The 1st Church of Mary…Benefit Concert, Revival & Pot Luck Dinner" NY Musical Festival

The full name of the original musical, part of the NY Music Festival is "The First Church of Mary, the Repentant Prostitute's FIFTH ANNUAL!!! Benefit Concert, Revival, and Pot Luck Dinner."  A very verbose title suited for a long-winded musical that is overflowing with talent.  Geoff Davin, the writer/  lead actor/actress? is a malgamation of Tim Curry in "Rocky Horror" & the late, great Robert Preston in "The Music Man."  While not on par with either actor, Davin possesses a hypnotic & repugnant quality that is captivating & irrepressible.  Given Davin wrote both the book, music & lyrics, here is a talented artist who needs to get out of his own way.  The cast deserved more time in the spotlight shine. The earnest performances & strong vocals were terrific.  Preacher Huckster (Geoff Davin) is the domineering & sneering preacher of a revivalist church whose altruistic intent is bent towards anointing himself.  The music is performed on stage by a lively, percussive band.  The music is steeped in gospel, but also swayed into rock, disco & ballads.  While many of the musicals numbers tended to blend, the back-up singing trio belted out with amazing prowess.   I have to single out Ruwanda (Jennifer Whitcome-Olivia) for her beautiful voice and Luwanda (Brooke Davis.)  The outstanding musical numbers were "Whoah," & "Soldier On." A tour-de-force performance by Charlotte (Megan Chambers) gave a strong counter balance & credibility to the fraudulent Huckster.  Chamber's steadfast determination & lovely singing voice anchored the overblown show.  The salacious innuendos & formulaic plot went outside a digestable radius.   You may choose to see things differently.  The parts were better than the whole but there was a whole lot of talent in the show.