Clay

When one thinks of the word “musical” they probably don’t think of rap music. Actually, it’s probably the farthest thing from the typical musical. When I heard that it was a one-man show I was interested and skeptical that it would actually work. As it turns out, it was more than successful.

If there had been many other performers with him on stage I think he would have overshadowed them anyway. No other performers were necessary and the way that he distinguished between the different characters was very clear and effective. Specifically in a scene in which Clifford and his father are fighting, it is almost as if there are two people on stage. The audience forgets that there is only one person on the stage. He plays all of the characters so well and so convincingly.
The way the story was told was truly unique and unexpected. The music builds the excitement. The sole performer, Matt Sax, doesn’t miss a beat and the audience is amazed at his precision with words and on point acting.
The way that the sequence of events is skewed is a very unusual way to tell the story. All of the events are tied together with the scene of Clay’s mentor introducing him onto the stage and then leading into a certain stage in Clay’s life or specific situation that changed him. The time is distorted but still makes sense.
The only drawback of only having one character was that sometimes because of the jumps in time, it was difficult to tell what age Clifford was. Sometimes it would be a event that occurred later on but the audience does not necessarily know this because there is little to distinguish when this occurred. The only time it is clear is when Clifford is a young boy and taking the stand in divorce court. Another example of when the time frame is really clear is when Cliff’s mother is calling him for his birthday. This is the only scene when the passing of time is really distinguished.
“Clay” takes a unique approach to the musical. It is reflective of the cultural changes that are going on today.  Times are changing and the norms that are accepted by society are being flipped upside down. Hip-hop music was seen as a lesser form of music and Rogers and Hammerstein would have cringed at the thought of a musical using hip-hop.