Musical Stage Company
iPhoto caption: Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Dave Malloy’s Octet vibrates with sublime vocal beauty at Crow’s Theatre
Malloy’s intricate a cappella compositions, rich with complex harmonies, are the hymns and confessionals in a show about a support group for internet addiction. Regardless of what form their ego-feeding or doomscrolling compulsions take, the characters know it’s actually about appeasing what they call “the monster” inside — that gaping maw of emptiness that begs for shiny treats in the absence of real connection.
iPhoto caption: Heeyun Park 박희윤 in 'The Great Comet.' Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 dazzles in Mirvish transfer
The upscaled edition is slightly different, but it’s still a rave in multiple ways, with lived-in performances making it seem at times even more immediate than at Crow’s. The show feels more like a vibe than anything cohesive, but what a vibe it is.
iPhoto caption: Andrew Penner and Deborah Hay in 'After the Rain.' Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: After the Rain transforms the Tarragon Mainspace into a passionate folk-rock concert
The performers of this world premiere musical got a lot of laughs from the buzzing opening night audience, but make no mistake, they got quite a few audible tears out of us, too.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Mike Meehan.
“Hundreds of pages of text have been cut,” says composer Suzy Wilde. “Many songs have been put on the back burner. That's what writing a musical is: there's a ton of editing that has to be done.”