The history behind One Mo' Time, the current revival of the wildly successful late 1970s musical about a New Orleans black vaudeville house, is infinitely more interesting than anything contained in this well-meaning but lackluster update. Set cabaret-style amidst a deluge of revues (Ain't Misbehavin' was just one), it seemed right in its time, highlighted the underground movement of black jazz, and arguably paved the way for current acts like many you might see at Joe's Pub on a weekend evening. That sturdy sense of history is exactly what's missing from Vernel Bagneris' new production (he also acted in, wrote and directed the original version), which too often feels like modern-day performers were time-warped into the space without ever really suggesting the era they're in.
The story is alarmingly thin, presenting a performance troupe setting up at The Lyric Theater in New Orleans, under close watch by the overweight, blustery white theater owner (played rather dourly by Wally Dunn). They include Papa Du (Bagneris), the smooth-steppin' ladies man, Ma Reed (B.J. Crosby), an aging songstress, Thelma (Rosalind Brown), the pretty, vivacious young hoofer with a thing for Papa Du, and Bertha (Roz Ryan), the larger-than-life mouthpiece for the group who demolishes all that stands in her way. Two others in their group are missing; a jailbird and one who has fled with the bail money. Basically, there's a little backstage tease and then a performance, and the cycle repeats.
If only the backstage business felt a little fresher. The foursome trade barbs and insults a la your typical UPN sitcom, which seems a bit tepid for the grandeur of Broadway. But the actors do have natural charisma, especially Bagneris, who unlike his female co-stars, never seems to sell it too harshly. Needless to say, the show is more fun when they sing, and they certainly do not disappoint in that regard. All accomplished song stylists, they put signatures on a bevy of truly rollicking old tunes (they aren't much by way of dancers, partly due to Eddie D. Robinson's tentative choreography). But after a while, the repetitive nature of One Mo' Time becomes wearying, almost as if you're thinking to yourself...one mo' time? And the story (which seems all but dispelled in Act Two) hardly adds up to much more than how much of a jerk the tubby white owner is -- in other words, not much for those who want to be wowed with intellect.
This is an ideal show for people who like to kick back and merely enjoy without a lot of mental strain, which can be fine, but One Mo' Time clearly wants to be a bit more than that. Its original cabaret staging seems far more appropriate for the material, because at least in that case, the music takes front and center, and there isn't such a pressure to deliver a narrative tale. Yet even as a revue of classic old tunes, One Mo' Time just feels like old news.
