Rebel Town: The Boston Tea Party Musical
Rebel Town Productions LLC and Jennifer McMahon in Lenox
Book, music, and lyrics by John Alan Segalla
Directed by John Alan Segalla with Tommy Towne
“For All We’ve Done.”
In 1773, a group of Bostonians boarded a British ship in their harbor disguised as Mohicans and dumped chests of tea into the water in protest of “taxation without representation,” destroying the revenue of the East India Company and the tax base of mother Britain. This personal act was considered to be an act of treason and was one of the inspirations for the War of Independence which followed less than three years later. In reaction to the Tea Act of 1767, which imposed a 25 percent tax on tea, coffee became the preferred hot drink of the colonists. These facts are the inspiration for John Alan Segalla’s new musical, ”Rebel Town: The Boston Tea Party Musical,” now on stage at the Duffin Theater in Lenox Memorial High School. The nearly three-hour show is overwritten and ultimately just a bit boring, with 28 songs that sound too much alike and don’t give you a single tune to hum as you leave the room.
In a voice-over by Tommy Towne, the show is narrated from the point of view of the youngest participant in the act of rebellion, Peter Slater Junior, played with gusto and talent by Allison Wolter. Among the highlighted historic characters are the well-played John Hancock (Gabriel Winkler), Paul Revere (Taya Win), Samuel Adams (Ryan Domlalewski), and Governor Thomas Hutchinson (Raphael Jae). Author, composer, lyricist, and director John Alan Segalla plays William Grey. He plays the man very well, displaying a fine singing voice, but perhaps his time would have been better spent rewriting the songs of this show, relieving some of the monotony of note and rhythm repetition that dogs the production.
The cast are basically all fine performers with some excellent characterizations of the 18th-century figures they portray. Fifteen in all, playing 18 characters, they do all that can be done to keep a well-directed show moving. Director Segalla profits from a fine set designed by Ron Piazza, which fills the Duffin Theater’s wide stage. Similarly, the costumes coordinated by Kara May add a resonance to the show, although Sam Adams in British red struck me as odd.
Produced by Segalla, with Jen McMahon, and profiting from the investments by the Pittsfield Cultural Council, the Mass Cultural Council, Berkshire Money Management, and a host of others, the show has a very professional swagger. It just doesn’t deliver a very good musical show. The concept is there and a lot of talent is showcased on every level. It just isn’t ready for prime time.
“Rebel Town” continues at the Duffin Theater, 197 East Street, Lenox, MA, through August 18. For information and tickets, visit the production’s website.
