Before Tyler Tafolla\u2019s musical \u201cDead Moose\u201d even begins, a group of bible verses from the Old Testament\u2019s Book of Job are projected onstage about the battle between God and Satan for Job\u2019s soul.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s one of the most unusual openings I\u2019ve seen for a musical, but it\u2019s apropos for the Christianity-themed show, which made its world premiere Saturday at Oceanside\u2019s Sunshine Brooks Theater in a co-production by Oceanside Theatre Company and Tafolla Productions.<\/p>\n
Tafolla \u2014 who grew up attending private Christian school in San Diego \u2014 wrote, scored, directed and co-designed the 90-minute musical, which is about an 18-year-old named Job facing his own test of faith.<\/p>\n
Like the Job in the bible, the Job in \u201cDead Moose\u201d is a fervent young Christian who becomes worn down mentally, physically and spiritually by a series of trials. He barely survives a head-on car collision with a running moose, his father is dead, his mother\u2019s losing her battle with Alzheimer\u2019s, his sister Joy is leaving town and the troubled girl he loves, Mabel, resists his proselytizing.<\/p>\n
That makes \u201cDead Moose\u201d sound like a didactic downer, but it\u2019s not. The musical is lifted by Tafolla\u2019s peppy and diverse 16-song score, humor-laced script, relatable characters and Chloe Chenfeld\u2019s exuberant choreography. The story moves along quickly, but without a clear sense of where it\u2019s going. I had a hard time figuring out the story\u2019s overall point until its surprise conclusion.<\/p>\n
Danny Holmes stars as Job, who manages to keep his youthful character likable despite questioning Joy\u2019s life choices, his uninformed preaching to a gay man and his lack of sensitivity toward Mabel\u2019s mental health struggles and unhappy home life.<\/p>\n
Holmes leads a vocally talented cast that includes Salima Gangani as Joy, Lyric Boothe as Mabel, Joshua Powers as Joy\u2019s loutish fianc\u00e9 Hank, Audry Deubig as Job\u2019s comically horrible blind date Candy and Chase Lowary as the Moose, who rises from the dead to accompany and counsel Job in his daily travels.<\/p>\n
Some of the musical\u2019s best songs are Job\u2019s exuberant solo \u201cBlue Hair,\u201d about falling for the unorthodox Mabel, Joy\u2019s faith-filled \u201cAn Unanswered Prayer,\u201d Mabel\u2019s fiery ballad \u201cFog and Telephone Poles\u201d and Candy\u2019s hilariously performed \u201cHappily.\u201d Job\u2019s final solo, \u201cThe Prayer,\u201d wraps the story up nicely.<\/p>\n
Tafolla designed the scenery, projections and sound, with lighting by Kevin \u201cBlax\u201d Burroughs and costumes by Zo\u00eb Trautmann. On opening night, the show\u2019s sound mix started out a little off, with the recorded music and background singers overwhelming the lead vocalist, so I had a hard time deciphering the lyrics at first.<\/p>\n
While the play is about the true meaning of Christianity, playgoers don\u2019t need a religious background to understand the story. But there are some adult themes in the story that make it unsuitable for grade school-age children.<\/p>\n
\u2018Dead Moose\u2019<\/p>\n
When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25; 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31; 3 p.m. next Sunday, Feb. 1<\/p>\n
Where:\u00a0Oceanside Theatre Company at the Sunshine Brooks Theater, 217 N. Coast Highway, Oceanside<\/p>\n
Tickets:\u00a0$20-$40<\/p>\n
Phone:\u00a0760-433-8900<\/p>\n