Frost Bite

The Yellow Wood has a lot going for it: A story that centers loosely on Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"; a mostly superb cast, including the very likable Jason Tam (Broadway's A Chorus Line) as Adam, a high school student obsessing about memorizing the Frost poem (not to mention the flights of fancy brought on by his decision not to take his Ritalin), the uproarious Randy Blair (as his best friend Casserole), the savvy comic stylings of Jill Abramovitz (as the snappish English teacher), and Yuka Takara (as Adam's smartypants younger sister Gwen); and the direction of journeyman actor B.D. Wong, who also produces.

So what went wrong?

Like many NYMF shows, writers Michelle Elliott (book and lyrics) and Danny Larsen (music and lyrics) have tried to cram too many themes into their story. The adolescent fairy tale begins with the hyperactive Adam sitting at the breakfast table with his parents and sister: we learn that his parents are not getting along, his sister is transferring to his school because of unexplained problems at her old school, and that he denies his Korean heritage to his classmates (i.e., nobody thinks that he is Asian--and he'd like to keep it that way).

Interesting problems and conflicts, all, but they are never untangled or explored to any satisfying ends. Instead, Adam goes to school, where his overactive, Ritalin-free senses conjure up scene after fantastical scene. There's even an overextended video game sequence, in which the actors--in thrall to the erratic jerks of Adam's brain--stiffen their limbs and lurch around the stage to illustrate a story problem.

Other critics have found much to love in this unique story, and there is plenty of creativity on display. With a bit more focus, The Yellow Wood could be not only a story worth telling, but an incisive, dimensional look at an exceptional life.

offoffonline review: The Yellow Wood

Pictured: Randy Blair, Jason Tam, and Caissie Levy (photo credit: Lia Chang)