'Sticks And Stones' is a new Musical written by John McDaniel (music) and Scott Logsdon (book and lyrics), which was given an online Zoom-style concert performance in aid of two US charities, Broadway Cares and The Born This Way Foundation.
This concert version lasted about one hour, and told the Biblical story of David and Goliath in a very modern 'High School Musical' kind of way. The musical's theme is teen bullying (hance the charity involvement) and so there is a message underlying this show; however, at least in concert form, it didn't really inspire sadly. The performers are all singing from their own homes in isolation and appropriate background images chosen to fill the screen whilst the 'boxes' with the performers singing are overlayed in the current video-chat style.
The muisc is mostly upbeat and catchy, but the lyrics are, at best quite juvenile and banal... but then again we are in a high school setting, so perhaps that was intentional (?) The musical stars Joshua Colley (David), Mykal Kilgoe (Samuel), Javier Munoz (Jesse), George Salazar (King Saul), and Audra McDonald (Nizevet). A very youthful looking company for a very youthful and insubstantial show. To help this cast along there was a chorus of 135 young people from all over the world who had been successful in a virtual casting and again had recorded their chorus parts online to be incorporated into the frame as required.
When one considers that 'Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' started life as a short school concert for children to perform with just a few catchy tunes and some very tongue-in-cheek lyrics; then maybe this musical has a similar journey to make, who knows. There are several similarities between the two shows. However in its present state it remains little more than a curiosity and a pleasant diversion.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 17/10/20
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