Ocean in a Teacup
Book and Music by Joel Krantz; Lyrics by Joel Krantz & Neil Selden; Directed by Nicole Coady
A.R.T./New York Theatres | 502 W 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019
May 27th - June 8th
Ocean in a Teacup is a fascinating true story. I left still wanting to know how the main character made it to NYC where he would eventually encounter the author and become his mentor. This 7-person “Encores” style production allowed the focus to be on the story and music without the expense of a full-fledged production in line with the premise of the festival. It’s a great way to keep what will be an elaborate production in check in its early stages.
Ocean takes place in India during WWII. A conscientious objector, Henderson, arrives to serve with the Red Cross in one of the least discussed theaters of the war. (My grandfather served in India, and it’s not a theater of operation we hear much about.) The realities of war put Henderson (Lukas Poost) in an impossible situation where he’s forced to go against everything he believes in. This cuts him off from his true love at home, Julia, (Selene Klasner) and from himself. Some of us can’t come back up until we hit rock bottom.
This musical is a variation on the "boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back” of most of the genre. This variation starts with Julia, who gets the boy, loses the boy, and then finds him again. And also on a more spiritual path, boy finds himself, loses himself, and becomes who he is meant to be. None of this can happen without Henderson meeting Thakur (Arif Silverman) and his wife, Boro-Ma, (Isha Narayanan). All of this happens during the Bengal Famine from 1943 - 1944, when British forces diverted food from the population to their soldiers, and in an effort to leave nothing for the Japanese, destroyed the food supplies in the east. This humanitarian crisis is faced head on by Thakur and his students with the little they have.
This tale is epic. I can understand the rationale of telling it through a musical, but I didn’t feel the music met the moment. Music doesn’t need to match its setting. Hamilton doesn’t. A Girl from the North Country takes place in the 1930s with repurposed music from the 60s by someone born in the 40s. Obviously, feeling the time and place through the music isn’t a requirement, but with the rich music of the 1940s and hindustani or carnatic music, I was left feeling as if something was missing that the occasional sitar riff couldn’t replace. Klasner’s Julia has a solo late in the show that felt more period appropriate, but that could have been the beautiful subtleties of her performance. Even the rich blend of the ensemble or the lyrical beauty of Narayanan couldn’t relive the feeling that something is missing.
This is what makes this type of festival so important. Each iteration of this show provides the creators with valuable knowledge. Each audience sees and hears something that provides new information. It’s a story worth telling and we all help them find a way to reach more and more people.
Click HERE for tickets.
The Next Step Festival is a brand new celebration of storytelling, collaboration, and the messy, magical process of making theatre. Founded by a conglomerate of playwrights from across the country, this inaugural festival brings together emerging playwrights, directors, and creatives to take the “next step” in their work. With community at its core, the festival is a hub for writers looking to workshop, grow, and connect with like-minded makers
Review by Nicole Jesson.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on June 9th, 2025. All rights reserved.