In the obligatory lull between summer travels and holiday planning, Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC continues to transport its audiences to distant states, and states of mind. With Postcards, the Chorus’ annual fall cabaret and the first event of their 44th season, performances traverse not only the globe but the rich spectrum of experience, tradition, and identity that comprise it. Composed of 18 solos, each with brief introductory monologues, Postcards is a tactfully paced and thoroughly engaging cabaret. Living up to Tommie Adams’ sultry opening rendition of Pippin’s “Magic to Do,” Postcards delivers equal parts fantasy and sincerity.
From San Francisco to Dublin, Italy to Argentina, GMCW distills its company’s vast travels to their most resonant and allegorical. In Zac Barger’s elegiac rendition of “It All Fades Away” from The Bridges of Madison County, the Grand Canyon is but a backdrop for the even more formidable landscape of grief. In Adam Greczkowski’s original song “Catch Me If You Can,” he fluently expresses the journey of desire through place — and reveals how it may find you right back where you started. In fact, sometimes travel awakens us to the closure we must seek at home, as illustrated by Romm Gatongay’s haunting tribute “Home” and Kev Watts’ pensive “You and I Both.” These realizations are also often owed to the people we meet in our travels: the colorful characters of Michael Aylward’s “Streets of Dublin,” the wistful hero of Rob Hall’s “Moon River,” and the daring Jo March of Gabriel Lopez’s “Astonishing.”
Indeed, to travel is to have one foot in the past and another in the future. As we journey toward the unknown and engage with the unfamiliar, we both remember and dream. For to reflect on that which we cannot change changes us. To accept the past changes our future. Postcards understands this tether between time and memory and brings it to the stage through earnest reflection. Alex Domini’s heady “New York Lights” channels the willful resolve of his Italian ancestors; Michael Smith’s “Journey to the Past” envisions a hopeful future through reflection; and Marcos Sastre’s poignant “Por Una Cabeza” pays endearing homage to the artists who paved his way.
Though we may feel as interconnected as ever nowadays, our past often remains sequestered and not by plane, train, nor automobile may we come any closer. But perhaps we may through song? With tender tributes to Tony Bennett, Jacques Brel, Bruce Springsteen, and Gladys Knight & the Pips, Postcards weaves a broad tapestry of travel, threading together a wide spectrum of musical history, genre, and culture.
Amid all this earnestness, Postcards retains the tonal playfulness of any cabaret worth its salt. Just at the right time: a moment of irony for the cynic and a moment of respite for the empath. From Shawn Morris’ winsome reverie of “firsts,” to Guy Bosworth’s linguistic adventures in Paris, Postcards revels in the flippant and the joyous. Kevin Thomason’s bantering discourse on medical tourism even serves as a rallying call for all those with an aversion to plastic — and a flight alert set for Turkey.
From surgical tourism to international deployments to legacies of migration, Postcards delves deep into the array of modern and historic travel, championing a sumptuous collaboration of the capital’s finest performers. Even after nearly 44 years of activism and performance — and even in its small-stage productions — Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC proves itself a haven for self-reflection and a beacon in uncertain times.
Running Time: Two hours, including one 15-minute intermission.
Postcards played October 19, 2024 (at 2 pm, 5 pm, and 8 pm), presented by Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC performing at The Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St NW, Washington, DC.
POSTCARDS SONG LIST
ACT I
Tommie Adams – “Magic to Do” (from Pippin)
Shawn Morris – “Travelin’ Song” (from Shucked)
Michael Aylward – “Streets of Dublin” (from A Man of No Importance)
Jonathan Chaffin – “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (Tony Bennett)
Marcos Sastre – “Por Una Cabeza” (tango love song)
Alex Domini – “New York Lights” (from A View From the Bridge)
Kev Watts – “You and I Both” (by Jason Mraz)
Guy Bosworth – “French Song” (from A…My Name Is Alice)
Zac Barger – “It All Fades Away” (from The Bridges of Madison County)
INTERMISSION
ACT II
Adam Greczkowski – “Catch Me if You Can” (original song)
Michael B. Smith – “Journey to the Past” (from Anastasia)
Romm Gatongay – “Home” (by Michael Boublé)
Kevin Thomason – “What Did You Do to Your Face” (by Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch)
Chris Gillespie – “Amsterdam” (by Jacques Brel)
Rob Hall – “Moon River” (from Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
Andrew Harmon – “Thunder Road” (by Bruce Springsteen)
Jarrod Bennett – “Midnight Train to Georgia” (by Gladys Knight & the Pips)
Gabriel Lopez – “Astonishing” (from Little Women)