"POGO & EVIE" IN THE PRESS TIME OUT New York Aug 21, 2007 **** [FOUR STARS] In Aaron Latham's racially charged musical, zydeco boy Pogo (Adé Herbert) and Cajun girl Evie (Caitlin Summer Mulhern) meet decades after the violent, racially motivated beating (inspired by the true story of accordion player Amédé Ardoin) that set their families to feuding. The present-day setting provides an opportunity for overdue resolution-which arrives, perhaps a tad too neatly, in the second act of "Pogo & Evie." But although the show is light in plot, it is strong in music and dancing, nicely showcasing the lively, well-choreographed dancers and an outstanding onstage band. The lead actors are engaging and natural, while Will Manning and Jamie Neumann provide laughs as, respectively, a nebbishy fish out of water and the boy-crazy strumpet who chases him.--Amanda Meffert, Digital Production Director http://www.timeout.com/newyork/event/theater/243124/pogo-and-evie EDGEnewyork.com Aug 23, 2007 Reviewed by Rob Lester He wants to ask her out. She says no. He asks again. She says no again. He won't take no for an answer. So, when she's not looking he takes something of hers. And she ends up having to go find him to get it back. She's defiant. He's determined. You know that sooner or later, he'll probably win her over. After all, he's winning the audience over with his easy-going charm and big smile. He is Pogo. She is Evie. The play is Pogo & Evie. They are both musician-singers in local bands their respective fathers play in. He's just arrived in town, however, and doesn't know that there is a tension between the two families and bands. The fathers are very much against the two young people having a relationship. We soon find out the tension goes back a few generations to an ugly incident, Pogo suspects that part of the resistance is that she is white and his father is black (his mother, who is not seen in the play, is white and Jewish, which explains why his speech is peppered with Yiddish words. It's a running bit that is kind of cute.) The long-ago incident referenced is a true and tragic one, involving a famous accordion player. Thus, the play has an extra layer of relevance and power. The play is set in New Orleans and billed as "a zydeco musical" using pre-existing songs from that style and area throughout the show. Most of these are just in scenes where one band or the other is rehearsing or performing, so they are not used to advance the plot or really comment on the action as in a traditional musical. But the music is enjoyable and well performed. A troupe of eight impressive dancers is added to the company for big numbers. The dancers add a great deal to making this musical production so entertaining and classy. Among them, Zachary Denison stood out for me because he really lights up the stage, performing with deft skill and enormous energy and joy. The dancing involves plenty of high stepping in cowboy boots and is quite athletic and very accessible and celebrational. Ade Herbert, who played the role previously, is winning as Pogo. He sings with a disarming vitality and his acting feels natural as he holds the stage with a relaxed confidence. Caitlin Summer Mulhern as Evie shares with him a sweet shyness that works for the piece and it's interesting to watch her defenses build and crumble. Her reactions are well thought out and read well. Will Manning and Jamie Neumann as the secondary couple provide some extra comic relief though their characters of the shy guy paired with the loose gal may be a bit broad as written. Keith Johnson as Pogo's father gets a richer dramatic card to play, and plays it well, whereas Ted McGuinness as Evie's dad is mostly forced to admonish and threaten. Lines are drawn in the sand pretty darn clearly. Director Sergio Alvarado finds a nice balance between tension and warm moments and keeps it real. This unpretentious tale takes its sweet time at points, but it is indeed a sweet time once you accept its pace and place and rather basic agenda to entertain and also reflect on the nature of long-held prejudices and family scars. Played as part of The NY International Fringe Festival, where all tickets are $15. www.fringefestivalnyc.org, at The Skirball Center ay NYU, 566 LaGuardia Place. see www.aaronlatham.com/pogoandevie. the festival ends 8/26. LINK TO ARTICLE nytheatre.com Aug 19, 2007 Pogo & Evie: A Zydeco Musical reviewed by Joe Beaudin According to the program notes, Amadé Ardoin, the "greatest accordion player of all time" and the "most famous Creole musician of all time," crossed racial boundaries and stirred up tension when, while performing in 1941, he "accepted a white handkerchief given to him by a white woman" in order to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Angered by this gesture, a group of men accosted Amadé, beat him, and used a wagon to crush his throat, ending his musical career. This incident caused tension between the two families as well as a divide between the two music styles