The Time Machine Musical

My overall impression

The preview I saw suffered from major sound balancing issues. There were several times where mics cut in and out at awkward moments, or where the chorus’ mics were on, while the main singer in the front’s was off. As a result, I missed a lot of the lyrics, which is bad because this show was nothing but songs. Now, I realize this was a final tech dress/preview. I hope they’ll be able to sort the issues out by the time they officially open.

That being said, I was disappointed by the show itself. The idea for a Time Machine Musical has potential, but this particular incarnation does not, because it lacks scenes that give the audience a discernible plot to support the music. In order to actually be a fully-realized show, the creator is going to need to invest time in developing a book to go along with the collection of songs written. If you’re not familiar with the original HG Wells novelization, this show will not give you any idea what the story’s about.

Also, I was not impressed by the direction for this production. There were several elements that didn’t work for me, but the choice [SPOILER ALERT] for the girl in the blue tank top to beat down the leader of the furry bad guys (played by the guitarist in the band) WHILE HE’S PLAYING THE GUITAR AND JAMMING OUT TO HIS OWN DEATH SCENE [/SPOILER ALERT] was mind-boggling and stuck out to me in particular as completely ridiculous. How anyone could have thought that was a good idea is beyond me.