Review: 'RAW: an "emotional" musical review' by Farmington Valley Stage Company

“Music is the shorthand of emotions.”- Leo Tolstoy
“Why does this pianist hate me?” - Catherine in “Climbing Uphill” in ‘The Last Five Years’

Collinsville, CT - The Farmington Valley Stage Company presents their productions in the lovely Canton Town Hall Auditorium in Collinsville CT. Their latest show is entitled ‘RAW: an “emotional” musical review’ that was conceived and directed by Dianna Waller with musical direction by Beckie Wallace. RAW focuses on songs that convey emotion, from “insecure” (“What Do You Do With Your Arms?”), to “smitten” (“Taylor the Latte Boy”), to “disheartened” (“Where In The World is My Prince?”), and “desperate” (“He Ain’t Mr. Right”), to name just a few.

The talented Ms. Waller, usually seen on area community theatre stages like the Warner and Musicals at Richter (and also at this venue,) easily takes on the directorial role for this emotional musical review. There are songs that make us laugh, others that are achingly sad and we cruise through just about every other emotion in between. The vast majority of them were unfamiliar to me, but that didn’t take away from their impact. Delivered by this cast of seven, containing some names I knew and a few I did not, all of the musical pieces worked well.

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The Town Hall in Collinsville is relatively easy to find and there is on-street parking available nearby. The fancy folding chairs feature cushions in primary colors and are quite comfortable. The songs in “RAW” will evoke emotions from humor to nostalgia. The review opens January 13, and continues January 14, 20, 21 at 8:00 pm. The running time: 2 hours with an intermission. Tickets: Online: $20 adults, $18 students, and seniors 65+ At the Door: $22 Adults, $20 students, and seniors 65+