Original musical explores death penalty


Sometimes all you need is a guitar and a bench, especially when your music is as good as Ross Golan’s in the world premiere of The Wrong Man. Aided by projections and a dancing woman, the lead actor mostly sat and sang but offered a compelling performance. More of a concert with a story than anything else, the audience quickly learned that that was all they needed. The show is running at the Skylight Theater through March 16.

Man, oh man · Ross Nolan, who graduated from USC in 2001, plays the leading role of Duran in The Wrong Man, an original musical that is currently playing at the Skylight Theater in Los Angeles. - Photo courtesy of Ken Werther Pubiicity

Man, oh man · Ross Nolan, who graduated from USC in 2001, plays the leading role of Duran in The Wrong Man, an original musical that is currently playing at the Skylight Theater in Los Angeles. – Photo courtesy of Ken Werther Pubiicity

 

This production is all about Ross Golan, who not only wrote the story, music and lyrics for the show, but also plays the leading man, Duran. Golan graduated from USC in 2001 ith a degree in music industry. Since his time at USC, Golan has become a successful songwriter, working with major stars such as Maroon 5, Lady Antebellum and even Justin Bieber. It is easy to see why he has gone so far in the music industry — his lyrics are fantastic. Sometimes slow and easy, others rap-like and angry, Golan is able to capture every emotion on the spectrum through his music and lyrics.

The Wrong Man, inspired by Johnny Cash’s iconic tune “Folsom Prison Blues,” tells the story of a one-night stand gone wrong, an interpretation of “I shot a man in Reno/ Just to watch him die.” It is a song cycle, following Duran from the one-night stand to a pregnancy discovery to a dead man and a death sentence. The songs include sung dialogue and the inner thoughts of Duran, as well as action description. Duran even sings (in falsetto) the lines of Mariana (played by Jennifer Brasuell), the woman who sparks the whole story.

Projection designer Adam Flemming and videographer Michael Alan Hoy had a lot of work on their hands, designing the only visual aid for the whole show. The projections run sporadically and always seem to complement the moment perfectly. During some songs, the projections are a film, with the two main actors re-enacting exactly what Duran is singing. During others, the images are merely abstract shapes and colors, creating a moody backdrop for more singular moments.

The projections helped keep the show from getting boring and quickly answered the question: “How will a guy sitting with an acoustic guitar act out a play?” They were not at all over used, and helped to break up the potential monotony of the visual. The scenes themselves were very well-directed, always toeing the line between reality and dream-like sequences. The footage could almost be released as a short film itself (with Golan’s accompaniment, of course).

The one aspect that did distract from Golan’s music was the character of Mariana. Throughout many scenes, Mariana dances around and next to Duran. Sometimes it is just choreographed walking and posing, other times she is rolling on the floor. There were moments when it worked nicely, but at others it was strange. Golan, a very normal-looking guy in baggy jeans, was singing soulfully and naturally, when an attractive woman in lacy black lingerie prances around next to him. It just didn’t fit. Instead of randomly moving around in a lyrical way, the character could have been performing real modern choreography to fit the music it would have been interesting. But the format itself already reminds the audience we’re in an alternate reality of sorts, and her performance could have been intensified to reflect that. Brasuell is a beautiful woman as well as a dancer, but her part was not altogether necessary.

Golan does a respectable job of bringing up the important topic of the death penalty in an interesting, musical way. Duran is an incredibly sympathetic character, and the audience is deeply affected by his wrongful conviction. The sad ending, accompanied by the final song “Exit Me (Fade to Black)” is an oddly soothing conclusion to Duran’s life. His journey through the legal system is incredibly disturbing, and Golan must be applauded for refusing to sugarcoat this issue.

Golan so easily brings the audience on a journey, using only his voice. His songs range from low and melodic (“Almost Hopeless”) to clever and funny (“Walk of Shame”) to heartbreaking (“What Happens Here Stays Here”). Some songs had the entire audience bobbing their heads along with Duran, others left them still and shocked. At times it seemed as though there were more instruments and more singers than just Golan and his guitar — the sound filled the space that well.

Though the projections are helpful to move the story along, closing your eyes and tapping your toe along to the rhythm is all you need to enjoy it.