New Musical a Life and Death Comedy

It’s important to keep any eye out for fresh ambition in musical theater, which drew me and many others to a professionally marketed new musical at the Next Act Theatre: RIP – A Matter of Life and Death, where the living and dead intermingle musically at the McCobb Mortuary (for macabre – get it?).

Self-described by its PR folks as a “fun frolic,” well, don’t mock it too fast. The mingling of the living and the dead has been a significant part of drama (Our Town), strong musicals (Carousel) and films like It’s a Wonderful Life. So this topic can touch the heart and the funny bone – and even as done here, get extra mileage out of graveyard humor, zombie dances and groan-inducing puns.

Shayne Patrick as Mr. McCobb wears ill-fitting clothes he can lurch about in and over-emphasizes a cadaverous voice, while Ethan Smith as put-upon Vic, his Bob Cratchit type assistant, similarly overdoes some stock company nice-guy mannerisms. There are engaging singing moments, sometimes together, sometimes solo, by Elisebeth Sparks, Taylor Miñan, Krista Rose and Stephanie Beschta, with Beschta having a standout character moment in the reprise of the song “Useless.”

The composer, lyricist and book writer are Robert Grede. He retired from a successful marketing, business writing and teaching career to turn to his first love as a music major – clearly he learned the major-key intricacies of the show biz song. In this world premiere the songs bear such titles as “Midnight at the Morgue,” “Dead-End Job” and “You Can’t Take It With You.”

With underlying cello tones from Rachel Orheim, music director Jessi Kolberg masterfully juggles keyboard and violin to lead the musical quartet as eight players (all personable but predictable as actors) play the living and dead motifs, each carrying a lesson as they mix together in the music, but don’t otherwise see each other.

Director Alan Piotrowicz works hard to keep this musical harmony intact while the dead comment on the living, but are meant to be invisible to the un-departed – except all have a miserable life story and happy conclusion that seem straight out of sitcoms and TV commercials. The technical elements are competent, with the musicians at the back of the helter-skelter mortuary, but unworthy of special mention.

The music? It is as if traditional song techniques have married the euphony of 1920s operettas, the sentimental intentions of Rodgers and Hammerstein and the early ballads of Whitney Houston. In other words, likable ear candy that is pleasant to hear, but all the nice harmonies sound like something else you’ve heard.

The event is too long and eventually the dialogue too sappy, reminding theatergoers why there are strong reasons for professional orchestration, editors with a good knife, actors who know how to take risks and vary the expected, plus stagecraft that finds distinctive moments to rise above the pack. RIP doesn’t.

RIP: A Musical Comedy of Life and Death runs through July 28 at the intimate three-sided stage of Next Act, 255 S. Water St., with performances in its final week running Wednesday through Sunday. For more information visit https://www.rip-themusical.com/the-show.

Dominique Paul Noth served for decades as film and drama critic, later senior editor for features at the Milwaukee Journal. You’ll find his blog here and here.