Word: singing
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...condemn the emptiness of those who relinquish their freedom for security. Murray holds spirited conversations with the Weather Lady, warning her not to repeat herself, thinks nothing of taking trips to the Statue of Liberty, and habitually admonishes his unheeding neighbors to show up for the next community sing. Murray constructs his own world, one with its own rules and unfailing high standards. He shares this world only with his bright and smart-aleck nephew, Nick (David Scales/Harry Litman). Nick and Murray feed each other straight lines, embellishing each other's routines. They compete for better Peter Lorre imitations...
...women are not as good as the men, but much of the blame lies with the format. Limited by dull solos and inadequate staging, the women are struck standing in the middle of the set. They make monotonous gestures and facial expressions and sing in voices too weak to carry the songs...
...opening song is "Sing Happy," but none of the cast looks happy. This inauspiciousness yields to an improving humor, however, with "Where Was I When They Passed Out Luck" from Minnie's Boys, a play based on the Marx Brothers. "My City," a throbbingly evil, beautifully choreographed ode to New York City and Stephen Hayes's terrific performance of Stephen Sondheim's "Everybody Says Don't," also succeed in capturing the audience...
...last song with a parody of singers who just stand still and use cliched gestures, but it isn't what the audience has come to hope for. The audience calls for more anyway, and, recognizing that they want more of something besides the closing number, the cast reprises "Sing Happy." They are happier now, and the audience is happier now, but the reprise is still a reminder of the parts that didn't click and the obstacles barely overcome...
...heard speakers and chanted slogans as at all good political rallies. Then we were asked to hold hands with those beside us--I held the hand of the black woman to my left and the white man to my right--and raise them to the sky, and sing in unison "We Shall Overcome." And as we sang the verses, 7000 strong, swaying to the tune, a black singer poured his soft, improvised, falsetto blues accompaniment over us, soothing, reassuring, strengthening. We Shall Overcome, we sang, and we believed. How could we not believe? We were too strong, too good...