Sarah on theater

Seems to have all the ingredients to transfer to Broadway and struggle there. Indistinct, I guess. A good chunk of the book and club setting are borrowed from “Buena Vista Social Club” but inviting that comparison makes “Goddess” seem lower-energy than it actually is - that the two shows in fact share some creative personnel leaves this feeling like a bit of a B-side, which is an unfortunate way to feel about the one with the original music.

There’s a sprinkle of “Hadestown” here too, and a bit of “Lion King”-esque puppetry. “But Sarah,” you protest, “All art has influences, and listing them doesn’t actually amount to criticism.” Great point - it’s just hard not to dwell on it when the size and pedigree of the company and the elaborate production quality all feel so squarely aimed for a big stage and yet there doesn’t seem to be a lot of standout secret sauce. “Maybe you could consider judging the show on its actual merits rather than your perception of its intended audience?” Fine, okay, fair enough.

The lavish production is the strength, and the set, lighting, costuming, singing, and dancing are all lovely. I was less enamored with the songs themselves, which are serviceably pretty but not really earworms, and especially the book, which sets up reasonably interesting A- and B-plots about East African folklore & a Mombasan political dynasty and then makes the puzzling decision to abruptly resolve both of them off-stage and end the show without a climax. Overall, it leaves a very strange impression when so much of the show is so polished but the core of it is, like, fundamentally unsound. It’s a bummer! I was ready to love this.