GableStage is following up the interesting King James with Both Sides Now, a sleepy two-person show dedicated to the music of folk legends Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. It’s not a play or a musical and we’re not even sure it’s cabaret. Let’s call it a show or cover band performance.
The show features Frost School of Music alum Danielle Wertz & singer / songwriter Robbie Schaefer taking turns singing rearrangements of beloved folk ballads like Cohen’s “Suzanne” and “Hallelujah” and Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and “Big Yellow Taxi.” The show features sixteen songs and runs seventy-five minutes with no intermission.
Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen are two of America’s most iconic songwriters. They were prolific poets and expert storytellers. Mitchell wrote 213 songs and Cohen 278 – what a catalog! But they are not the most upbeat musicians.
They are subtle storytellers with beautiful unique voices.
Schaefer and Wertz have lovely voices, although different from whom they are covering. Schaeffer does not emulate Cohen’s raspy voice and Wertz, although classically trained, doesn’t capture Mitchell’s whimsical lightness.
Both Sides Now is a peaceful homage, a feel-good, intimate performance honoring two American icons. It’s a carefree 75-minute stroll backwards down the memory line.
It’s an intimate cabaret.
Both Sides Now Deep Dive
To go deeper, Both Sides Now somehow takes two low-key musicians and makes them even more mellow. The show is devoid of energy and enthusiasm – rife with personal anecdotes that don’t have enough to do with Mitchell or Leonard. Our narrators speak in an NPR-like monotone more akin to a sleep podcast than a musical performance.
It would have been great to learn more about the folk legends or at least why our narrators chose the songs they chose. The set is very minimal, just a piano, and two seats, a coffee table with a candle. Some visuals would have been informative. Perhaps a simple screen with license free images or videos of Cohen and Mitchell in the public domain.
Something visual to immerse the audience and educate (or remind) us about the subjects because our narrators don’t do it.
Lighting Designer Tony Galaska did a beautiful, subtle, and low-key job on this production. Galaska gave us something but we needed more to be immersed.
Both Sides Now feels like a low-budget placeholder for the theater’s season – a holiday transition before a much grander production with Appropriate.
Give Artistic Director Bari Newport credit. She likely wanted to do something with music (just like last year with Old Wicked Songs), plus they are battling state wide budget cuts. Both Sides Now is probably perfect for GableStage. It’s stress-free, caters to their older audience and it’s low-budget. Plus, ticket sales appear very robust as many of the shows are almost sold out. So, bravo to them!
It’s just that Both Sides Now could have been So Much More.
And we can’t wait for Miami to see Appropriate – to that we say hallelujah!!
Both Sides Now
Both Sides Now is playing until January 5.
For more info and tickets click here.
This article was published with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
