The Deli Guy, the Waitress, the Actress and the Blackout
‘Fly by Night,’ a Metaphysical Musical
Ben Brantley
June 12, 2014: Harold McClam, a guitar-strumming sandwich maker in New York City in the mid-1960s, has a lot in common with the new musical Fly by Night, which is more or less centered on him. Both man and musical have a dopey appeal that is irresistible in small doses and an unfortunate way of sabotaging themselves by getting stuck in a groove. “In 1965, I will be a man of action,” proclaims Harold, portrayed by Adam Chanler-Berat (Next to Normal, Peter and the Starcatcher), a specialist in offbeat charm, in the long and winding show that opened at Playwrights Horizons on Wednesday night. That’s his New Year’s resolution, and oh, how we hope he’ll make good on it. But, no, soon Harold is digging himself deeper into the same old rut, never finishing that song about sea turtles he’s been composing pretty much since we first met him and lying sluglike in bed to contemplate the bittersweet mysteries of life. Such elusive mysteries are the main subject of Fly by Night, which was written and composed by Kim Rosenstock (who conceived the show), Will Connolly and Michael Mitnick. The script comes equipped with a philosophizing Narrator (Henry Stram), who delivers annotative musical musings like: “What is endless? What is momentary?”
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