Row

by Daniel Goldstein (Book), Dawn Landea (Music & Lyrics)

Tori (Grace McLean) aims to be the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic. As a child, she raised her younger brother, Lamar (John McGinty), defending him against discrimination and neighborhood bullies. Now, with nothing but her body and a hand-built boat, she squares off with her own tormentor: the ocean. Inspired by A Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure, this uplifting world premiere musical, directed by Tyne Rafaeli with a book by Daniel Goldstein and music and lyrics by Dawn Landes, interrogates and reveals the resilience, fear, and ambition inside one individual undeterred by the odds.

Genres: Memoir, Audiobook

Unknown Binding

First published April 8, 2021

About the author

Dan served in the United States Air Force during the Korean war as a Rescue Specialist in the U.S. Air Force, Air Rescue Service. He spent the next 30 years as an Electronic Designer in the Boston area.

In 1986 he moved to Naples, Florida where he lives with his wife, Rochelle. Prior to writing five other novels he had written children stories for 17 years, winning local awards.

Reviews

[Jo - •.★Reading Is My Bliss★.• · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really awesome play based on a real life story.

Tori is attempting to sail solo across the Atlantic Ocean and as she battles to overcome all the adversities she faces we also get glimpses into the struggles she has had in her life.

A really emotional and well told story.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was hard to rate. In the end, it's a little more than three starts, but definitely not four. First, this has some songs I REALLY love. Like, some of my very favorite musical songs as a musical theatre fan. Like, I'm very disappointed I can't get this as an album so I can queue up my favorites more easily (there is an album on iTunes, but the actress is different, and imo, not even close to as good as this one). The other big plus is that actress. While Row isn't a one-woman show, it's very close to it, and Grace McClean really carries it. Her voice is amazing, and she emotes beautifully.

There was always a but coming, though. The second half of this musical is...odd. Without dipping into spoilers, I do understand that it's trying to say something a little different than what you get at first blush, and I'm not mad about that. In fact, I like that shock, and it'll never be the same as the first listen. But at that point, the tone of the musical changes dramatically and gets incredibly dark. This is one where Audible made a huge mistake not providing warnings for things like the bullying and sexual assault of a mentally disabled child, child abuse, and suicidal ideation of the main character. There is also some moving back and forth in time that is unclear. Basically, this story has good bones, but I feel like it could've used a little more work before being presented to the public.

[Siobhain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Row is based on the true story of Tori Murden McClure's attempts to row across the Atlantic Ocean. Based on a book by Murden McClure, this is a musical that was intended to premiere before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down all live dramatic in person performances. Brilliantly, the theater which was going to premiere the musical reached out to Audible with the proposition of producing audio versions of its 2020 scheduled productions. Thankfully, Audible accepted the challenge of producing Row while maintaining all of the expected social distance requirements. Each person performed their part in relative isolation, and unexpected mimicking of Tori's isolation on the sea. I listened to this in the car with my husband. We both like the audio version as it allowed us to create our own mental images of life alone on the sea.

[Yonia Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome audiobook production to listen to while working out/running at the park. Wowza! This woman crosses the ocean rowing solo. She's no ordinary woman. I felt like I was there rowing along side. Thank you Audible for this awesome production. Williamstown Theatre Festival

[Brandon Nicklaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The topic did not interest me once so ever. One of my favorite artist wrote the music for this. Dawn Landes, so I gave it a go. I found myself sucked into Toni Murden's feelings and determination. The want to give up. Showed all the emotions humans face in adversity.

[Amy Lepore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a musical version of the book The Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure. It's done in a witty and clever way. Clever songs, excellent capture of the gist of the novel. If you love music and musicals, this audiobook is for you.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A play, based on a book, done as a musical on Audible! Perfect for a long car ride heading home from the beach!

[Krissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took awhile to get through this one. The flashback scenes were difficult to listen to.

[Angelika Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the Williamstown series, but this one was my least favorite. Maybe because some of the songs felt cheesy.