"The Fortress of Solitude" has a welcome debut in Dallas

To be successful, theater needs engage the emotions of its viewers.  It is not easy to do, and can be especially difficult in musical theater.  Indeed, much of the musical theater canon is focused on engaging the humor or romantic emotions in viewers, as those are the emotions most naturally suited to the musical form.  A musical that engages the the mind and heart in a deeply felt way outside of a romantic context is particularly difficult to pull off.  But that is exactly what the outstanding new musical  "The Fortress of Solitude," a musical stage adaptation of Jonathan Lethmam's 2004 novel set in Brooklyn, NY is able to accomplish in its outstanding premiere now playing through April 6 at the Dallas Theater Center.

"Fortress" is a co-production between DTC and New York's Public Theater, and features a tuneful and witty score by Michael Friedman, an engaging and smart book by Itamar Moses, fluid direction by Daniel Aukin, and a terrific cast led by two outstanding young actor/singers, Adam Chanler-Berat and Kyle Beltran.  Mr. Chanler-Berat holds much of the emotional weight of the show on his shoulders, and provides the finest musical theater performance I have seen on stage this theater season.

The show primarily focuses on the unlikely friendships and family lives of the characters played by Chanler-Berat and Beltran, who grew up as neighbors in mid-1970s Gownaus, Brooklyn.  The show spans the time period from 1975-1999, and the lyrics and music evoke the musical styles  (and some near sampling that had me wondering about legal music clearances) that span that time frame.  Indeed, as in the book on which it is based, music and it's effect on the emotional lives of its characters provides a central theme of the work.

To say that I was incredibly moved by this show would be an understatement.  I am not sure if it is due to the fact that the characters grew up in times relatively contemporaneous with my own life, but I was blown away by the ability of the show to evoke the period zeitgeists in the American eras it portrays.  To me, this proved to be a unique and special musical that I highly recommend to anyone in Dallas before it closes.

As with many brand new works, I have a few quibbles.  The first act is a bit too long, and needs better focus.  I believe this could be accomplished by reducing the character arcs of a few of the minor characters. I am hopeful these issues will be resolved by the creative team before the show is mounted next year at the Public (the starting place for last year's outstanding new musical "Fun Home" whose tone and execution reminded me a great deal of "Fortress"). Indeed, I cannot wait to see this show again at the Public to see if the careful polishing of the musical gem is accomplished.