The Bedroom Window

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The Bedroom Window

Em3 Entertainment at the Odyssey Theatre

Reviewed by Les Spindle

September 02, 2010

In "Annie Warbucks," the underrated sequel to "Annie," the titular orphan and her adoptive father, Daddy Warbucks, share a nifty duet called "Changes." Within five minutes, the sweet ditty succinctly sums up the fears inherent in facing life's thorniest rites of passage. The new musical "The Bedroom Window" (book by Daniel Mahler, Nanea Miyata, and Brittany Morrison; lyrics by Miyata and Morrison; and music by Miyata), a paean to 20-something angst, takes two and a half hours to make essentially the same point, via formulaic romantic subplots, a confusing story-framing device, endless choral reprises, and numbers sounding so alike they might as well be reprises. Less a typical score than a series of redundant internalized monologues, the songs hit us over the head with gooey Hallmark-card platitudes.

It doesn't take the audience long to see that heroine Gwen (well-sung and winningly played by Emily O'Brien), a mid-20s aspiring writer seeking professional success and personal happiness, has too much on the ball to be pining for two self-absorbed bores (understudy Jamey Schrick as a moody artiste and Keven Kaddi as Gwen's stuffy fiancé). Gwen is the last to realize this, or there wouldn't be a play. Much in the same vein, it's obvious that Gwen's younger brother Johnny (Christopher Higgins) is as gay as they come—evident to everyone except Johnny, of course, until his eleventh-hour epiphany. And it's ironic that the apple of Johnny's eye—his platonic roommate Michael (talented Jesse James Rice)—is even more fey than Johnny, though he bemoans his unrequited heterosexual attraction to Gwen.

During the frequent choral crescendos, when the ensemble shuffles across the stage to croon about ongoing emotional challenges, the performers' overstated earnestness and robotic uniformity suggest the eerie "Ballad of Sweeney Todd," surely unintentionally. On the other hand, Rice keeps the same Pepsodent smile on his face whether he's crooning about the hurtful pangs of secret love or proclaiming victory over the blues. His persistent grin epitomizes the overriding mood imposed by the material and by Elissa Weinzimmer's direction: false good cheer. Agony and ecstasy are never far apart in musicals that pretend they are soulful and deep, while a happily-ever-after high is always a foregone conclusion. Nonetheless, this musical soap opera, populated by attractive and eager young players showing great promise, might succeed as harmless fluff if a ruthless script editor was allowed to whip the soggy saga into more palatable shape.

Presented by Em3 Entertainment at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A.
Aug. 20–Sept. 26. Thu.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. (310) 982-7670. www.tbwthemusical.com.