What would you do if you only had a hundred days to live? What if you had just met your person, only to be told that they only had a hundred days to live? Such are the questions posed by NYC-based husband/wife singer/songwriter duo
Abigail and Shaun Bengson (who, spoiler alert, lived more than a hundred days after meeting and are in fact still living). They wrote (with book writer Sarah Bancher) and performed in the autobiographical concert-style musical
Hundred Days, and now Theatre Elision is bringing us the #TCTheater premiere. It's a lovely and haunting 80-minute musical with a fantastic folk-rock score, performed by a talented cast/band. As always, if you're looking for a rarely done musical that's new and interesting and different, instead of the same old fare, head to Elision Playhouse in Crystal (
continuing through March 22).
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| Ryan Lee and Christine Wade (photo by Jolie Morehouse Olson) |
In this concert-style musical, Christine Wade plays Abigail and Ryan Lee plays Shaun, and it begins with Christine as Abigail telling us about a family trauma she experienced when she was 15, which instilled in her a fear (that felt like a premonition) that everyone she loved would leave her. So when she meets Shaun and they very quickly fall in love, the wonder of that is mixed with dread. Through a dozen or so songs, Abigail and Shaun tell us their love story, from meeting to moving in together to breaking up to deep discussions to a whirlwind wedding. They decide that if they only have a hundred days together, they're going to live a lifetime in those hundred days.
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| the band (photo by Jolie Morehouse Olson) |
Christine and Ryan fully embody Abgail and Shaun, and make us believe they are these two crazy-in-love people. They sound great singing together, and Ryan plays guitar for most of the show (he recently played the guy in
Once at
Theatre L’Homme Dieu, which I sadly did not make it to Alexandria to see, but there are definitely shades of that character here). They're really the only two characters in the story, although a few other people are mentioned, but the six-person band (Emily Hensley on accordion, Benjamin Emory Larson on keys, Joni Griffith on fiddle, Rae Wasson on cello, Miles Whealy on drums, and Music Director Harrison Wade on bass guitar) gives great support on instruments and backup vocals, sometimes stepping up to center stage. This could be done as a two-person musical, but the band makes it a richer and fuller experience, not just musically but also emotionally.
Director Lindsay Fitzgerald, who's directed most if not all of Elision's shows, once again stages the piece exactly as it should be, with musicians sitting or standing in a semi-circle on raised platforms and the two main characters in the center. But it's not just a stand-there-and-sing sort of concert, it feels dynamic with Abigail and Shaun moving around the space, and the musicians at times leaving their spot to join the action. The set has a cool folky vibe, with eclectic mismatched lights and things hanging from the ceiling, rugs covering the platforms, and warm lighting. Actors are miked but also at times sing into microphones on stands for the rock concert vibe, with a nice sound mix amongst all of the musicians and vocals. (Set design by Lindsay Fitzgerald, lighting design by Laina Grendle, sound design by Andera Johnson).
There are so so many musicals out there that just don't get done regularly (since seeing
The Rainmaker at Lyric Arts recently I'm on a campaign to get someone to do its rarely done musical adaptation
110 in the Shade). But lucky for us, for eight years Theatre Elision has been finding these obscure little gems and bringing them to #TCTheater.
Hundred Days is one such gem.
