White Rose
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Cititour.com Review
Especially in this theatrical season – already chock full of works about antisemitism here and abroad –one can imagine producing a play based on the true tale of a group of non-Jewish 20something university students in Nazi Germany who wrote a series of pamphlets damning Hitler. But to put on a show where these characters sing? Seems a little risky, no?
That the extremely earnest new tuner “White Rose: The Musical,” now at Theatre Row, works as well as it does is a testament to a very talented cast who handle their roles with sincerity and seriousness, as well as a pleasing-enough score by newcomers Brian Belding (who also wrote the book) and Natalie Brice, and the simple yet effective direction of Will Nunziata. And, at 95 minutes, this poignant yet slender tale doesn’t wear out its welcome.
The “ringleader” of this group is Sophie Scholl (a plucky Jo Ellen Pellman) who arrives in Munich from her small German town to join older brother Hans (a stalwart Mike Cefalo) at school. For some reason, Sophie is surprised by the indifference she finds in her new home, and soon recruits Hans and two of his classmates, Christian (a very good Kennedy Kanagawa) and Will (a rather flippant Cole Thompson), to join her in her writing crusade.
Ultimately, she also gets some assistance from their seemingly apolitical professor Kurt Huber (an excellent Aaron Ramey, subbing at my performance for Paolo Montalban), local shopkeeper Lila (a charming, sweet-voiced Laura Sky Herman), and even, in his own way, police office Frederick Fischer (a striking Sam Gravitte) – who happens to be her ex-beau and Hans’ former best friend.
But there seems little doubt from the get-go that the pen will not prove to be mightier than the sword, and we fear the group will eventually be found out. Ultimately, this is the kind of show where you suspect you know the ending before it happens, so the journey must be interesting enough to be worth taking.
Here, that burden mostly falls to the music. Intriguingly, many of the early songs are pop-rock tunes in the vein of Jonathan Larson’s “Rent” (about a different group of “revolutionary” young people), so much so I half-expected them to jump on a table and shout “La Vie Boheme.”
But the score soon grows more serious and somber, and more in the vein of traditional music theater. For example, there’s a stirring ballad for the reuinted Frederick and Sophie (“Run Away”) and a beautiful anthem sung by Lila (“The Stars”), which I suspect may end up being heard at many an audition. And, as it happens, Belding’s lyrics often give his characters more dimensionality than his libretto.
The production itself is quite simple with the award-winning set designer James Noone smartly creating separate spaces on the wide stage; Sophia Choi choosing one well-considered outfit per character; and appropriate if unchallenging movement created by Jordan Ryder. And yes, there are white roses to be found and distributed among the characters.
In the end, it’s hard to see “White Rose” as a cautionary tale, as the characters steadfastly do not regret their actions, no matter the cast. If anything, it’s more a call to arms with some contemporary parallels.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://whiterosethemusical.com/
Open/Close Dates
Opening 1/24/2024
Closing Open-ended
Theatre Info
Theatre Row
410 W. 42nd St
New York, NY 10036
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