Posts Tagged ‘taylor gruenloh’

Tesseract’s Rough But Intriguing New Musical Could Use a Little More “Fire”

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on July 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Cascade’s Fire
Music by Kyle Wernke, Book & Lyrics by Taylor Gruenloh
Directed by Taylor Gruenloh
Tesseract Theatre Company
July 19, 2024

Josie Schnelten
Image: Tesseract Theatre

The second entry in the Tesseract Theatre Company’s New Musical Summer Fest 2024 is much more obviously a work-in-progress. Cascade’s Fire is subtitled “A Modern Antigone” story, and it has an intriguing concept, but the structure and presentation could use a lot of work. With a nod to its Greek tragedy origins, this show gets a bit too mired in “concept” to be a completely coherent story, although the cast is giving their all and there are some interesting ideas here.

The story is told in a sort of artificially detached manner by a two-person “Greek Chorus” (Brittney Roberson, Chris Melton) that come across more as lecturers/narrators than commentators on the action. In fact, there isn’t a lot of action–the audience is told what happens more than they are shown, especially at the beginning, in which the inciting incident that makes focused young university student Cascade (Josie Schnelten) leave school and disappear for three years is told in a somewhat clinical way by the chorus. Then, Cascade is occasionally talked about, but the story shifts to Trinity (Kampbell Hemeyer), Cascade’s former girlfriend, who is distraught and takes a drastic action, which eventually brings Cascade back to campus. Meanwhile, we also meet Robbie (Jordan Ray Duncan), who was romantically involved with both Cascade and Trinity; Luke (Luke Geockner), the ruthless mastermind of a horrible, exploitative “business”; and Olivia (Ella Penico), Luke’s dominated, exploited girlfriend. There’s also Dylan (David Pisoni), Olivia’s friend who is trying to find out the truth about the disappearance of several girls on campus, as well as what drove Trinity to her final action. 

If this plot all sounds a bit cluttered, that’s because it is. Even though the show is called Cascade’s Fire, Cascade herself doesn’t figure a lot into the story except at the beginning and the end. This isn’t necessarily a problem, since this show is inspired by the Greek tragedy Antigone, which turns out to be a lot more about Antigone’s uncle, King Creon, than Antigone herself, and in which Antigone is resolute about what she’s going to do from the beginning, and never relents. Cascade in this story echoes Antigone in that way, but there’s a lack of focus in the various subplots to the point where we almost have to be reminded that Cascade still exists, until the end, in which the passions ramp up and the story finally starts coming across more as a play than an lecture or academic exercise. The rest of the characters are not given enough development to invest in too much, with the most dominant players being the chorus, who keep showing up to remind us that this play is a tragedy, as if the show itself isn’t able to communicate that fact.

As for the cast, everyone is trying their best, led by Schelten’s fiercely determined Cascade. The singing is hit-or-miss, and the songs aren’t especially memorable. Also, despite the fact that several of the characters are romantically involved with one another at various moments in the story, there is no real chemistry between the performers in this way. 

Production-wise, the set by Taylor Gruenloh and David Pisoni is simple and effective, and Matt Stuckel’s lighting is somewhat static and stark. The sound isn’t especially consistent, and especially during the songs, it can be difficult to understand the words. There’s a somewhat rough, unpolished look and feel about the staging, somewhat like a school drama project in its early stages.

There are some good ideas here, and important issues being brought up, although everything is still quite rough and coldly academic. Still, the performers are invested and this is obviously a work in progress. Cascade’s Fire could use a little more fire, but there is potential here. 

The Tesseract Theatre company is presenting Cascade’s Fire as part of the New Musical Summer Fest 2024 at the Marcelle Theatre until July 28, 2024

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Tesseract’s “Last Five Years” is a Poignant Musical Showcase

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , on February 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The Last Five Years
Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Taylor Gruenloh
Tesseract Theatre Company
February 19, 2023

Grace Langford, Kevin Corpuz
Photo: Tesseract Theatre Company

The Tesseract Theatre company is staging its second musical, Jason Robert Brown’s semi-autobiographical two-hander The Last Five Years, at the .ZACK Theatre. It’s a mostly sung-through show that’s known as a showcase for excellent singers, and director Taylor Gruenloh has chosen the leads well, in prolific local performers who have the voices, the presence, and the chemistry to carry this emotional roller-coaster of a show. There are also some inventive directorial choices that add to the drama and characterizations. 

Some of the drama of this show is provided by its structure, as its tale of a failed relationship is told in two directions at once. Cathy, an aspiring musical theatre performer played by Grace Langford, starts at the end of the relationship and progresses backwards. Jamie, a successful young novelist played by Kevin Corpuz, begins at the beginning, shortly after he and Cathy have met, and moves forward in the story. Their narratives catch up in the middle, at their wedding, and then move further apart.  

