from Daily News

June 25, 2007

'Gone Missing' is a rare find

by Joe Dzienmianowicz

Through Aug. 5
Barrow Street Theatre,27 Barrow St.
ets: $20-$45; (212) 239-6200

The Civilians theater troupe in a musical about lost possessions. Photo: Sheldon Noland

I have a sudden new appreciation for the lost-and-found department. Credit "Gone Missing," a peculiar and winning musical about losing things.

At Barrow Street Theatre, the 75-minute production by Steven Cosson (book) and Michael Friedman (score) is crafted from interviews with people who've mislaid items.

The Civilians, a theater ensemble headed by Cosson, did the research. He shaped it into monologues and scenes of New Yorkers recalling misplaced possessions - an odd lot of cell phones, Gucci pumps, heir-loom rings and beloved blankets. The narrative broadens as characters talk about losing jobs, loved ones or their memories, a theme handled elegantly at the show's conclusion.

Friedman's eclectic score includes moody ballads, a bouncy Burt Bacharach-style tune ("I Gave It Away," in which three women merrily smite their exes) and a taste of tangy salsa. The title song, which opens the show, was my least favorite, but I was thoroughly won over as the show progressed.

Friedman's brainy lyrics roam extensively, touching on every

thing from kids' toys (I loved the velvety harmonies on the catchy "Etch a Sketch") and Booth Tarkington heroines to the periodic table.

The productions's six superb shape-shifters expert-ly playing several characters are Emily Ackerman, Damian Baldet, Jennifer R. Morris, Stephen Plunkett, Robbie Collier Sublett and Colleen Werthmann.

Among many highlights: Sublett's sublime performance on "Lost Horizon," in which he recalls an old Neil Young (or is it the young Neil Young?); Plunkett's homicide cop, who delights in sharing gory details of his on-the-job finds; and Morris' scary and hilarious clutter counselor.

A great strength of "Gone Missing" is that it balances the funny, strange and touching. Ask me to name a show I've seen recently that I've enjoyed more: I'd be at a total loss.

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