It's self-evident to hear that other people's dreams are boring, so you will assume that other people's acidic trips are equally dazzling. 

However, the ambitious and often touching musical "Flying Over the Sunset" violates these assumptions. Although this adventure to explore the minds of psychedelic celebrities has its long story, the soundtrack is composed of music by Tom Kit ("Next to Normal") and Michael Corey ("Gray Garden") as well as books and guidance by James Leveling. Achieve as people expect from these talents. The production of the Lincoln Center Theater is very beautiful, because this financially strong company bravely provided sufficient resources for this absolutely impossible project. 

The show is based on facts. Central figures-British writer Aldous Huxley (famous for "Brave New World"); playwright, diplomat and magazine superstar Clare Boothe Luce; and Cary Grant ( No need to describe)-As we all know, everyone tried LSD in the 1950s, when LSD was still legal, although it was hardly the usual way for people seeking psychological help. "Flying over the sunset" is also timely: In recent years, drugs that have been ridiculed as dangerous, including LSD, have increasingly been considered useful in combating trauma, from PTSD to addiction. 

The first act is dedicated to telling the character's personal experience when embarking on a journey into the world of drugs. For everyone, the need to relieve long-buried wounds will prove to be the main motivation. Huxley is played by Harry Harden Parton (Henry Higgins of "The Fair Lady" at Lincoln Center Theatre). He first tripped at the world’s largest Rexall drugstore. In a comedy scene, he discovered that he changed Produce an interesting biblical quasi-opera inspired by a book about Botticelli he found on the shelf. (The pharmacy was a bit different at the time.) His wife Maria (Laura Schoop) is recovering from breast cancer surgery. They are accompanied by a close friend Gerald Hurd (Robert Serra, very low-key), who is a gay and writer colleague who will play the role of a "guide" to explore the unknown world.

The great Tony Yazbeck (Tony Yazbeck) fortunately did not try to explicitly imitate Grant, he is struggling through a broken marriage and decided to retire from the screen. However, in his psychiatrist’s office, after insisting on taking the drug, he discovered that it was his painful childhood—especially the disappearance of his mother and his mocking and abusive father—that affected him. Was called out at the time. Grant envisioned himself as a child-his mother dressed in girlish costumes-young Archie Rich (Grant's real name) and Grant performed a charming tap dance in a British concert hall-style tune. (Thanks to tap dance expert Michel Dorrance, the choreography here is the most dazzling.) 

And Luce, in her luxurious Connecticut garden, awakened the indescribable beauty of a car accident in nature in a carefully interpreted song called "Sapphire Dragonfly."

One of the main pleasures of "Flying Over the Sunset" is the gorgeous symphony, which attempts to convey the ecstatic experience experienced by the characters through music. After going through the seemingly endless pop rock musicals and jukebox musicals, diving into this usually beautiful sheet music feels like sliding into a large, warm soapy water bath. The wonderful Kimberley Grisby conducted with her consistent enthusiasm, and Michael Starrobin's arrangement was excellent. 

As Huxley, Harden Parton brings a dry, slightly self-deprecating wisdom to the role, and his ingenuity is satirized in the song "Huxley Knows". However, when his wife died, he would also find sad moments, and his psychedelic exploration became a way for him to accept the loss. Yazbeck's Grant captured the character's slight stiffness and politeness, but we never forgot the cruel child he kept glimpsing. "Have we shaken our childhood?" Luce asked once, apparently a mite. 

Nevertheless, perhaps the best thing is Carmen Cusack as Luce. Her charming career has left her empty and needs to sink into the depths of sorrow. She believes that only drugs can help her do it. 

In the second act of the musical, at the instigation of Luce, all four protagonists gathered at her manor in Malibu, California to start a collective trip, but it was not as meaningful as the first act. After all, can one really expect to observe from the outside without feeling turned away? But Luce's trip, where she reunited with her daughter and her mother again in what seemed to be heaven, brought us some of the most moving songs, because Luce was facing the pain of her loss. Cusack's rich voice is full of tenderness under the character's secular appearance. 

In the tricky—if almost unusual—position of directing the musicals he co-created, Leveling may usefully trim some dialogues that meander through various themes (Hollywood gossip, etc.), and Not always very productive. But physical productions, including Beowulf Boritt’s gorgeous set (the luxurious fern pavilion where Luce sees her mother’s illusion is almost worth a ticket), and Bradley King’s appropriate illusion lighting, almost There is nothing better than this.  

"Flying over the sunset", like the musical performed by Laping and Stephen Sondheim, is a concept show, which means that it starts with an idea or theme, and uses music and stories to illustrate it, but it is never traditional. The narrative is a deal. I suspect it will be sounded because it is less accessible or fully realized than his Sondheim shows. (And, no, this is not the same as "Sunday in the park with George.") 

But what can be recognized is that it is the same imaginative genre: a musical that opposes the traditional notion of what a Broadway musical might or should be. This is a trip that some people don’t want to participate in, but the musical seems to be trapped in only a few dull formulas—in addition to the jukebox, there are also seasonal film-to-stage transfers—it’s a brave and interesting journey. Enter uncharted territory. This musical attempts to expand the possibilities of musicals, just as its characters intend to expand their consciousness. 

"Flying Over the Sunset" opens at the Vivienne Beaumont Theater on December 13, 2021. 

Creativity: James Lapine's book; Tom Kit's music; Michael Korie's lyrics; James Lapin; choreographed by Michel Dorrance; Beowulf Boritt's landscape design; Toni-Leslie James's costume design; Bradley King's Lighting design; Dan Moses Schreier's sound design; Matthew Armentrout's hair and wig design.

Starring: Carmen Cusack, Harry Harden-Parton, Tony Yazbek, Canissa Marie Feliciano, Nehar Josh, Emily Pineberg, Mi Sher Ragusa, Robert Serra, Laura Schoop and Atticus Weir.