By Ruth Ross
I call them "pocket musicals." It's not a technical dramatic term, but one I coined to describe short (often 90-minute), one-act musical plays with small casts, limited musical accompaniment, simple sets and uncluttered plots about ordinary people facing the vicissitudes of life.
Originally presented at the 2010 New York Musical Theatre Festival and subsequently staged Off-Broadway, The Other Josh Cohen, now onstage at the Paper Mill Playhouse, fits the description to a T. With book, music and lyrics by David Rossmer (right) and Steve Rosen (left), this energetic musical comedy traces the life of Josh Cohen ("a poor shlub who never pays retail") as he copes with what appears to be a lifelong battle with bad luck. He has no luck with women; he is broke and underemployed; and his apartment has just been cleaned out by a burglar. But when a mysterious letter arrives containing a check made out to "Josh Cohen" in the amount of $56,000, his annual St. Valentine's Day pity-party suddenly doesn't seem so bad. Unfortunately, he does not recognize the name of Irma Cohen, the woman who has sent the check (a long-lost relative?), so he sets out to find out who she is and why she sent him the money—a quest that provides much hilarity and fun.
The seven young actors pull quadruple duty as actors, singers, dancers and musicians. Only Rossmer and Rosen play single parts: the former as the Josh Cohen of the story and the latter as the narrator (and future Josh Cohen). Their repartee is charming and comedic, and even though Rossmer's Cohen is rather shlubby, he's very lovable and we find ourselves rooting for his success. The other five play a multitude of roles, a feat enhanced by the terrific costumes designed by Jennifer Caprio, along with wigs by Amanda Miller, to match each character (kudos to the dressers offstage, too). Check out the get-up on the actor playing Neil Diamond! (Above L-R: Hannah Elless, Kate Wetherhead, Steve Rosen, Ken Triwush; Photo by Jerry Dalia)
Kate Wetherhead is wonderful as Josh's various would-be girlfriends, all of whom ditch him rather unceremoniously. Vadim Feichtner, Hannah Eless, Ken Triwush and Catherine Salamone portray so many characters that it was hard to keep track of who played whom. Needless to say, they all performed with great energy and élan.
Ted Sperling's crisp direction keeps things moving along on a functional set by David Korns, so there is nary a dead spot in the action. Andrew Palermo's musical staging, especially the choreography, conveys youthful exuberance. And Vadim Feichtner's musical direction puts across the bouncy songs very well. Hannah Eless is to be commended for her drumming and drum arrangements. (Above L-R: Rossner, Elless, Triwush, Wetherhead, Feichtner, Salamone, Rosen; Photo by Jerry Dalia)
My only complaint is the decibel level of the sound by Randy Hansen. I was sitting in Row K, and much of the time I could not understand the lyrics. Those I did hear were clever; I wish I could have discerned more.
The Other Josh Cohen continues Paper Mill Playhouse's run of presenting new shows. While it may not have the scope (or the stars) of Newsies and Honeymoon in Vegas, the energy and passion of the actors (all of them from the Off-Broadway production) convey a big dramatic heart that envelopes the audience in this funny, uplifting story—big time!
The Other Josh Cohen will be performed eight times a week at the Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, through March 16. For information and tickets, call the box office at 973.376.4343 or by visiting online at www.papermill.org.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cocGS9zM24E
