Side Man

SIDE MAN is an elegy for a dysfunctional family and the end of live jazz as a musical force. Jazz trumpeter Gene, who is distant from everything but music, and his volatile wife, Terry, live through decades of poverty and turmoil, with son Clifford, the narrator, as go-between and family adult. The play has powerful moments as well as humorous lines among its wrenching incidents, black comedy, and harsh swearing. But some performances are too broad, exaggerated, or strident even for this emotionally raw play, while Frank Wood's Gene seems unrealistically impassive. We sometimes miss out by not seeing expressions and actions, and are left to wonder during silences between characters. Nonetheless, some powerful scenes and readings make the experience worthwhile. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

May 1, 2011

Leight drew from his own experiences as the son of a jazz musician to write this Tony Award-winning 1998 play, a recent live- staged performance of which L.A. Theatre Works recorded and edited for audio. It is the story of grand hopes, failed dreams, and dysfunctional relationships, told by protagonist Clifford in a series of flashbacks spanning three decades. The cast--actors Kyle Colerider-Krugh, Garret Dillahunt, Kevin Geer, Christine Lahti, Joseph Lyle Talor, Frank Wood (who won a Tony Award for his performance in the original 1998 production), and Stephanie Zimbalist--does a superb job of rendering the characters, which include Clifford's parents, whose apartment is a gathering place for other musicians who figured seminally into Clifford's childhood. Recommended for all appreciators of a good audio drama.--Nann Blaine Hilyard, Zion-Benton P.L., IL

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