Musicals and community theater are a risky business: they depend upon a broader range of talent than non-musical plays, and sour notes can be more off-putting than a flubbed line. Fortunately, it all comes together quite nicely in Stage 773's production of Karen Sokolof Javitch and Elaine Jabenis' "From Generation to Generation."The voices of this large cast are strong and confident. Along with the other musical components - orchestra, choreography and sound - they give this production the solid backbone upon which it successfully builds the rest of the play. The only weak link here is the lyrics: sometimes Javitch tries to fit too many syllables into a line (with apologies to Tom Lehrer), and it shows.
So, what about the story?
The line is pretty straightforward: Rose is dying of cancer, despondent, and is encouraged by her rabbi to leave her as-yet-unborn granddaughter an ethical will. What follows is much more of a memoir than an ethical will, albeit a wide-ranging and largely pleasing one. There is enough humor and uncertainty to keep everything interesting and moving forward, for after all this is basically a "feel good" play.
The set is far more versatile than it appears and deserves special mention: it provides a much richer palette for the rest of the production than one would initially suspect. And several of the actors display some real acting chops as well, not just a facility to sing and dance.
So, all in all, if you're looking for a talented company performing a story from the heart that will bring more than a few chuckles and the occasional tear - as it did for me - then this is your play.
Why didn't I give this "highly recommended?" It's probably due more to the structure of the play itself, which briefly held the promise of raising issues and conflict, and instead settled on the aforementioned memoir approach. I would have loved to see more acting and a richer line for character development, but even without these it's a play worth seeing.
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