Tracks: 1. Prologue - Ensemble 2. A Thousand Summer Nights - Jerry T. 3. Servers You Right - Jerry T.,Jerry D. 4. Waitin' - Chuck,Cheryl 5. Woman Of The Woman Of The World - Colette 6. She's Fifteen - Ted 7. Stay - Chuck 8. Where Are You Tonight - John L. 9. Big Lucy - John-Martin 10. Why - Jerry D. 11. Darling Can't you see - John-Martin,Jerry D.,Cheryll 12. Follow Me - Jerry D.,Jerry T. 13. Cecilia - Ensemble 14. Africa - Wayne 15. Palermo - Jerry T. 16. Command Me - Chuck 17. Go There - Cheryl 18. Where Is Love - Colette,Jerry D.,Cheryl,Jerry T.
Posted 2007-08-05 20:52:47: Amazon.com Editoral Review: Warning: if you don't care for a cappella singing, don't even get near Avenue X. Set in 1963, the show tells a story of black-Italian antagonism in a Brooklyn neighborhood without the help of any instruments other than the human voice. John Jiler's lyrics usually manage to avoid heavy-handed didacticism, but they often are undermined by the homogeneity of the music. Using doo-wop made sense, since the best vocal groups of the time came from the two communities featured in the show, but it can also be limiting: Ray Leslee's score often feels like a very long version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Still, some songs do have a touching pathos--"Woman of the World" particularly stands out, thanks to Colette Hawley's understated emotion. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
