A show that used to be called Modulating Back to Tonic might be expected to have some problems, but Musical Genius -- a noirish musical about an avant-garde composer in the 1930s who hates happy, popular songs that "modulate back to tonic" in a way that betrays his pessimistic vision of life and the world -- is a disaster. The story pits John Crumbe, the poor, inky-fingered composer, against Violet Rose, a simple singer of love songs, in the basement of a Chicago church while gangs shoot up the city. It's narrated by an old Irish cop and a gangster looking down from heaven. Everything about the show is too clever by half, especially the clichéd story setup, which composer, lyricist, and writer Anne Nygren-Doherty tries to redeem with silly songs. Gina Latimerlo and Rick Richetta perform well in a couple of numbers, as Violet Rose and a gay cowboy priest, respectively, but the overlong production tries too hard in every direction (cheesiness, irony, sentiment) without carrying the audience along.
