FUNNY how the most piercing social commentary these days is found in places that serve a stiff drink. On the heels of several acclaimed turns by cabaret performers drawing on vintage songs to reflect today’s economic climate – and serving spirits to go with it – is “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”
Its subtitle, “Songs and Stories From the Great Depression,” says it all.
The show was conceived and directed by Bill Daugherty, whose last show at the Triad was “When the Lights Go On Again,” a ’40s-era musical that, although it dealt with World War II, seems like a lighthearted romp compared to this one.
Daugherty is part of a six-person ensemble that, clad in artfully shabby costumes, delivers some two dozen numbers, the titles of which have an unsettling relevance: “Long as You’ve Got Your Health,” “Got the Jitters,” “I’m in the Market for You” and “In a One-Room Flat,” among many others.
Several stars of the day are directly referenced: Jennafer Newberry channels Helen Kane with her Betty Boop-style rendition of “I’m an Unemployed Sweetheart,” and Daugherty provides Jolson-style flourishes on “Hallelujah, I’m a Bum!”
Highlights include a haunting interweaving of the title song and “My Forgotten Man” by Daugherty and Deborah Tranelli; “Dusty Road,” powerfully sung by the charismatic Alexander Elisa; “Love For Sale,” given a far darker subtext than usual by Morgan West; “Ten Cents a Dance,” which Tranelli delivers with a weary cynicism; and “Sweepin’ the Clouds Away,” which Newberry performs simply and sweetly.
The attempt to provide a narrative produces mixed results. While audio clips of Eddie Cantor, Will Rogers, Herbert Hoover and the Roosevelts are interesting, the spoken-word portions (first-person accounts of the Dust Bowl, a lengthy list of the era’s legislative accomplishments) are more strained than illuminating.
Just as you’re thinking about leaping off the nearest tall building, the show ends on a hopeful note, thanks to such songs as “We’re Out of the Red,” “Happy Days Are Here Again” and “We’re in the Money.”
Let’s all hope that, as the final number puts it, we’re at the “Dawn of a New Day.”
BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME? Triad Theatre, 158 W. 72nd St.; 212-352-3101. Through June 14.