It’s an intriguing structure, and in most productions–like the last one I saw, twelve years ago–Jamie and Cathy spend most of their moments apart from one another, trading songs and stories but only interacting in the middle, when their narratives meet. Here, director Gruenloh has staged it differently, so both characters are frequently onstage together, as Jamie will be there reacting to Cathy’s songs, and Cathy reacts to Jamie’s. They are able to respond to one another more directly, which adds to the drama and adds a degree of depth to the relationship. I still find myself sympathizing with Cathy more, as Jamie often comes across as an a self-centered jerk, although this production seems to bring out Jamie’s charm a little more, especially in the first half of the show, and we also get to see more nuance in Cathy’s perspective. 

The casting is excellent. I already knew Langford and Corpuz had great voices and strong acting skills from seeing them in a variety of previous productions. Here, it’s just the two of them together, and they are matched well, with strong chemistry and excellent voices. Jason Robert Brown’s music is memorable and challenging, and both of these two performers rise to the challenge. Josie Schnelten is also strong in a brief, wordless appearance later in the show. 

The staging is fairly simple in terms of set, since the action takes place on a mostly empty stage, with evocative lighting by Gruenloh and Brittanie Gunn, along with projections by Gruenloh that help the audience keep track of what year it is in each scene. Both performers are simply dressed, as well, with Langford in red and Corpuz in black and grey. The band, led by music director Leah Schultz, is onstage above and behind the actors, and they sound great, although the acoustics of the venue make it so the band can sometimes drown out the performers as they sing, making it difficult to understand the lyrics at times.

For the most part, though, this is a highly effective, moving production that benefits greatly from the inventive direction and the dynamic performances of the two leads. The Last Five Years runs about 90 minutes with no intermission, and there are no dull moments here. It’s another impressive musical production from Tesseract. 

Grace Langford, Kevin Corpuz
Photo: Tesseract Theatre Company

The Tesseract Theatre Company is presenting The Last Five Years at the .ZACK Theatre until February 26, 2023

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Tesseract Sings a Full Range of Emotions in New “Pop Song”

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on July 10, 2022| 1 Comment »

The Length of a Pop Song
by Taylor Gruenloh
Directed by Karen Pierce
Tesseract Theatre Company
July 9, 2022

Donna Parrone, Rhiannon Skye Creighton
Photo by Taylor Gruenloh
Tesseract Theatre Company

 

The Tesseract Theatre Company is opening its 2022 Summer New Play Series with an emotional work by the company’s Artistic Director, Taylor Gruenloh. The Length of a Pop Song is a somewhat heavy play, featuring some particularly frank discussions of difficult topics. It’s not without hope, however, portraying one young woman’s struggle with her own difficult life and how to deal with the way she has been treated by others. It focuses on three important relationships in her life–two with people, and one with pop music. Ultimately, it’s a compelling, well-acted piece, although there are some structural issues. 

The Length of a Pop Song isn’t very long, actually. It runs about 95 minutes with no intermission, but a lot happens in those 95 minutes. It’s told in a non-linear fashion, with a “present day” story intersecting with flashbacks and some sequences that seem to be set in the mind of the central character, Lex (Rhiannon Skye Creighton). Lex was once an aspiring songwriter with big ideas about how pop music speaks into her own life and the lives of others, but she seems to have given up on writing lately, as well as on life itself.  She has had a hard life, with a devout Catholic mother, Anna (Donna Parrone), who has been somewhat emotionally distant and who Lex perceives as judgmental, and a philandering father who doesn’t seem to care much about his own family. The story begins as Lex comes home after being away for a long time, after a life of drug addiction, self-harm, and being mistreated, abused, and assaulted by various men. When a video of her being assaulted is put up online, she becomes involved in a court case against the perpetrators, but isn’t sure she wants to continue participating. Anna is trying to connect with her daughter, owning up to her mistakes as a mother, while Lex continues to lash out and push her away. All the while, childhood best friend Oliver (Kelvin Urday) is there as something of a sounding board/moral compass/conscience figure, although it’s not always clear when he’s actually there or when he’s only in Lex’s imagination. Also, the music and lyrics keep coming back as a recurring theme, until ultimately Lex has to decide what to do about her own life, as well as her relationships and her music.

For the most part, this is a fascinating play, with well-drawn characters and especially strong performances, led by Creighton in a dynamic, emotionally volatile portrayal of Lex. Through her performance, we get to see the the full range of her character–from the pain, cynicism, and self-hatred to the sense of idealism and hope that once was there and could still be there. Her relationships with Urday as Oliver and especially Parrone as Anna are credible and compelling. Parrone is also strong as Anna, a woman who obviously loves her daughter, and is struggling greatly to understand her and, especially, to help her. Urday is also excellent as the encouraging Oliver, who tries to see the best in Lex even when she can’t see it herself. The acting and pacing are excellent here, as is Creighton’s singing in her performance of the original song “Again” by Gruenloh, Gracie Sartin, and Teddy Luecke. There are also simple but effective production values–a good basic set by Brittanie Gunn, atmospheric lighting by Kevin Bowman, and strong sound design by Gruenloh. 

