Philadelphia Weekly

The 11th Hour Theatre Company wraps up their highly-successful season with a scintillating production of the a cappella musical Avenue X.

Borrowing elements from both West Side Story and A Raisin in the Sun, X is set in 1963 in a Brooklyn neighborhood that is racially mixed but far from harmonious. The Italian-American and African-American communities in the neighborhood are divided only by a single street, but it is a boundary that neither group is willing to cross. 

The show opens with Pasquale (Michael Philip O’Brien) and his buddies Chuck (Kevin Duffin) and Ubazz (an endearing Craig Patrick O’Brien) practicing for an upcoming singing contest. The contest is important to Pasquale, who dreams of becoming a doo-wop sensation. His cohorts aren’t nearly as invested and Pasquale’s dream of stardom is jeopardized when Chuck drops out of the contest to woo Pasquale’s sister Barbara (Laura Catlaw). A desperate Pasquale finds an unlikely new partner in Winston (Carl Clemons-Hopkins) an African-American who shares Pasquale’s love of music.  Over the strenuous and at times violent objections of their friends Winston and Pasquale decide to join forces for the contest. 

Unlike their fabulously entertaining production of Reefer Madness last fall, 11th Hour’s production of X initially struggles to find its footing. But when the Italian and African-Americans face off in a racially charged doo-wop rumble, director Megan Nicole O’Brien’s production catches fire.

Featuring a finger-snapping, toe-tapping score by Ray Leslee, X could have been nothing more than a tale about music’s ability to transcend racial differences. However in this unusually creative and gritty show life is neither simple nor entirely happy.

The cast is without exception outstanding. As Pasquale, Michael Philip O’Brien shows off one of the sweetest singing voices in town and Catlaw is sensational on the sassy “Woman of the Word.” However it’s Forrest McClendon as the loutish Roscoe who delivers the show’s most electrifying moments with his furious performances on “Stay” and the memorable “Big Lucy.”

Adam Riggar’s spare set allows plenty of room for choreographer Jenn Rose’s groovy 1960s dance steps and Mark Valenzuela’s sound design is marvelously effective at identifying the story’s various urban locales. 

11th Hour’s production is performed without amplification, allowing the purity of the singer’s voices to be heard without any of the usual distortions.

Yet another winning production from one of Philly’s hottest companies, X never quite reaches the tragic heights it aspires to, but the show packs a punch with a climax that is both shocking and disturbing. 

Little Lamb
The InterAct Theatre Company ends their season with the world premiere of Little Lamb, a thoughtful but problematic new play from local dramatist Michael Whistler.

The plot focuses on the interracial gay couple Denny (Ames Adamson) and José (Frank X). In a committed, loving relationship, the men dream of adopting a child. They enlist the aid of Cathy (the superb Kaci M. Fannin), a competent woman who runs an adoption agency. 

Cathy discovers a possible match for the men, and the scene in which she first meets with the young African-American birthmother Ashlee (Katrina Yvette Cooper) is the play’s best. Ashlee agrees to the adoption, and when we see a euphoric Denny and José caring for their new daughter, it is hard not to be moved.

Unfortunately just when we are becoming involved the play spins in a radically new direction. Ashlee unexpectedly arrives in Cathy’s office accompanied by a devoutly religious woman named Francie (Cathy Simpson). The mother of the baby’s father, Francie announces that Ashlee wants her baby back.

The remainder of Lamb pits Francie and Ashlee’s religious views against the rights of the gay parents.  But in director Seth Rozin’s production the debate is one-sided.  Our sympathies lie with Denny and José, and the women’s brand of morality feels like nothing more than homophobia masquerading as religious faith.

Lamb is an admirable effort and worth seeing. However in attempting to blend such weighty topics as gay rights, religious morality and racial/cultural identity, Whistler’s bold new play loses focus and power.