REVIEW: The Evolution of Mann: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording

[Henry40]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 12:11pm

Having enjoyed an extended run at the Cell Theatre off-Broadway in late 2018, Douglas J. Cohen and Dan Elish's endearing boutique musical The Evolution of Mann celebrated the release of its highly-anticipated cast recording this past week, currently available on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon.

Starring the incredible Max Crumm (Grease, Disaster!) as troubled leading man Henry Mann, Allie Trimm (13, Bye Bye Birdie) as Christine/Tamar/Sheila/Others, and Leslie Hiatt as Henry's best friend Gwen, The Evolution of Mann begins with a simple premise: author Henry must find a date to bring to his ex-fiancé Sheila's wedding. As with any romantic comedy, chaos ensues. Under the direction of esteemed New York director Joe Barros (Gigi, Beaches, Cagney, Bastard Jones), the three-person cast shines in this piece, whether it be Max Crumm's neurotic portrayal of Henry, Allie Trimm's sheer versatility and vocal prowess, or Leslie Hiatt's fierce warmth.

Although it harkens back to early musical comedies, Douglas J. Cohen's witty score/lyrics and Dan Elish's amusing book keep The Evolution of Mann incredibly fresh, tackling the struggles of single life in modern society. Despite the abundance of highly entertaining, clever numbers, such as the ridiculous yet adorable 'The Tale of the Otter', the manic 'What's the Matter With Henry?', and the downright crazy 'Hard', the show soars most in its tender, poignant moments. Christine's ballad 'It's Only a First Date' is possibly the highlight of the show; sung brilliantly by Allie Trimm, the number looks into the uncertainty and anxiety that comes with a first date – things that deeply resonate with us all. In fact, the cast recording features a bonus track of Max Crumm singing the same song from a queer perspective.

The similarly moving 'The Unromantic Things', this time touchingly sung by Leslie Hiatt, sees Gwen explaining to Henry that loving relationships often involve finding the beauty and heart in "the unromantic things" instead of just the stereotypical gestures of love. Personally, the stirring number 'Keeping My Eye on the Ball', sung ardently by Max Crumm, affects me the most, ending the show on an unresolved, yet optimistic note. In general, the show itself is genius, hilarious, and original, quickly earning a spot amongst my favourites from recent years.

It also doesn't hurt that this recording in particular has been expertly produced. The sound mixing is great, showing off music director Vadim Feichtner's (Falsettos, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) expertly crafted orchestrations. Bringing his simplistic, yet lush sound to the score, Feichtner creates all the excitement and eclecticism that one would want in a boutique musical such as this one. Moreover, the song selection has been expertly done, including just the right amount of dialogue in order to make the story clear, but not enough to give major spoilers away.

All in all, this cast recording is definitely one for the 5-star collection. Not only is the show itself brilliant, but the cast and production are simply outstanding; I will admit that I am simply in love with it. I would highly recommend that all theatre folk look into the show and I hope that this fantastic cast recording will open the doors to the long, successful future that the show so deserves.

Updated On: 2/21/19 at 12:11 PM

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 6:03pm

Wow! And what was your relationship to the show cause this was one of the biggest piles of trash I have ever seen. The music was unforgettable, the story idiotic and the performances WEAK (except Crumm at times). Derivative, cliched with nary a melody or clever lyric to latch onto.

There was a reason this show got slammed by times and ended up literally having a hard time GIVING away tickets.

Why they wasted money on a cast recording literally NO ONE wants is beyond me.

One of those shows where the 90min crawled. Absolutely TORTUROUS!

[Composer94]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 6:36pm

Listening to the recording right now.

I'm sorry but the score is extremely generic. Some nice singing though.

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 2/21/19 at 6:38pm

Generic is very polite...

Puerile is more accurate...

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/22/19 at 10:31am

It's interesting that the review of a cast recording is able to pick up so much on the book and direction.

[bryan32]

Posted: 2/22/19 at 9:30pm

it this show going to be on cd soon

 

[Henry40]

Posted: 2/22/19 at 9:36pm

@bryan32 I'm not sure. I think there might be.

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 2/23/19 at 10:02am

What a waste of materials and energy that would be for something literally NO ONE wants....

The show is crap, stop shilling and move along

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/23/19 at 4:11pm

Obviously someone wrote it and put their heart and soul into it. It's not fair to say no one wants it. It may not be 9 people's favorite thing but it might be 1 or 2 people's favorite thing.

[Henry40]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 3:06am

That's right! I for one know plenty of people in the industry (many of them in NYC and with very impressive careers, no less) who absolutely adore the show. I'm not in any way affiliated with the show's publicity team at all; I just happen to find the show really special and love the score, lyrics, and concept for a variety of reasons that I could dissect in great detail but obviously wouldn't in a review.

Just because you may hate the show doesn't mean it's total trash or that there's any need to insult the work that's gone into it. Art is highly subjective after all! I may have a very strong dislike for Boublil & Schönberg and Pasek & Paul, but I'm not going to use that to deny the huge impact they've had on the art form or invalidate the opinions of their fans despite the huge amount of said fans. Plus, Evolution of Mann actually extended Off-Broadway, so I'm not sure if they actually had too much of a hard time with ticket sales. Ticket sales themselves are not indicators of a show's worth either! I've even heard that there's been some demand for a physical CD too.

Anywho, I'm not gonna say you're wrong for hating the show, because that's your opinion and perfectly valid, but I just wanted to say that there's no reason to say that's it's downright trash and that everyone should think the same way you do. A lot of people don't, but that's perfectly ok and there's no use trying to convince them otherwise because that's their personal opinion too!

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 3:18am

I downloaded the recording because I liked Max Crumm on that TV show where he was discovered. I am happy to report he has matured and continued to work on his instrument; he sings beautifully.

Otherwise, I don't think the score is great, but neither is it as bad as some have insisted here.

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 10:15am

You’re veiled attempts at seeming as though you are not associated with the show are laughable!! I happen to know for a fact that ticket sales were nonexistent. Literally, no one I talked to liked any aspect of this show. Sure it’s highly subjective but to talk about this absolutely outmoded piece of predictable mush as anything but a misguided and sad vanity projecy for Doug Cohen doesn’t fly.

[Henry40]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 10:48am

I literally have no association with the show. I wasn't involved in any element of it whatsoever. I never even got to see the production!

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 3/2/19 at 1:01pm

I just got a chance to listen to the cast recording. The plot is dumb and the characters cliche, but I like the music. It's nothing groundbreaking, but "What's the Matter with Henry" has an interesting melody, "The Right Time to Propose" has a really catchy jazz waltz vibe, and "The Tale of The Otter" has some clever lyrics. I'll probably put it on Spotify while I'm working

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 3/2/19 at 1:09pm

The acoustic guitar/piano instrumentation and lyric structure reminds me a lot of "Next Thing You Know", another show I like but don't think is spectacular. There's a really interesting post-JRB sound coming onto off-Broadway with this quirky pop-rock vibe. It includes this show, Salzmann and Cunningham, and arguably Pasek and Paul.