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