Quick Hit Theater Review: Tomorrow Morning

Matthew Hydzik, Autumn Hurlbert, D.B. Bond and Mary Mossberg © Carol Rosegg

Tomorrow Morning

York Theatre Company at St. Peter's

By Laurence Mark Wythe
Director: Tom Mullen
Music Director: John Bell
Choreography: Lorin Latarro

Summary: It's hindsight in sight as a couple hears the clock ticking on the eve of their wedding, then again on the eve of their divorce in this musical with a big heart. Jack (D.B. Bonds) and Kat (Autumn Hurlbert) deal with wedding-eve jitters, a lost job and an unplanned pregnancy on the night before their wedding. Years later, John (Matthew Hydzik) and Catherine (Mary Mossberg), no longer using pet names, prepare to split up after John has an affair. They wonder how the divorce will affect their son and how they got from where they started to where they are now. The show reminds of The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown.

Highlights: A tight book by Wythe, proving a good story with nicely developed characters can be told as a musical in 75 minutes. Mullen does some nice storytelling himself with direction that physically places the characters close and at odds when that's where they are emotionally, yet allows them to see each other while not interfering with the two distinct time lines. Dan P. Conley's compact set includes some mirror effects with overlapping entrances that continue the effect of the couples lives intertwining seemlessly. Hydzik is particularly moving as the man looking back on his life with regret.
Lowlights: Most of the story is told through song and with the exception of a couple of nice ballads and a funny game-show sequence, most of the score is same-sounding and can get a tad tedious. Vocals are adequate, but kudos to the actors for doing a show without mikes (and to the four-piece band for not drowning them out).

Information: This one wraps up Saturday, April 23 at St. Peter's, 819 Lexington Ave (entrance is on 54th), NYC. For information and tickets, visit http://www.yorktheatre.org/
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