Ten Brave Seconds at PTC

Last night I went to see the world premiere of the new musical Ten Brave Seconds at PTC. It is always thrilling to be among the first to see a brand new show (I was also able to see the world premieres of Cagney and Shucked at PTC) but I didn't love it as much as I expected to given all of the rave reviews it has been receiving. The narrative depicts one day in the life of a suburban teen named Mike (Carson Stewart) as he comes out to his father Carl (Will Blum), his sister Becky (Heidi Farber), his best friend Gabby (Jessica Money), and his new friend Tim (Luke Kolbe Mannikus). He turns to his sympathetic history teacher Mr. G (John Cariani) to help him deal with his grief over the recent death of his mother Sally (Amber Iman) and to navigate the complicated responses from his friends and family to his sudden announcement. I think this show is garnering so much praise because it has an important message about daring to live authentically and I really love that the emphasis is not necessarily on being brave enough to tell people who you are but rather being brave enough to have the difficult conversations moving forward. In fact, the moment when Mike tells his father that he is gay is almost anticlimactic and that is an incredibly interesting, but effective, choice because it subverts the traditional coming out story. The reactions from Mike's family and friends feel very honest and authentic, especially Carl's because parents do not always have all of the answers and Gabby's because it is heartbreaking when a relationship is revealed to be one-sided. I liked the recurring motif of counting from one to ten (this really resonated with me because I suffer from anxiety and use this as a coping mechanism) and the use of an astronaut as a metaphor for isolation (although I wish that this had been emphasized more). I also liked how the main set, which features the outline of a house made from intersecting metal beams, and the costumes, particularly a large purple hoodie worn and then eventually discarded by Mike, highlight the fact that you cannot hide who you really are. The performances are excellent all around but the standout for me was Money because she has an energy that is very compelling. However, the songs are not very memorable because, in my opinion, they are merely long monologues set to music without a hook to keep the audience's attention. I struggled to remember any of the songs once I left the theater. The choreography and staging are also surprisingly bland because most of the big musical numbers involve the ensemble walking back and forth across the stage and end with the main characters downstage in a line under spotlights (I get that this is meant to represent the disconnect than many feel in high school but it is not very interesting to watch, especially when it happens multiple times). One of the biggest turning points in the show happens with Carl, Mike, and Becky sitting at a table listening to a song played through a phone but, despite a beautiful performance from Iman, it did not make much of an impression because it is so static. I do think this is worth seeing for the powerful message (go here for tickets) but I found it a bit underwhelming. It runs at PTC through February 14.