Review: A Minister's Wife (San Jose Repertory Theater)

Today, Inna and I saw San Jose Repertory Theater's performance of "A Minister's Wife."

The actors played and sang their parts well, but I was not moved by the music, the songs, or the performance.

Musical Adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Candida Makes its West Coast Premiere at San Jose Rep
Three hearts and one marriage collide in riveting new musical
 San Jose Repertory Theatre San Jose Rep’s West Coast premiere of A Minister's Wife, based on the play Candida by George Bernard Shaw, makes its debut June 20, 2013. Performances run June 20 through July 14. Press Opening Night is Wednesday, June 26, at 7:30 p.m.

WHO: based on the play Candida, by George Bernard Shaw; book by Austin Pendleton, music by Joshua Schmidt, lyrics by Jan Levy Tranen

Artistic Collaborators: conceived and directed by Michael Halberstam; musical direction by Dolores Duran-Cefalu; scenic design by Collette Pollard; costume design by Brandin Barón; lighting design by David Lee Cuthbert; sound design by Steve Schoenbeck.

Cast: Sharon Rietkerk (Candida); Christopher Vettel (Reverend James Mavor Morell); Tim Homsley (Eugene Marchbanks); Liz Baltes (Miss Proserpine "Prossy" Garnett; Jarrod Zimmerman (Reverend Alexander "Lexy" Mill). 

WHAT: WHAT IS AT THE CORE OF A LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP AND MARITAL LOVE?  

With its emotive and striking score by Joshua Schmidt, the award-winning composer of Adding Machine, this new musical adaptation of Shaw's Candida, whisks us away to Victorian London at the turn of the 19th century. Charismatic Reverend James Morell, eager to spread his Christian and Socialist beliefs, is married to the vivacious and strong-willed Candida. When she returns home from the country with a young poet who wants to rescue her from what he presumes to be a rather dull life, a love triangle explodes. Filled with lush 19th century ballads and dazzling lyrics that heighten the emotional impact, this smart and adventurous musical examines the timeless notions of love, marriage and what a woman really desires from a man.