COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE

Review by Celia Ipiotis

A zany satire tumbled across the MCC Theater capturing the glee of a sizable audience in its wake.Yes, it’s back to a time when the USSR was an existential threat to America. The nightmare: Who would pull the trigger first and detonate the atom bomb?

In Cold War Choir Practice ( a co-production with Page 73 and Clubbed Thumb), fears of global annihilation assume a new meaning through the eyes of children. Finding an eager pen pal in the USSR, Meek (Alana Raquel Bowers) is loath to think her friend harbors any ulterior motives. Bending around music and lyrics by Ro Reddick, this dark comedy gets a boost from the highly physical direction by Knud Adams and spirited movement sequences by Baye and Asa.

A fan of Atomic Fireballs, the deeply sincere and politically alert 10 year old Meek acquires a Speak and Spell toy that mysteriously voices the words of her Russian pen pall. She adds it to her “go” bag  should the Russian’s push the button forcing her to live in the bomb shelter she’s building.

Framed by the 1987 Reagan Administration’s tango with Gorbachev over nuclear disarmament, Cold War Choir Practice  takes place on  Christmas when her father, Smooch (Will Cobbs) gets a surprise visit from his sinister brother. Clay (a pinched Andy Lucien), now a Deputy National Security Advisor and his odd Wife Virgie (the highly mobile Crystal Finn) insinuate themselves into their lives. 

In contrast to Clay, Smooch runs a failing rolling skating rink hoping to create a community center for local gatherings and free breakfasts; ideals he absorbed as a former Black Panther. This ethos seeps into Meek.

A member of the local children’s choir, “Seedlings of Peace”, Meek buys into the idea that “the voice of a child can stop a nuclear attack.” Throughout the lively show, odd occurrences rattle the sometimes fantastical and yet too real “play with music.”

In this era of shifting shadows and whispers, power centers rise and crumble, all in the chill of a Christmas day in Schenectady. The excellent cast deliver believable, hilarious performances that materialize in the clouds of pending doom and disorientation.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis