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<\/p>\nRead our review of A Walk on the Moon off Broadway, a new musical adaptation of the same-named 1999 film playing a limited summer run at the Laura Pels Theatre.<\/p>\n
\u201cMust be scary. Stepping into the unknown.\u201d Pearl Kantrowitz (Talia Suskauer) observes that to her devoted but dull husband Marty (Max Chernin) as they arrive for another season at their Catskills bungalow colony. It\u2019s the summer of 1969 and the days are ticking down to earth-shaking events \u2014 the Apollo 11 lunar landing and the Woodstock musical festival.<\/p>\n
Pearl\u2019s anything but casual comment \u2014 made moments into A Walk on the Moon, a beautifully performed new Off-Broadway musical \u2014 is packed with gravity for this restless, unfulfilled Brooklyn wife and mom of two. That goes double upon meeting Walker, aka the Blouse Man (Sam Gravitte), a sexy, free-spirited salesman with James Taylor hair who turns her on to Jack Kerouac and in other intimate ways. It\u2019s a triangular setup that\u2019s given shape to countless stories. Will Pearl make a giant leap that will upend her life?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a question asked in any number of shows, from The Baker\u2019s Wife to The Bridges of Madison County. If you\u2019ve seen the 1999 A Walk on the Moon movie starring Diane Lane, Liev Schreiber, and Viggo Mortenson, you already know the conclusion. The real unknown about the show, by the film\u2019s screenwriter Pamela Gray (book and additional lyrics) and AnnMarie Milazzo (music and lyrics), is what the songs add to the story. Bottom line: not quite enough. That\u2019s no slight to the three leads who are all terrific, particularly Suskauer. She\u2019s radiant in a star turn that is gutsy and heartfelt.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s most striking about the show\u2019s 19 songs, however, is how seldom they deeply connect to the building blocks of the story, from the Jewish bungalow colony steeped in its traditions to the sounds of the late 1960s. Songs for Alison (Sophie Pollono), Pearl and Marty\u2019s rebellious 15-year-old daughter who discovers boys, avoid this trap. They raise a faint but telltale trace of late \u201960s Joni Mitchell, Alison\u2019s musical and socially conscious hero.<\/p>\n
Otherwise, the score is easy on the ears but generic with pleasures that wax and quickly wane. The other issue is that too many songs, as directed by Sheryl Kaller, are performed like they\u2019re showstoppers. Not every musical moment needs to blast off and be blown out. In stories about intimacy, quiet moments are ones that grab attention. The moon doesn\u2019t have to be full for us to appreciate its wonders.<\/p>\n
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A Walk on the Moon summary<\/p>\n
In a Catskills bungalow colony in the summer of 1969, a Brooklyn housewife and mother questions what she\u2019s done with her life as she\u2019s pulled into an unexpected romance, Woodstock, and countercultural chaos.<\/p>\n
Now making its Off-Broadway premiere at the Laura Pels Theatre, the show has been seen in previous productions at Vassar in 2014, the American Conservatory Theater in 2018, and the George Street Playhouse in 2022.<\/p>\n
What to expect at A Walk on the Moon<\/p>\n
Marty\u2019s ever-present mother, Lillian, plays a key role in the story. She\u2019s a woman who reads tarot cards but relies on what she sees around her to know what\u2019s really going on. Andrea Burns lends fine support in the role played in the film by Tovah Feldshuh, whose voice is heard as Mrs. Fogler over the bungalow P.A. system. Listen up for her chiming in with announcements like \u201cAttention ladies! The Blouse Man is on the premises.\u201d<\/p>\n
And look out for some groovy period details in costumes by Ricky Lurie. Count on a tie-dyed T-shirt, which is actually pivotal to the plot, and macrame halter tops to channel late \u201960s style.<\/p>\n
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What audiences are saying about A Walk on the Moon<\/p>\n
Theatregoers took to Reddit and Mezzanine, a review-aggregate app, to discuss the show in advance of its opening night off Broadway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found this Temu Bridges of Madison County to be charming enough. The general tone of the book lands in a dramatic sweet spot, using comedic moments judiciously and trusting the audience to care about the characters\u2026.\u201d – Mezzanine user Derek Kahle Who should see A Walk on the Moon<\/p>\n Romantic drama fans will appreciate a story that blends elements of love story and liberation, and Pearl embodies both. Learn more about A Walk on the Moon off Broadway<\/p>\n Despite a familiar story and songs that don\u2019t make major impressions, the wonderful cast gives A Walk on the Moon its liftoff.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cVocals are incredible and I got chills for almost every single song \u2026\u201d – Mezzanine user Amy Lu
\n\u201cI love Talia and Max, but unfortunately I think the show needs a lot more polishing \u2026 There were some catchy songs here and there, but overall just really flat.\u201d – Reddit user u\/Common_Western_3107<\/a>
\n\u201cAs a late-Boomer \u2026 the cultural underpinnings of the show are pretty dead-on for me \u2026 I liked the music and the lyrics, and I thought both were above average for what I\u2019ve seen in multiple shows recently\u2026 The five principal performers were all excellent.\u201d Reddit user u\/Equivalent_Net_8983<\/p>\n
\nTheatregoers who saw Suskauer and Chernin on stage before, such as in the tour of Parade, will be keen to catch them as a couple again.
\nNostalgia nerds seeking to sink back into the bell-bottomed, patchouli-scented vibe of the late 1960s will get a subtle rush from the show.
\nFans of the Diane Lane movie should check the show out if they’re curious to see the story unfold in a different medium.<\/p>\n