A downward spiral brought to life

Rock musical powerfully documents a yuppie's self-destructive tailspin in the 1980s fast lane.

By JOHN TOWNSEND, Special to the Star Tribune

Last update: October 13, 2008 - 6:00 PM

Print this story

BRIGHT LIGHTS,

BIG CITY

Who: Book, music, and lyrics by Paul Scott Goodman, based on the novel by Jay McInerney. Presented by Minneapolis Musical Theatre. Directed by Steven Meerdink.

When: 7:30 p.m. Thu.-Mon. Ends Oct. 26.

Where: Illusion Theater, Hennepin Center for the Arts, 528 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.

Tickets: $25-$28. 612-339-4944, or www.aboutmmt.org.

When theater can plunge us into depths of despair and then convincingly lift us back up the rugged road to hope, we know that we have truly been transported. Such can be said of Minneapolis Musical Theatre's powerhouse area premiere of "Bright Lights, Big City," which opened this past weekend at the Illusion Theater space in Minneapolis.

Based on Jay McInerney's iconic 1984 novel, this is not the stuff of your typical book musical. However, writer, composer and lyricist Paul Scott Goodman has crystallized to utterly emblematic effect the fast-lane '80s of coke-snorting, night-clubbing and unfocused, unregulated ambition. "Bright Lights, Big City" relates the downward spiral of Jamie (Patrick Morgan), a twentysomething magazine fact checker who is undone by his mother's death, a failed marriage and shattered dreams of being a prestigious writer. All of this amid a lifestyle of drugs, alcohol and compulsive sex.

Andrea Heilman's scenic design of skyscrapers sprouting upward like cavernous stalagmites matched with the moody hues of Karin Olson's lighting create a dark majesty. Christian Unser's smart video design nods to Max Headroom in contrast with suburban tranquility.

Director/choreographer Steven Meerdink probes the rock musical's dire content with spectral integrity. Haunting stage moments unfold hallucinogenically via platforms on rollers: One displays a comatose woman, another a missing college freshman on a milk carton come to life, both extracted from headlines of 1984. During the song "So Many Little Things," the cast opens umbrellas obscuring their faces, a symbolic touch that signifies the issues raining down on Jamie and the impersonal way we disengage from others. In a consummately grim satirical stroke, a breezy line of singer/dancers swoops ravenously down, one by one, and each takes a sniff of cocaine on a table.

Although Morgan occasionally forces the emotion, his vocal quality is divine. Musical director Lori Maxwell's flawless ensemble captures Goodman's glorious blend of '80s pop, classic Broadway style and what feels like Burt Bacharach's influence.

The vocally exquisite cast flows like a magical river through the scenes and dance sequences. Emily Brooke Hansen exudes sleek erotic elegance as Amanda, Jamie's ex-wife. Joseph Bombard gives Michael, Jamie's conflicted brother, a soul that soars vocally and emotionally.

Although "Bright Lights, Big City" is a man's story, Jodi Tripp, Christine Karki and Anna Carol deliver solos that are simply breathtaking.

John Townsend is a Minneapolis writer.