Clear Blue Tuesday

The aftermath of the September 11 attacks inspires—what else?—a bubbly rock musical. Featuring 11 actor-songwriters—each of whom improvised the plot and music—this amateurish experiment follows a number of characters, including a painter (Ayers) haunted by the experience, a frail businesswoman (O’Dell) in search of a lost son, and a sci-fi-obsessed songwriter (Hill) pining for geek love. But the more the narrative keeps fast-forwarding a year—always a Tuesday in September, 2001--08—the less this modest melody about souls adrift advances beyond an overcrowded, emotionally erratic anthem of NYC endurance.—S. James Snyder

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