'The Immigrant' - My Review

I wasn't able to get to see The Immigrant: An American Musical until this weekend; the Sunday matinee at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury had a decent crowd. Semina De Laurentis writes that she was grateful for the opportunity to direct the show and work with both the composer/orchestrator and the lyricist, Steven Alper and Sarah Knapp respectively. In the performances at Seven Angels, Mr. Alper served as the music director, conductor and pianist, while Ms. Knapp appeared onstage in the role of Ima.

The play was written in 1985 by Mark Harelik, an American television, film and stage actor, and is based upon the life of his Russian Jewish grandfather who immigrated to Galveston, Texas in 1909. Mr. Harelik's play was well-received and was adapted into a musical of the same name. He released a sequel, The Legacy, changing it from a true story to fiction. The Immigrant garnered two Drama Desk nominations off-Broadway and has been produced across the United States.

The story of Haskell's immigration to Hamilton, Texas is a moving one. It truly is An American Musical and could be about many of our ancestors. I quickly cared about what happened to the four characters, the author's grandparents and an American couple that befriends them. However, the show is thirty minutes too long; despite the fact that the lady in the box office warned me of the two and a half hour run time at the time that I purchased my ticket, the second act dragged. I also felt that the music was uneven; some songs were lovely, but others sounded like they didn't fit the accompaniment. In general, the songs that two or three actors sang were better than the solos.

All four of the actors in this cast were strong actors. The lyricist Ms. Knapp, who I last saw as Ellen in Over the Tavern at Seven Angels, was lovely as Ima. She aged gracefully and convincingly. Her husband Milton was played effectively by Paul Blankenship. The Russian Jewish Leah was played beautifully by Rita Markova, originally from the Ukraine. The lovely actress was coached in her Yiddish accent by her grandparents and had a lovely soprano singing voice.

In the lead role of Haskell, Max Biantz was a joy to watch in both acts. From the first song that he sang offstage, his strong tenor voice filled the theatre. He is a real talent.

The four members of band did a good job with the varied types of musical numbers; Lisa Laquidara on the violin was very good. The lighting designed by the award-winning Joyce Liao was especially beautiful. The costumes of Jimmy Johanmeyer were period-appropriate as the action passed through the 32 year time period. The sets by Erik D. Diaz are always impressive and this one was no exception.

The Immigrant closes on April 21.

See the Republican-American video of the composer and lyricist for more details of how the show came to the stage.