Review
Almost Heaven
Promenade Theatre
November 18, 2005
Morgan Wycks
mwycks@nyconstage.org
Almost Heaven, the musical based on the songs of John Denver, is little more than a concert and any information that we get about Mr. Denver's life is something that could be retrieved off a fan's web-site.
What is surprising is just how effective the songs can be. Despite his down home all-American sheen, Mr. Denver's lyrics often demonstrate an emotional longing and simple awareness of life's ups and downs as well as capturing haunting melodic strains along with his better known infectious odes to joy and sunshine. The re-interpretation of some of these songs, whether from a gospel, jazz, Broadway, or a simple mood change standpoint, can work for or against the works depending on one's taste. I, for one, found the upbeat positive attitude in the performance of "Leavin' on a Jet Plane" disturbing.
Jim Newman appears as Mr. Denver and he's a charmer and though the three men of the cast outshine the three women, my favorite interpretation of the evening was Terry Burrell's quiet, melancholic "Fly Away". Though some may scoff at John Denver, there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes in a theatre.
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