The wit in the lyric writing really pops

Just because summer is officially behind us doesn't mean we have to wait until next year for that season's usual crop of superhero blockbusters. In Cyclone (and the Pig-Faced Lady), presented by New Perspectives Theatre Company, you don't get to see the heroes shoot lasers from their eyes or employ a stock of fancy gadgets. This time the heroes get to sing… Most of the show's songs, written by composer Rima Fand and librettist/lyricist Dana Leslie Goldstein, are contained in the comic book world and they are infused with the same 1920s carnival feel as the story: they are fun and flashy.

As the story progresses, though, the songs begin to creep into Sally's world, including the very nice "Haunted" and the finale "Wake Up to the World." For me, though, the most memorable is the song "If Life Were Like a Comic Book," sung to Sally by a group of rabid comic book fans at the convention she attends. The wit in the lyric writing really pops with this song that—while playing to the main emotional conflict of the show—is allowed to not take itself too seriously.

- Robert Attenweiler