Jonathan Larson (1960-1996) died prematurely just as his musical Rent premiered. The success of that show made him a household name in theatre – yet his reputation still rests on this one work.
Enter The Jonathan Larson Project, a collection from the composer’s songbook. There’s no plot, just a sense of five singers coming together in an unnamed place to celebrate and perform Larson’s work.
The singers: Marcus Collins, Michael Mather, Imelda Warren-Green, Natalie Kassanga, and Max Harwood. The songs: a variety from the unperformed “Greene Street” and “Piano” to revue entries like “Hosing the Furniture”, and songs from full musicals like tick … tick … BOOM! (the cut “Find the Key”) and the unproduced 1984 (“SOS”).
There’s a screen which sometimes has visuals that complement the songs; sometimes shows Larson singing or goofing around. Props include ladders, tables, chairs. Costumes are varied and seemingly fitted to the singer’s personality.
Was Larson a lost musical genius? On the evidence of a couple of these numbers, perhaps. Would he want songs from what is effectively his juvenilia showcased in this way? We will never know. Are the songs done justice? Mostly yes.
This show, brought to the UK by Thomas Hopkins Productions, has done well Off-Broadway. It is very American, down to a rather lengthy political sketch about ‘centrefold candidates’, and the fickleness and misogyny of Republican politics.
Better are numbers like “Bring Out The Booze”, “Valentine’s Day” and “Iron Mike”, which give a sense of Larson’s range and development in his short career. An early, unperformed number, “Rhapsody”, seems Sondheim-lite.
But yet, this show does feel special because of its sense of tragedy in our being robbed of 30 years of works by Jonathan Larson. Would he have taken his place among the modern musical greats? Hard to say. Some songs feel rather too heavily influenced by other composers.
Larson also experimented with the pop song, of which two examples are included here. “Out of My Dreams” doesn’t feel like a song that could stand up to much radio play, but “Pura Vida” has class. My mind wonders about the difference between a ‘standalone theatre song’ and a ‘pop song’ …
The Jonathan Larson Project is described as a song cycle, but it feels more like a concert with props. There doesn’t feel like any particular thread to the order of the songs, other than the first and last being unperformed.
There seems to be an idea that Larson’s songs can inform current concerns on politics and the environment from beyond the grave, but that idea only has legs if it is put in context. There is no programme, just a freesheet that provides no additional information.
Any occasional sound and lighting hiccups were swiftly resolved. The song choices particularly showcased the vocal power of Mather, Collins and Warren-Green, while Kassanga gave a strong performance of “Love Heals”. Marwood, however, seemed less well matched to some of the material, with the songs not always playing to the strengths of his voice.
Considering all this, I am giving this 4 stars. There are songs here I would love to hear again, and understanding how Larson progressed as an artist was enjoyable and instructive.
The Jonathan Larson Project continues at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 22 Aug.
For more on the show itself, go to https://thejonathanlarsonproject.com/.
Photo credit: Danny Kaan