CHEERI-UH-OS!

REVIEW: WE ARE THE TIGERS

BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO

With Carrie the Killer Musical Experience, and the television show Scream Queens, We Are the Tigers jumps on the bandwagon of the current L.A. entertainment trend—shows about killing girls who are part of a sorority or cheerleading team. This being said, the timing of this New York musical is either perfect or untimely, and unfortunately the latter is the case. With book, music and lyrics by Rebekah M. Allen, the musical We Are the Tigers feels like off-brand Cheerios in the land of Bring It On: The Musical, Legally Blonde, Heathers and Carrie.

Before mentioning anything else about the show’s material, it must be said that the cast of We are the Tigers is a captivating collection of vocalists—each of these girls can hold their own vocally. The lead of the show Riley (Callandra Olivia) offers a strong performance throughout. Olivia is always on—ready for every song that comes her way, her voice is bright, and crystal clear. The most compelling love story in this musical was the unclear relationship between Kate (Cailan Rose) and Chess (Cait Fairbanks) who bring tons of emotion and heart to their moments together. The duet early in act one lead by Rose is full of passion and purpose; her voice is a delicate balance of huskiness and sweetness. The song that follows lead by Fairbanks is full of raw disquietude—her voice is solid and strong.

Gabi Hankins, left, Rachel King, Jade Johnson, Talisa Friedman, Callandra Olivia, Charlotte Mary Wen. Photo Credit Josh Rimmey.

The character that is the most fun to watch is Reese (Gabi Hankins) who is the comic relief of the entire show, everything she says is sharp and smart-alecky in the best kind of way—a brand of humor that can only be innate. Much like a first-rate group of cheerleaders all the girls perform the ensemble numbers with precision, poise and a heightened sense of togetherness.

Jade Johnson, left, Rachel King, Callandra Olivia , Talisa Friedman, Charlotte Mary Wen, Gabi Hankins, center. Photo Credit Josh Rimmey.

The weakest link in We Are the Tigers is the flimsy book. Given the show’s title and advertised content, going into the show one doesn’t know what to expect: will it be serious, campy, comedy or farce? Furthermore, the main issue arises after watching the show when these same questions are still unanswered. What kind of show is We Are the Tigers? Why should an audience care? What is the audience supposed to take home with them? These are just some of the questions the show’s book fails to answer. Additionally, there are many structural issues with the narrative that leaves the audience wandering throughout. Is the musical a plot driven show or a non-plot show? It’s hard to say and even harder to follow. What’s more, if we can take anything away from The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1985), Clue (1997) and Curtains (2007), it’s that murder-mystery plots do not work in musicals. Audiences in musicals must remain omniscient; keeping an audience in the dark does not work. Even with that being said, We Are the Tigers completely underplays the mystery element, the only element the show has going for it is swept under the rug.

Gabi Hankins, left, Cailan Rose, Cait Fairbanks, Jade Johnson, left, Rachel King, Callandra Olivia, Charlotte Mary Wen. Photo Credit Josh Rimmey.

The music and lyrics are far superior to the book. The lyrics are simple and superficial, they actually suit the characters and scenario nicely. The lyrics are crafted toward high school cheerleaders—I’ll buy that. The music is a fun and energetic collection of pop/rock ensemble numbers and ballads held together by a single motif heard in the opening number. The songs may be pleasant and offer some nice grooves, but due to all the book issues there is a substantial lack of heart that audiences desire from all musicals.

WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC DIRECTOR?

Music director Patrick Sulken does an excellent job preparing a new cast for an original musical. All the music sung throughout is crisp and precise—a unified musical front. The 4-piece house band is lead by Emily Cohn who expertly performs the role of piano/conductor. Cohn never misses a beat; she is attentive and alert from beginning to end balancing conducting with one hand or both with playing the piano part. The 4-piece rock band played with great energy and drive—lots of rockin’ grooves to tap your foot to.

As is, We Are the Tigers is an unfinished musical project with some good songs and a stellar cast. The show is the work of a 22-year-old writer who has a lot to learn about what musicals are all about; writing a show like this one is part of that process. This is a theater piece for the writer not the audience. I’m sure Allen can relate to these characters, perhaps they were based on her own high school friends, or something along those lines, but for the rest of us who are not privy, it’s difficult to connect beyond the perfunctory plot and prosaic pop/rock tunes. We Are the Tigers runs until November 8^th at the Hudson Backstage Theatre in Los Angeles for more information and tickets visit: wearethetigersmusical.com.