I'm in Love with a Punk Rocker named Joe Iconis.

One would think that while working at various broadway shows, rehearsing for two NYMF shows and gearing up for the start of the festival I would take my Monday night off and sit on the floor staring at the ceiling. But seeing Joe Iconis' Triumphant Baby at the York sounded more appealing, so there I went - I figured it would befit me to expand my knowledge of one of New York's most promising composers before his Ars Nova show Hearken to a Pie Hole on September 24th. (A plug for that event before the show started mentioned that Mary Bond Davis and Lisa Howard would be performing, which I hadn't seen mentioned in any press releases. Could I be more excited?)

It's a strange experience watching a cabaret type show in a proscenium theater. I missed the intimate atmosphere and gentle chatter of the typical cabaret venue, but the quality of the material certainly made up for lack of charm. Iconis' songs in Triumphant Baby span a range of genres and styles - with influences from rock, irish folk, country, german cabaret and musical theater, and yet not one song sounded out of place or forced. Combined with Maddock's witty (if somewhat effortful) lyrics, the songs were able to transcend the cold environment to form a fully realized and entertaining show. A few songs in particular had such a perfect meeting of music and lyrics that it was hard to believe they weren't written by the same person - "Popular Opinion" (featured in Broadway Bullet Volume 124!) in particular is a stunning blend of the two, each supporting the other such that the song itself sounds like a masterpiece but simply quoting the lyrics or humming the tune would do neither justice. Funnily enough, it was the first song the pair wrote together. Other stand-outs of the night were "The Kind That Falls" about a 30s starlet who jumps off the Hollywood sign and the title song "Triumphant Baby."

I'm a little disappointed that my rave can't be quite as unequivocal for leading lady Lorinda Lisitza. She has a charm about her that carried the night, but I was uncomfortable with the neurotic character she affected for most of the songs. I hope to gooddness that it is a character, otherwise I just shoved my foot in my mouth somewhat in the manner of this character from Flight of the Conchords...

BEN: Your act is sensational!
BRET & JEMAINE: Thank you.
BEN: I love the attention to detail with your stage characters. I mean, the idea of a pair of naive idiots from New Zealand - it's so simple it's genius. You just pick a small backwards country that no one knows anything about? Very funny. Very funny. So where are you guys from? The Juilliard School of the Performing Arts?
JEMAINE: We're from New Zealand.

Amazing. I have a feeling the night would almost read better on a CD - good thing they were selling them there!

If you're considering maybe buying tickets for Hearken to a Pie Hole (or, as it was referred to at Triumphant Baby, "The Iconis and Maddock Variety Hour"), I urge you to visit Mr. Joe Iconis' Music Page and give a listen to a few of the songs. If that doesn't sufficiently convince you, I can't help you.
Who's excited for the Black Suits, to be produced next year by MCC? And apparently he's writing a musical of Jurassic Park? Joe Iconis, you rule!

I swear he didn't pay me to write this entry.