes in three-song segments, backed mostly by old-school psychedelic images, animated sequences and archival photos. Occasionally, for reasons I can’t comprehend, clips from 30s Hollywood films appear.
Structurally, it’s hopelessly lazy, grinding through the songs in chronological order, without saying much about what inspired them.
Between music segments, members talk about the band’s history in godawful sequences full of platitudes and self-congratulatory blather. There are also three micro films that focus on meaningless moments from the band’s past that offer little conflict or tension and almost nothing about the relationships between members.
Not that there isn’t any material in the story with dramatic potential. Vocalist Brigati had a near fatal crash that left him in a coma during the group’s early years, and it’s sadly glossed over.
The so-called British Invasion in the mid-60s nearly decimated America’s music scene and its surge of black music, inspiring the show’s one moderately funny line about Paul Revere and the Raiders. But there was no commentary on the fact that the Rascals are considered America’s first purveyors of blue-eyed soul.
And the boys actively fought racism by insisting that black artists be included on their bills. Hot stuff all of it, but not explored here.
As a concert it’s fine. Cornish still has great guitar chops and Cavaliere’s voice has maintained its power, but it’s a two-hour show with maybe one hour of good material and only 30 minutes of bona fide hits. By the time the band gets to How Could I Be Sure, Brigati betrays a lack of stamina and can’t make it the tour de force it should be.
Cynics who complain that the Who’s Tommy and ABBA’s Mamma Mia! represent cash-grabbing attempts to haul boomer audiences into pricey Broadway venues will be profoundly grateful for those musicals. Once Upon A Dream makes both those shows and Jersey Boys look like masterpieces.
In a Q&A with NOW, creator Van Zandt makes the ominous suggestion that this new hybrid could catch on. Could other 60s outfits seeking the cachet of soft-seat houses soon be mounting stadium shows in theatres?
Look out, Broadway, here comes Three Dog Night.
