theres alot to like here, and i am confused by the negative reports.
yes, the story is a simple one, i could summarize the whole thing in one sentence. yes, the music is all the same tone/feel, so its sorta blends together in a middling sort of way. i agree that the 95 minutes feels long, and theres nothing to cut, its just a slow burn. if this was meant to tell a real story, it does a poor job of conveying all the details. its a hazy tale, not a (more satisfying) news report.
but arent we meant to appreciate how a tale is told via stagecraft? how the space is used to tell a story that might otherwise be hard to depict? ill go ahead and say that the set here- theres a big reveal/change midway through the show--is one of the most impressive moments i have seen on a stage in a long time. and once that change takes place, the result is so simply but so beautifully done, that alone was worth the price of admission. i hope/predict awards for whoever lit this, built this, designed this-- in the orchestra, you feel the wind blow, and you feel the stillness. Theres a choreographed shipwreck that took my breath away.
and the performances do the rest. Gallagher is doing a very odd accent that i would describe as Drunk Philly Sports Fan, and I hope that gets worked out because its the only flaw in a really solid performance. I havent seen Stark Sands on stage since American Idiot, and I forgot how cutting but soft his voice is. Both Gallagher and Sands sound incredible. Adrian Blake Escoe and Wayne Duvall are also both excellent; Escoe seems like an odd casting choice in some ways but has a beautiful voice and gives it his all. You could pick him and plop him into the Outsiders and no one would miss a beat.
This actually reminded me of the Outsiders a bit-- that has more of a story, sure, and this has a distinctly religious and very dark message. There is no warm fuzzy to go home with. But the voices and choreo and earnestness ring similar to what the Outsiders accomplished, and this feels like the more grown up production. I am definitely glad I saw this, and would encourage those who genuinely appreciate stagecraft, for lack of a better term, to check it out, flaws and all.
Orchestra was packed. Because of the reviews here, we did TDF, and got rear center orchestra--which i would recommend, along with front mezzanine, The action takes place on another raised platform, and I think theres much to be gained from sitting back a bit to take it all in.
Updated On: 11/17/24 at 11:16 PM
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