of Cajun and Zydeco. Pogo & Evie: A Zydeco Musical, written by Aaron Latham, is a feuding-family love story that follows Pogo, a young Zydeco musician from New York City who moves to Louisiana to play with his father, Big Possom, in a battle-of-the-bands contest. Pogo, a direct descendent of Amedé Ardoin, stumbles into a music store and stumbles in love with the owner's daughter, Evie, a Cajun musician who also plays in a band with her father. The tension mounts when Evie and her father, Gentilhomme Jaques, learn of Pogo's origin. Despite both fathers' disapproval of the pairing, Pogo and Evie, with the help of their two friends Woody and Dommie, try to defy their families' hatred and clashing styles of music by secretly going through with the relationship. Pogo and Evie's love will try to bridge the gap between a history of hatred and violence with understanding and of course...music. The performers are really the highlight of this show. Adé Herbert as Pogo and Caitlin Summer Mulhern as Evie are cast well, and their singing, dancing and acting chops are not to be overlooked. Jamie Neumann as the frisky Dommie is electrifying. Her commitment to the role is spot-on and she is very enjoyable to watch on stage. She and the equally talented Will Manning as Woody provide the perfect clownish sidekicks to the lead characters. Keith Johnston as Big Possum and Ted McGuinness as Jacques are also good as the two fathers, both in terms of musical talent and character work. And it's not just the leads. The chorus of dancers is magnificent. Under the choreography of Rachel Russell (who is also in the chorus) and direction by Sergio Alvarado, the dancers provide a plethora of entertainment. Russell's choreography had me jumping out of my seat, and made me want to take the free Cajun dance lessons that are advertised in the program. Likewise, I was impressed with all the members of the band (who are onstage the entire show). Specifically, I liked how some of the band members’Äînotably the pianist, Scott Patterson’Äîinteracted with the cast members, being part of the plot, rather than an outside ghostly music-box that provide the tunes. Unfortunately, where the performers shine, the story lacks. The stakes are just not high enough for the characters and the plot seems unfocused. There is too much exposition and set up. For instance, the entire first act is spent focusing on Pogo's discovering of why Evie and her father are cold toward him. I would have rather had this be something that was already known, since it is such a major part of his family's history. Also, there is too much focus on whether Pogo and Evie really like each other, which takes away from the story's main theme of love overcoming their families' terse relationship. Because the stakes are too low, the plot really never takes off. Emotions are not heightened enough for there to be a true resolution, and I was left somewhat unmoved by the characters' storyline. With such good performers, a reworked plotline could make this a more successful show. Written/created by: Aaron Latham Directed by Sergio Alvarado Presented by Jenny Rose Productions http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/fr_rev2007.php?0=S&1=105 MEDIA COVERAGE FROM "POGO & EVIE'S WORKSHOP PRODUCTION Summer 2006 NEW YORK POST By Liz Smith ’Äì pg. 16 May 15, 2006 HERE's a "theater" story that could only happen in New york. On Wednesday, "Pogo & Evie: A Zydeco Musical" opens at the Jacques-Imos Creole and Cajun restaurant and theater on 77th and Columbus. It has been directed by a waiter, produced by two bartenders and was written by the café's best customer ’Äì the Texas-born Aaron Latham of "Urban Cowboy" fame. Latham was moved to write a show about a community circumscribed by its own music. He'd heard about zydeco and traveled to the epicenter of the movement ’Äì Lafayette, La. (This is a music-mad, music-saturated city like Nashville.) There he heard the tale of Amede Ardoin, considered the major influence of Cajun music, died in 1942, suffering the aftermath of a terrible beating at the hands of a white mob. The story suggested a present-day plot with two bands ’Äì one all black that plays zydeco, the other all white that plays traditional Cajun. The story turned into a battle of the bands with a Romeo and Juliet plot. Aaron decided to put on his show in Jacques-Imos. Hearing that one of the bartenders, Jenny Rose, produced segments for "America's Most Wanted," Latham asked her to do the honors. Then waiter Sergio Alvarado ’Äì who had directed in college ’Äì signed on to direct this. An ad ran in Backstage, and soon hot-and-cold running actors came to audtition. There was no trouble filling most roles, but the hero is black, and no young black men applied. Finally, cast member Keith Johnston, who teaches drama, found Adé Herbert. Adé can really sing. And act! Don't miss this unusual offering that showcases N.Y.C.'s great possibilities! (More good news ’Äì opening night is a benefit for Katrina relief.)