Michael John LaChiusa, a Tony Award nominee, is well on his way to making a name for himself as a composer of edgy, modern and unconventional theater. Since he departs so much from the typical musical genre, his pieces challenge their audience and have received a wide range of reactions. "See What I Wanna See," a musical based on three separate Japanese myths of murder, godliness and adultery, is one such example of his work.
The first act follows the story line of a legendary tale about a woman's rape and the eventual death of her samurai husband. Transferred to New York City in the 1950s, the act is mix of darkly humorous jazz songs and revealing solos. It is performed as a series of flashbacks from the individual perspectives of each of the characters involved, including the dead husband who ends up communicating with the other characters through a medium. The characters are as twisted and intricate as the action of the scenes, making the show a bit difficult to follow. Both acts are framed by prologues telling an alternate story of adultery and murder that is more classically choreographed.
The second act is once again set in New York, but in this instance the city is recovering from the events of Sept. 11. The plotline, involving a Catholic priest played by Brendan McNab who pranks New Yorkers into believing their salvation is coming, addresses human frailty and questions if faith is the way out of our own self-serving, destructive tendencies. In the act's title number "Gloryday," McNab impresses the audience with his commanding energy and bold voice.
This musical has the possibility of being successful due to the creative merging of stories and the presentation of human frailty. However, the majority of the performances delivered at Lyric Stage, along with the actual written execution of the show, are neither cohesive nor inspiring. Though the idea that narratives with widely diverse settings and plots can come together with a universal aim at uncovering human truth is unique, the writing at times feels too forced, as though the plot of "See What I Wanna See" was so unclear that obvious clues needed to be included.
One of the difficulties that the people involved in "See What I Wanna See" face is the challenge of arranging jazz music for musical theater. The songs of the first act in particular are dissonant and disjointed, without being spirited enough to call to mind quality jazz. The actors struggle through their medleys about murder and betrayal, which distracts from the production's attempt at musical innovation. Actors in a musical must be able to hold their own and not allow the audience to get distracted from the progression of the plot. This is why the second act of the show, which exclusively stars McNab, is much more pleasurable to watch than the first.
The visual presentation of lights, set and costumes in "See What I Wanna See" deserves recognition. The lighting highlights the sinister aspects of the narrative and the set is perfectly reminiscent of cold, nondescript buildings that pepper all of New York City. The use of Japanese kimonos in the prologues to the acts was successful in reminding the audience of the source of the show's various story lines. In the first act, the female lead's dress, paired with the highest of red spike-heels, helps reveal details about her character before she even opens her mouth.
This show struggles to its ending with many thematic elements left unanswered, but perhaps that is LaChiusa's goal. He is clearly aiming to lead his audience through a mental maze, but whether his audience enjoys following him is debatable.