It’s a promising play, but does have its confusing moments, as the blend of present-day story, flashback, and conscience/imagination can be hard to follow at times, and there are several moments where I wish Anna was given a little more to say in response to some of Lex’s accusations. Still, it’s a thoughtful, highly emotional drama, with a strong cast and simple but effective staging. There is some sensitive subject matter-including drug use, sexual assault, self-harm, and suicide, and there is a general warning posted in the theatre. Ultimately, though, this is a play that doesn’t leave the audience with despair, and although the relationship struggles can be difficult, there is obvious care and love on display.  The Length of A Pop Song is a promising new play, well worth seeing.

Kelvin Urday, Rhiannon Skye Creighton, Donna Parrone
Photo by Taylor Gruenloh
Tesseract Theatre Company

Tesseract Theatre Company is presenting The Length of a Pop Song at the Marcelle Theatre until July 17, 2022

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Intriguing, Uneven “Orders” at Tesseract

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on November 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Orders
by Kevin D. Ferguson
Directed by Taylor Gruenloh
Tesseract Theatre Company
November 15, 2014

David Smithson, Brenna Whitehurst Photo: Tesseract Theatre Company

David Smithson, Brenna Whitehurst
Photo: Tesseract Theatre Company

Tesseract Theatre Company’s latest production, Orders by Kevin D. Ferguson, explores issues of faith, love, and duty. It’s an intriguing play with a fascinating premise along with timely and thought-provoking situations. Tesseract’s production is technically proficient in its simple staging, although uneven casting makes the story somewhat difficult to completely believe.

Orders provides much to think about as young lovers Maggie (Brenna Whitehurst) and Troy (David Smithson) deal with their own personal issues of faith and duty. Maggie is a devout Catholic, dutifully saying her prayers and attending confession, and trying to reconcile her devotion with Troy’s general apathy about the subject, as well as his inability to hold a job.  When Troy suddenly joins the Marines and Maggie is confronted with an unusual experience that leads her to believe she’s being called to become a nun, their relationship becomes even more complicated. Maggie also has a challenging relationship with her best friend Adam (Jarris Williams), a fun-loving guy who is seriously considering his commitment to his devoted Marine boyfriend Joe (Maalik Shakour), who is currently deployed in Afghanistan and is shown reciting letters to Adam, Maggie and Troy.  Maggie’s frequent trips to the confessional reveal her conflicted thoughts about her own religious beliefs and her desire to serve God on the one hand, and her concerns with certain teachings of the Catholic church–such as its teachings about same-sex relationships such as Adam’s and Joe’s–on the other.

This is a very fascinating play in terms of script. A lot of concepts are brought together and enacted in intriguing ways, with well-defined and relatable characters.  The ending is perhaps too simplistic, although I wonder if the problem there is really with the script, or with the cast.  The uneven performances sometimes make the play difficult to follow, especially in the critical scenes of Maggie’s devotional life.  Whitehurst has some good moments, usually in her scenes with the excellent Williams and Smithson, although perhaps the most central aspect of her character–her devout Catholic faith–is difficult to believe, as Whitehurst recites the prayers and confessions with very little sense of conviction. These scenes, which should be crucial to understanding Maggie’s dilemma, only add more confusion because of the lackluster an unenthusiastic line delivery. Smithson as Troy is in a similar situation, although his initially subdued performance does gain some energy in later scenes as he talks about his devotion to both Maggie and the Marines.  He and Whitehurst do show some convincing romantic chemistry, though.  Williams is more successful in his engaging performance as the conflicted but loving Adam, and Shakoor delivers the play’s strongest scenes as the strong, dedicated Joe. As excellent as Shakoor is, I found myself wishing he had more scenes.

Although I had seen their production at this year’s St. Lou Fringe Festival, I hadn’t seen a full length production at Tesseract before. One impressive thing I discovered is that each Tesseract show begins with a 10 minute pre-show–a short play that’s been written to cover a theme similar to the main production. The latest pre-show is called “Spooky Action At a Distance” by Will Coleman, directed by Sean Green.  This is a compelling little drama that’s set up as a series of parallel monologues by two performers (Sean Michael and Maalik Shakoor), talking about the roles of science and faith in their lives. It’s a thoughtful dramatic exercise that’s well-performed by both actors and provides an effective introduction to topics concerning faith–whether its religious or otherwise. It’s a good lead-in to Orders, which deals with its issues in a more confrontational way.

Orders is a short play, running about 75 minutes or so, with a simple but effective set and a thought-provoking introduction in the form of the 10 minute pre-show.  It’s an impressive script from playwright Ferguson, although the unpolished, uneven performances of the some of the cast make me think about what this play could be like if cast more ideally. Tesseract’s presentation is still worthwhile, if flawed, and gives its audience a great deal to think about in terms of love, duty and belief.

Maalik Shakoor PhotoL Tesseract Theatre Company

Maalik Shakoor
PhotoL Tesseract Theatre Company

 

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