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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Musical showing aftermath of 1960s W.Va. mine disaster opens in New York to mixed reviews

As the Appalachian coalfield continues to deal with the aftermath of the April mine explosion that killed 29 West Virginia miners, the aftermath of a similar but fictional disaster is playing out in a musical that debuted in New York in May. The disaster "recalled an era half a century ago when such catastrophes were more common – the era depicted in 'The Burnt Part Boys,' set in the coal country of West Virginia in 1962," Jonathan Mandell writes for The Faster Times. "But that was also the era of boys’ adventure stories and movie Westerns, family and fantasy TV series. All are part of 'The Burnt Part Boys,' now opened at Playwrights Horizons, an odd mash-up of a musical – somewhere between 'Floyd Collins' and Harry Potter — that might have worked better had it stuck to one genre."

The musical follows two boys 10 years after a mine explosion and fire that killed their father and a dozen other miners. The central drama arises from the older brother's decision to work in the same mine and the younger brother's attempts to stop him. Early reviews have been mixed at best. "There are unquestionably moving moments in 'The Burnt Part Boys,' helped along by good acting and singing as well as several memorable dramatic tableaux, most of them involving a chorus of dead miners," Mandell writes. "There is just too much else there that feels like filler." (Read more)

A slow-moving plot through much of the production, just over 90 minutes, seems to be the most consistent criticism of the play, though little mention has been given to its portrayal of mining culture. Charles Isherwood, reviewer for The New York Times, took issue with the play's seemingly bland title, but writes "This small flaw is not, unfortunately, the only one made by the creators of this warm-spirited and family-friendly but dramatically static new show." (Read more) The play is directed by Joe Calarco with book by Mariana Elder, music by Chris Miller and lyrics by Nathan Tysen.

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