This rock opera, based on Greek tragedies, has book by
Hunter Foster and Ryan Scott Oliver and music by Oliver. It is directed by Dani Baldwin (OCT’s
Education Director) with musical direction by Jeffrey Childs. It is playing at their studio theater, 1939
NE Sandy Blvd. (street parking only), through November 12th. For more information, go to their site at www.octc.org/yp-company
This musical is based on Greek the tragedies of gods and
Hades/the Underworld and of one man who attempted to rescue his love from those
elements, only this time it takes place in the modern age with teens and rock
music. There was a movie a few years ago
based on this same idea called, “What Dreams May Come,” with Robin
Williams. This plot includes teenage
angst, abuse, love, the drug culture, death and, perhaps, the meaning of life.
Jasper (Brendan Long) is a senior in high school and is the
product of a very dysfunctional household.
His lady-love is Agnes (Ella Carson)—who morphs into other actors as
well—comes from a more affluent home and he sees her as “perfect.” They finally discover each other one fateful
evening and then she is whisked off into the raging river of Deadland, or
Hades. Jasper vows to follow her there
and bring her back…and thus the adventure begins.
One key individual he meets along his journey is the
good-hearted, Gretchen (Morgan Demetre), a tour guide in this land, who takes a
liking to him and agrees to help him find her.
Along the way they will encounter the wise-cracking, Ferryman, Virgil
(Clayton Lukens), who takes them along the river Styx, the waters of forgetfulness. They will also meet, the odious demi-god, Mr.
Lethe (David VanDyke), with his ditzy secretary, Hathaway (Tirza Meuljic), who
run this factory that bottles the water, in which the citizens are required to
drink, becoming like zombies and forgetting their past lives.
They will also connect with voices of the past, such as the
kooky pilot, Beatrice (Carson, again), muse of Dante’s, and a battle with the
not-so-bright, Viking gods, Loki (Xavier B. Warner) and Hel (Kai Tomizawa); a
three-headed monster; the haunting Persephone (Audrey Lipsey); the nutty
Egyptian god, Ammut (Warner, again), Pluto, Eurydice and settings, such as the
Wasteland, Ellysian Fields, et. al.
Along this fretful and fateful sojourn he will discover the benefits of
life and living it to the fullest and the nature of Love, and the sacrifices
one must make for it.
Really can’t go into all the plot elements, for that is for
an audience to discover, but they are ripe with discoveries. The setting and props are low-tech and in a
black box space, so that the story and actors can illuminate, through their
creativity, richer tones of the plot.
The songs, (not listed) add greatly to the success of the show. Some of my favorites were Ammut’s lament in
his “Hungry” song, a showstopper; the touching ballad between Agnes and Jasper,
“Something For Real,” as they discover their love for each other; the “broken
spirit” song by Lethe to his factory workers; and the haunting, “let there be
love” song by Eurydice (Meuljic, again).
All well delivered. And the
chorus that supported these scenes, with props and songs, was amazing.
This must be an emotionally draining show, as most of the
actors play a variety of roles, and they are in top form doing it. Warner as Ammut is a scream; VanDyke puts a
new spin on creepiness, as Mr. Lethe; Tomizawa squeezes a comic take on being
bad, as a Viking god (she is also a Drammy winner for the title character in
OCT’s “Junie B.” and played the title character in “Alice in Wonderland” at
NWCT, an actor to watch in the future); Meuljic is a knockout in her solo as
Eurydice; Lukens is very funny as the Ferryman, giving him a Hillbilly flavor;
Carson crates some memorial moments as the quirky pilot, Beatrice; Lipsey is a
very notable as Persephone; Demetre as the faithful, Gretchen, is a gal any guy
would want as a friend or love; and Long as the suffering, confused hero of
this tale, does justice to the many layers of emotion he must portray. An outstanding cast!
And many kudos to the talented Baldwin, as this is a very
demanding play with multiple settings in a restricted space. She manages to keep the play moving at a
brisk pace, as well as assembling some very talented young people for these
difficult and varied roles. I’ve always
been a big fan of hers and there is nobody better as a director and teacher of
young people. Being involved in the Arts
as a youth can be a life-changing experience.
It builds confidence, promotes teamwork, allows different perspectives
on how people live and act, and is a safe environment to explore the
conflicting emotions the young are going through.
And her classes at OCT, and especially her
Young Professionals Company, are the best training one’s children/teens can
experience. It doesn’t get any better
than that, folks!
I highly recommend this play and yes, it does have some
rough language and deals with controversial subjects and for that reason it is
recommend also for Youth of their age, as it reflects truthfully things they
are experiencing. If you do choose to
see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.
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