Theatre in Review: In Transit (Circle in the Square Theatre)

	Photo: Joan Marcus

Having charmed audiences Off Broadway audiences six years ago, In Transit has belatedly come to Broadway, bearing the same friendly face and upbeat New York state of mind. Those of us who worried that this light and lively entertainment -- a strictly a cappella musical, with not an instrument within earshot -- might look a little lost on a bigger stage can relax: Director-choreographer Kathleen Marshall has turned up the volume just enough, giving it a more insistent pulse, a sense of nonstop movement that proves highly suitable to the occasion. When those hard-to-please relatives come to town for the holidays, this is the show for them: By the curtain call, they'll understand why you prefer to dwell in the big city.

As the title suggests, In Transit is set in and around the city's subway system. A team of librettists-lyricists -- Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan, and Sara Wordsworth -- have fashioned a quartet of interlocking tales focusing on the young seekers and strivers who keep the city hopping. Trent, a talent agent, is planning a wedding to his longtime partner, Steven, if only he can figure out how to break the news to his fundamentalist mother back in Texas. Jane, one of Trent's clients, is a musical theatre triple threat worn down by the constant grind of callbacks and turndowns; suddenly, her day job -- a temp position that could go full-time if she wants it -- is looking mighty tempting. Jane has a casual date with Nate, a business executive whose career is on the skids, having erroneously hit the "reply to all" button on a cranky email criticizing the higher-ups; now he scrounges for work and struggles to keep up appearances among his better-off friends. Completing the circle is Ali -- Nate's sister and Steven's college pal -- who moved to the city with her doctor boyfriend, only to get promptly dumped. Now she veers between self-improvement programs and self-pity jags, indulging in too many maudlin phone calls and texts to her ex. Linking them all is Boxman, an underground beat boxer who is always ready with encouragement and advice.

Each of these situations gets the once-over-lightly treatment; the authors treat them more as pieces of an urban mural rather than self-contained dramas. When anything gets too serious, they punctuate the action with another wittily observant gag about the dubious delights of the straphanger's lot: incomprehensible, static-ridden PA announcements; surly station agents; manspreading subway riders; MetroCard machines that repeatedly reject one's last twenty-dollar bill; and that notorious pizza-toting rat.

The songs are the thing here, and they neatly capture the tone of a city where everybody is -- literally and metaphorically -- on the way to somewhere new. As the opening number, "Not There Yet," puts it, "Eight million souls race to their destinations/In this limbo life we live between stations." Jane, justifying in her temp-work career, sings, "So I do what I don't really do/So I can do what I do." Trent complains that, after a four-day visit with his mother, "I'm a cranky adolescent/I expected more from my new anti-depressant." Handing out some free advice, Jane's boss notes that it may be time to give up that Broadway dream, "When deep inside you know you've got a good head on your shoulders/And yet you're only using it to file manila folders." The score draws on many sources, including country, rap, gospel, and straight-up Broadway, blending them all in "the polyrythmic melody/The multilayered harmony/The ever-changing symphony of life underground." Deke Sharon's vocal arrangements are so plush that you'll forget there are no musical instruments in the house.

In Transit is also fitted out with a solid cast of Broadway utility players, each of whom gets a chance to shine. Justin Guarini and Telly Leung make a likable pair as Trent and Steven, dealing with wedding planners in New York, yet trapped in a "just-roommates" deception in Texas. Erin Mackey is amusing and touching as Ali, struggling to hold on to her dignity even in the face of a mortifying chance meeting with her ex -- and his new girlfriend. Margo Seibert is spunky, yet vulnerable, as Jane, especially when faced with the prospect of attending a high school reunion with nothing to show for her life in New York. James Snyder gives the sad-sack Nate some sparkle, especially when imagining the possibility of a romance with Jane. Among the supporting players, Moya Angela stands out as Jane's hyperefficient supervisor, Trent's willfully unseeing mother, and the least helpful MTA employee ever. As Boxman, Chesney Snow (who alternates in the role with Steven "HeaveN" Cantor) makes some astonishing sounds, at one point placing his mic against his temple and drawing a beat from his pulse.

Marshall's kinetic staging, aided by a treadmill at the center of Donyale Werle's two-level subway station set, concentrates on the warp and woof of city life, keeping things buoyant even when the characters' fortunes appear to be crashing. Donald Holder's lighting shows off his particular knack for pacing and adding excitement to musical numbers. Clint Ramos' costumes are filled with subtle touches that signal each character's place in the city's food chain. Ken Travis' sound design is generally clear and not overly loud; he also has fun with a sequence in which a series of important smartphone conversations are derailed by the din of police sirens.

You won't be surprised to hear that the authors arrange happy endings for all of the characters, at least one of which is a little too glib. But this doesn't break the spell of a show that celebrates the pleasures and pains of living in the city where chasing dreams is a given. As the final number notes, "And there's a strange kind of family/A strange kind of harmony/You can feel if you're open and aware." Exactly. -- David Barbour