Matt (Justin Matthew Sargent) proposes matrimony to a doubtful Cindy (Chilina Kennedy) in A Sign of the Times.
A Sign of the Times, a new jukebox romp featuring musical riffs and cultural rifts from the 1960s, is full of statements. It has something to say about civil rights, women’s liberation, Vietnam, the course of true love and the influence of Pop Art. But this York Theatre Company production also leaves behind some nagging questions. Can a musical be “woke” when its book is tired? Can stock characters find believable ways to bond? Was Petula Clark right that things will be great when you’re downtown?
Tanya (Crystal Lucas-Perry) and Cody (Akron Lanier Watson) hit it off.
The show is elevated not only by several of Clark’s classic earworms, but by some of the most important protest songs of the generation, including Janis Ian’s “Society’s Child” and P. F. Sloan’s “Eve of Destruction,” as well as fiery declarations like “You Don’t Own Me” and romantic pulse-raisers like “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss).” But, under the direction of Gabriel Barre, the production’s tone meanders between satiric, righteous and heartfelt. And the book by Lindsey Hope Pearlman, based on an original story by Richard J. Robin, is unoriginal to the point of distraction.
Brian (Ryan Silverman) woos Cindy (Kennedy) at the office. Photographs by Jeremy Daniel.
The tale begins in Centerville, Ohio. It’s New Year’s Eve, 1964, and Cindy (Chilina Kennedy) feels trapped in her small-town life. She has big dreams of becoming a famous photographer via the bright lights and endless possibilities of New York City. However, her boyfriend, Matt (Justin Matthew Sargent), is ready to settle down and start a family. He serenades her with a rocking and passionate version of Dusty Springfield’s “I Only Want to Be with You” but the very notion is enough to propel her to the bus station with a ticket to the Big Apple. Or maybe it was just his way with words that sent her packing:
This is how it’s supposed to go. I marry a girl like you, and I buy a house, and then we have a bunch of babies, and carry on living like that until we both get old and then we die. That’s all there is to life!
Cindy’s bus trip (confusingly routed through Pittsburgh, then due north to Buffalo, before arriving at Port Authority) and hunt for a cheap apartment pass by in an overly lengthy mélange of ensemble numbers before she finds herself at the 194th Street doorstep of the aspiring “Billboard topping musical sensation,” Tanya (Crystal Lucas-Perry). The two become roommates and best buddies, bopping through a bonding duet of Gary Lewis & the Playboys’ “Count Me In.”
Matt (Matthew Sargent) writes a letter home from Vietnam.
Cindy’s job hunt is a study in feminist ire complete with wolf-whistling construction workers and an ensemble of office secretaries offering a killer rendition of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin.’” At an ad agency interview, her soon-to-be boss Brian (Ryan Silverman) takes a liking to her, albeit in a Mad Men, you-are-my-inferior-sex-toy kind of way. Respite comes in the evening when Tanya takes Cindy out to a nightclub; the result being the evening’s most entertaining number, with Lucas-Perry providing a stirring interpretation of Clark’s “I Know a Place” and the ensemble living up to the tune’s lyrics, “It’s a swingin’ place / A cellar full of Noise!” Cody (Akron Lanier Watson), a civil rights protester, or, as he repeatedly introduces himself, “President Emeritus, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, University of Buffalo Chapter,” can’t help but fall for Tanya, and the two are soon noodling over a takeout container of noodles.
Given the dearth of ’60s songs about photographers, the second act, instead, is filled with predictable boy troubles. Matt suffers through a tour of Vietnam before returning a changed person. Cody tries to find balance between Tanya’s needs and his role in the civil rights movement. Brian leads Cindy astray. For comic relief, there is not Andy Warhol, but Randy Forthwall (Edward Staudenmayer). The biggest chuckle in an evening of light chuckles, his latest silkscreen sensation involves cans of dog food.
Kennedy gives a workmanlike performance as Cindy, which is to say she sells each song effectively but does not seem to especially love this job, which, with more than a dozen numbers to perform, is a daunting task. Lucas-Perry, meanwhile, shines with her solid comic timing and the ability to handle both belting and ballads with ease. JoAnn M. Hunter’s choreography, in its best moments, feels inspired by Bob Fosse’s work in Sweet Charity. Johanna Pan’s costumes, mod dresses for the women and narrow lapel suits for the men, effectively capture the era while the powerhouse, seven-member, all-female orchestra is a contemporary statement on its own.
The York Theatre Company production of A Sign of the Times plays through June 2 at New World Stages (340 West 50th St.). Evening performances are at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Monday; matinees are at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For tickets and information, call (212) 239-6200 or visit asignofthetimes.com.
Book: Lindsey Hope Pearlman
Orchestrations: Joseph Church
Direction: Gabriel Barre
Choreography: JoAnn M. Hunter
Sets: Evan Adamson
Costumes: Johanna Pan
Lighting: Ken Billington
Sound: Shannon Slaton
Projections: Brad Peterson
