The best Broadway show in New York City isn’t on Broadway. Yet. “Twist of Fate,” being presented in a staged reading at the York Theatre, is strong from story to singing, music to message. This musical, with book and lyrics by Lissa Levin and music by Ron Abel, is full of plot twists and is a powerful presentation by what may be New York City’s best small theater for musicals.
The more than 50-year-old York Theatre Co., its own theater district on East 76th Street, is truly a local landmark that has given birth to Broadway plays before, such as “Souvenir,” and Off Broadway productions. Its production of “The Jerusalem Syndrome” also had Broadway caliber cast, score and script. But it happened to debut as hostilities broke out and escalated in Gaza, which may have dimmed the attention it otherwise would and should have gotten. “Twist of Fate,” ably and smoothly directed by Bill Castellino, continues a tradition of excellence from cast to script, production to performance. There is something exciting about seeing an early version of a great show done without a gigantic budget, where talent fills the theater.
This show, which won the Kleban award for libretto, L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards for score and musical direction and L.A. Weekly’s award for musical of the year, is presented on a bare bones stage in New York where performances more than fill the space. A part of York’s New2NY series, it is a fully realized script presented with fully realized performances. Based on a true story set in Los Angels in the 1970s, we see a fortune teller (Lianne Marie Dobbs) arrested for breaking the law … by fortune telling. A lawyer (Ben Jones) takes the case pro bono, hoping the fortune teller, who clearly broke the law, will plead guilty and he will negotiate a deal. When she fights the charges, in part to show her daughter Olivia (Maya Lagerstam) that she will fight for her rights, he finally challenges the case on First Amendment grounds. We also watch her and her daughter navigate prejudice, and fortunes that become self-fulfilling.
“Twist of Fate” is many things, including an unrequited romance, but it also deals very much with “Gypsy” or “Romany” culture. It deals with the dilemma of an ethnic identity that brings with it bias, and the fear as well as the fulfilment that goes when welcoming "outsiders." Olivia, played realistically and with deep emotion and simmering rebellion by Maya Lagerstam, rejects the traditions and prejudices, dressing, behaving and believing differently. But both mother and daughter fight prejudices, trying to be themselves and coming to terms with their differences. “Why do I have to have a reader for a mother?” Olivia asks. And we see a fortune teller predict using cards and crystal balls. “We have a gift, Olivia,” Lianne Marie Dobbs says. Many gifts bring grief. And great ability, to paraphrase Spiderman, sometimes brings great grief. Just talk with some of the most talented people. Reality is a sorry second to a person with a talent that elevates them above the ordinary to extraordinary levels. And fortune tellers, at least good ones, do have a sort of skill in terms of a Sherlockian insight into those around them.
Lisa Levin’s lyrics and book flow effortlessly from dialogue to song, mixing wit and emotion, while Ron Abel’s music, including refreshing jazz pieces, evokes Gypsy culture, giving us some heartfelt sounds. Although we’re told the cast only had five rehearsals, per the Equity rules for a staged read, they gave polished performances. Liannne Marie Dobbs has a strong voice and presents a strong, tough, admirable and likeable character in Dominique, the fortune teller who finds herself nearly forced to take a stand for freedom of speech. Not quite the Romany Rosa Parks, she is forced to be, and gradually becomes, a rebel. In a show that has many great moments, some of the best are between mother and daughter, Dobbs and Maya Lagerstam as her daughter trying to break free of the strait jacket of stereotype. Ben Jones as Michael, the lawyer who is about to get married, presents a fully realized character, while delivering songs with unparalleled artistry.
This staged reading was presented with music stands and minimal sets. Just as I would rather see a Rembrandt sketch than a full painting by nearly anyone else, I enjoyed this staged reading so much more than many full productions. It was easy to forget the presence of music stands and lose oneself in the beautiful voices and music, entertaining lyrics and dialogue and a truly great show. Although it seems this will be the story of a fortune teller who overturns a ban on fortune telling, suffice it to say it isn’t that simple. Challenging an unjust law is never easy. Under Rudolph Giuliani, sidewalk vendors selling art were routinely and repeatedly arrested and had their artwork confiscated. Then the charges were dropped, so the artists couldn’t challenge the arrests in court under freedom of expression. There are some twists of fate here that get in the way of overturning that ban, as we see that life has its own logic, or lack thereof, as well. In the famous case of Plessy versus Ferguson, developments impacting the judge impacted the case. In this story, developments involving the police officer impact what occurs, turning the fortune teller into a suspect regarding something more, at least briefly.
Still, we hear Michael’s arguments, about how weathermen and financial forecasters all predict the future. Why is this any different? Fortune tellers are entertainers, ideally perceptive people who plant seeds in our mind that we accept or reject, helping reveal our innermost thoughts, by telling us their views. They reveal our doubts, in relationships and life, but do not "put" those doubts there. “Gypsy” is a classic. This is a great musical about a fortune teller, but also about tradition, mothers and daughters, freedom of speech, and the way fortune, not telling fortunes, can be framed by events. The audience gave the show a standing ovation. A reviewer's mandate includes giving words to what the audience feels. When the show ended, although a bit suddenly, there was a race to be the first to stand, rather than the sometimes hesitant slow build of standing ovations. It was as if we heard the words, "All rise," in the courtroom, and rise they did.
This may have been a staged reading, but it was one with a script and performances well staged and very much a finished product, the way a great sketch is. The plot doesn't end with a clear victory. In fact, Rosa Parks, by the way, was not part of the court case that overturned the odious busing rules that divided seats based on color. We don't see the unfair rules overturned, but we route for the freedom to tell fortunes and believe these laws should be overturned. Fortune tellers are performers. So the show, really, is about a kind of artistic expression, making it particularly timely as well as entertaining, a dramatic story beautifully told. American history's heroes include those who stand up for freedom in the face of unjust laws. In fact, in New York City, tattooing was declared illegal after someone got sick following a tattoo. Only years later was that regulation overturned, leading to a profusion of tattoo parlors. We hear that some lawyers are unscrupulous, but practicing law isn't illegal. We know who to root for here, even if we don't see society give them the victory they deserve.
Great sets are a great pleasure, but if you want to see the fundamental elements of musicals, York in this staged reading series is presenting that. What’s in the cards for this show? What would one see in a crystal ball? I can only hope that there are good things in the cards. This show is just another sign that New York City is a capital of musical theater and that the York, not just New York, itself is a place to see Broadway quality shows and performers, who often have Broadway on their resume. If you want to see great musicals, York is a good bet. You don’t need Tarot cards to tell that this cast and this team all deserve many good things in store. Whatever twists of fate lie ahead for this show, we can only hope they are wonderful. There's a saying that the way to get to Carnegie Hall is... to practice. York is a place where you can go to see great musicals, with Carnegie Hall quality voices, made and come to life. If Broadway is based on seat count and soaring spaces, this isn't it. But if by Broadway you mean great musicals performed by unsurpassed talent, this is very much Broadway in all except the set and building. And if you love theater, that likely will be far more than enough.
great show from songs to script and performance!