The New York Musical Theater Festival: Mud Donahue and Son

The New York Musical Theater Festival may be one of the city’s best kept secrets. Theater goers can see fine talent up close for less than the price of dinner in the theater district. There is much I want to see. I couldn’t get to The Cousins Grimm, but I hope to get to The Beastly Bombing and a few others. Last night I did get to a real gem: Mud Donahue and Son. For those who love the musical form, theater history, and family drama, this satisfied on every level.

Blessed with the highly talented cast (and they really had to be talented because this was a two person show) of Karen Murphy and Shonn Wiley, Mud tells the story of a young man who runs away from home to dance on the Vaudeville circuit. Obviously this gives Wiley the opportunity to show off his dancing skills, and he makes the most of it. But what makes this show more than just a bauble is the family dynamic of mother and son. This is a challenge to show since they are only together twice in the course of the play. The story is like an epistolatory novel: the mother and son read and write letters to each other, thus enabling the full family dynamic to be told with the economy of just two characters. We learn of the family struggle with the father’s alcoholism — and the descent of the son into the same abyss even as he tries to escape it.

That’s right, this isn’t the usual sunny story. Not to say there aren’t joyful songs, sweet humor and deep feeling. What makes the feeling deep though is that the tragedy isn’t overlooked. And this is what makes Karen Murphy’s performance the amazing thing to see. She takes the audience across the gamut of emotions with mastery.

By the way, what makes the show all the more interesting is that it is a true story, based on the real letters the son, Jack Donahue, sent to his mother. Donahue eventually became a real star on Broadway in the ‘20s and the partner of another Broadway legend, Marilynn Miller. Their story is told in the 1949 film “Look for the Silver Lining,” where the part of Donahue is played by another famous hoofer who came out of Vaudeville, Ray Bolger.

There are about 4 more performances. Go. Hey, Shonn is cute as they come and there wasn’t a woman or man in the house who didn’t lose their heart to him. But cute only gets you so far. That young man is a powerhouse of talent. And he’s more than matched by Murphy. For $20 how can you lose?

Next on my agenda at the festival, if I can get tickets, is The Last Starfighter on Friday. Can’t wait. Yet another reason to love New York City.

Comments

[Lauren]

I saw Mud Donahue and Son and i loved it! i especially like the song he shadow that jack sings when he performs. I would really love to own a copy of that song. Is there some way i can obtain it?