If you go to the theater on a regular basis as “Un-Block The Music” does, chances are you have seen Farah Alvin. In the last year, I saw her in two productions, and now I am excited to see her cabaret performance this weekend, November 17 at The Green Room 42 in New York City: Farah Alvin On Vinyl.
“Un-Block The Music” saw Farah’s one woman performance of Inner Voices’ Window Treatment and in The York Theatre’s Enter Laughing (https://unblockthemusic.blog/2019/06/13/stuart-ross-enter-laughing-pays-homage-to-screwball-comedies-classic-musicals/. Among her many Broadway and Off-Broadway performances, she was also a Drama Desk nominee for The Marvelous Wonderettes. As has been the case since I have been writing this blog, “Un-Block The Music” has found a personal connection to Farah through her director for this show, Marc Tumminelli, founder of Broadway Workshop, a young actor’s theater group I wrote about a year ago. https://unblockthemusic.blog/2018/12/05/mean-girl-taylor-louderman-guest-teacher-at-broadway-workshop-where-kids-acting-goals-are-taken-seriously/
“Un-Block The Music” caught up with Farah and Marc this week to talk a little about what to expect at the show this Sunday. Marc said, “I have known Farah for about 14 years, and have been a huge fan of hers. When Green Room 42 asked her to do a show, she came to me and I told her I would drop everything to work on it. The rehearsals have been so exciting; hearing Farah work on this material that is not necessarily Broadway.” This of course, is a common theme on “Un-Block The Music,” popular music meets Broadway!
Songs in Farah Alvin On Vinyl are songs that Farah grew up listening to, her mom’s music of the 1970s, she says. “They are new standards in a lot of ways;.a lot of singer/songwriter folk and pop from the 70s as well as music from Motown artists like Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder when they started to expand their musical horizons a little bit. These songs of heartbreak, unrequited love and passion have poetic lyrics with beautiful musical settings,” Farah said. “As we are putting these songs together in a show, we have found they are very theatrical in a way. My particular emotional approach to a song is working well with these.”
Marc hopes Farah can travel the country with this show. “While the stories you will hear are specifically Farah’s, they are indeed universal themes. You don’t have to know Farah to enjoy the show. You don’t need to know the songs to enjoy the show. You will walk away feeling as though you have seen something uniquely theatrical with a heart and soul; much more than just a talent showcase.”
For a night of pure enjoyment, get tickets at: https://thegreenroom42.poptix.com
Un-Block The Music 
Leave a Reply