The cast of Theatre Arlington’s ‘Fly By Night.’ (Courtesy photos by Hannah Bell)

Broadway star Major Attaway (Disney’s Aladdin) came home to direct Theatre Arlington’s newest production. While Attaway has the big Broadway experience with him, he crafted a show that felt intimate and homespun that gave Fly By Night its pleasant charm. On its opening weekend performance last Saturday, the cast delivered a performance as magical as the story itself by Will Connolly, Michael Mitnick and Kim Rosenstock that leads up to the night of the 1965 blackout in New York City.

The show was steered by David Lugo who served as the narrator and quite a few fill-in characters to move the story along. He performed his role with such precision as he shifted in and out of other characters and served most of his time onstage as other characters were in and out. But he carried the weight with no problem thanks to his sophisticated ease with his many roles.

As sisters Daphne and Miriam, Sydney Dotson and Donovan Marie Lawson mastered the chemistry of supportive sisterhood while also having opposite personalities. Dotson served all the right enthusiasm for her naive innocent Daphne who shifted onstage to embrace the highs and lows of New York City. As the caring sister who gives Daphne her pep talks, Lawson had a nice steadfastness to her character’s roots. While we saw Daphne evolved her new environment, Lawson kept Miriam steady but never static. Both performances were sly but potent.

The show’s love interest was the budding musician Harold (Landry Beckley) who also works at a deli with his boss Crabble (Billy Betsill). Harold has the opening notes to a song but nothing else. The character meets Daphne and the two hit it off. Beckley served the role well as the show’s good guy with a big heart. His father Mr. McClam (David Coffee) is grieving the death of his wife and Harold’s mother Cecily. As father and son, the two didn’t quite hit the mark with each other, but thrived in their own parts.

Coffee reprised his role for TA from his performance with the Dallas Theater Center a decade ago. Not only was his character the sentimental part of the show, but Coffee’s appearance was as well. A seasoned actor doing the thing was a delight to see. His heartfelt performance particularly for his Act II song “Cecily Smith” resulted in an extra-long applause from the audience.

As the playwright Joey Storms, Parker Fitzgerald brung high, erratic energy appropriate to the character. His character’s smugness was fun but  Fitzgerald’s fraught character trying to finish his show was a wild ride. Equally, Betsill’s Crabble was the stuff of slapstick comedy heels with that New York attitude and a perpetual scowl.

A minimalist set by Bryan Stevenson served all its purposes of multi-story living spaces, public transportation platform, the deli and cafe. His lighting was smart and often spoke to the emotions onstage. Music director Vicky Nooe and her three players were onstage providing the night’s soundtrack of pop-rock showtunes. Attaway directed a tight show with a nice pace. The actors and pacing were on a beat that was quick enough to be compelling throughout the show, but also took time for the show’s more emotional moments.

Fly By Night runs through July 2.

–Rich Lopez