Beatniks

What I liked

The live band was a nice addition to the experience. The cast, for the most part, had lovely voices. The actor cast as Jack Kerouac had the right look. (I’m unfamiliar with the other characters, except Allen Ginsberg. ) The cast looked engaged, and as though they were enjoying what they were doing; they gave it their all.

What I didn't like

The live band often overwhelmed the voices of the actors. I had difficulty hearing a lot of lyrics to some of the songs. A few actors sung too quietly. A few actors fumbled vocally as they were climbing some scales and failed to hit the proper notes when they did; when they weren’t climbing scales, or invoking vibrato, they were fine, but when they did it was obvious that they were out of their vocal range or vocal skill. The story is still in development; I feel that the ends of the plot threads were tied. One character, the friend of Diane di Parma, we don’t see enough of: she’s there at the beginning, and then again sometime else during the play, but that’s it.

My overall impression

The show has a lot of talent and a lot of potential in its attempt to delve into the fascinating lives of the Beat Poet generation.