Bright Star with the JAKS Theatre Company

I was very impressed by JAKS Theatre Company's production of Hadestown: Teen Edition last year so I was very eager to see their version of Bright Star, a favorite of mine, last night at the Regent Street Black Box Theatre. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing such enthusiastic performances from these talented young performers. After World War II, Billy Cane (Colin West) returns to his hometown of Hayes Creek to see his childhood friend Margot Crawford (Cairi Swenson) but he eventually decides to try writing at a magazine in Asheville for an uptight editor named Alice Murphy (Livy Garner). When the magazine staff teases Alice about her boring existence, she literally transforms back into the wild and rebellious girl she once was in Zebulon during the 1920s and falls in love with Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Dylan Thomas). The narrative goes back and forth between these locations and timelines as Alice learns to deal with heartache and loss and Billy learns the importance of home and the one who really loves him. Some members of the cast are stronger than others but everyone on stage gives it their all and are clearly having a lot of fun. I really enjoyed Garner's performance because her characterization is fantastic, especially her differentiation between the older and younger Alices, and she sings with an incredible amount of emotion in "Please Don't Take Him" (this song always brings me to tears and her rendition was no exception), "I Had a Vision," and "So Familiar/ At Long Last." I also really liked Lauren Hunter as Lucy Grant, because she is completely over the top (almost too much so) but that energy makes her performance of "Another Round" a definite crowd-pleaser, and Caden Feller as Mayor Josiah Dobbs, because his rich baritone voice gives him the gravitas that is needed for "A Man's Gotta Do." However, my favorite vocal performance is from Swenson in "Asheville" (my favorite song in the show) because she imbues it with such longing. The ensemble does a great job with both the exuberant choreography, especially in "If You Knew My Story," "Way Back in the Day," "Picnic Dance," and "Another Round," and the innovative staging, particularly as Billy travels to Asheville in "Bright Star" and as Mayor Dobbs makes a fateful decision on a train in "A Man's Gotta Do (Reprise)." I was also quite impressed with how efficiently they move multiple set pieces on and off stage (my favorite is a rustic wooden cabin). Finally, I love the bluegrass music in this show and I was beyond impressed by the musicians, including Jack Thomas on guitar, Daxton Feller on banjo, Izzie Kewlish on fiddle, and Jacob Stoddard on double bass, because they play live on stage (this was also a highlight of Hadestown: Teen Edition). The audience last night was filled with lots of friends and family members of the cast (I talked to a few of them sitting near me) and they should be very proud because it was a great show. I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) for one of the six remaining performances (including several matinees) through June 13.

Note:  I also really liked Hunter as Persephone and Feller as Hades in Hadestown: Teen Edition.

Hadestown: Teen Edition with the JAKS Theatre Company

Last night my sister Kristine and I were able to see another production of Hadestown: Teen Edition (we both love this musical so much), this time by the JAKS Theatre Company at the Regent Street Black Box at the Eccles Theatre (I had never been to this venue before and I was very impressed by the space). I think the theme of hope in the face of hardship explored in this show is especially appropriate for a young cast (this teen version is very popular in Utah at the moment). Eurydice (Jane Wuthrich) is a hungry girl who has experienced the world as it is so she is lured to the underworld by Hades (Caden Feller) in exchange for food. Orpheus (Xander Rohwer) is a poor boy with the gift of music who dreams of the world as it could be so he journeys to the underworld to rescue her when she is trapped in a cycle of endless work and desperation. He is aided by Persephone (Lauren Hunter), who is also trying to convince Hades to let her return to the living world, in his quest to save her but the Fates (Ava Nelson, Kimara Parcell, and Violet Rohwer) intervene and he is ultimately plagued by doubt. However, Hermes (Thom Fox) reminds us that, even though the song is a sad one, we must keep singing it if we want to change the outcome. Once again, I was absolutely blown away by the caliber of the talent in this young cast. Fox has a swagger as Hermes that is fun to watch in "Road to Hell" and "Way Down Hadestown," Rohwer does a great job emphasizing Orpheus's naivete in "Come Home With Me," "Wait For Me," and "If It's True," and Hunter is a very charismatic Persephone in "Livin' It Up on Top" and "Our Lady of the Underground."  Nelson, Parcell, and Rohwer have a lot of attitude as the Fates (I especially loved Parcell's facial expressions) and the way they harmonize in "When the Chips Are Down," "Nothing Changes," and "Word to the Wise" is a highlight of the show. Feller is incredibly compelling as Hades because he has dangerous charm in "Hey, Little Songbird," frightening intensity in "Why We Build the Wall" (this gave me goosebumps), and sizzling chemistry with Hunter in "How Long?" I especially loved Wuthrich's performance as Eurydice because she sings my favorite songs, "Any Way the Wind Blows" and "Flowers," with so much emotion and her impassioned plea in "Doubt Comes In" is so heartbreaking that I had tears in my eyes. The ensemble is also very strong and I was particularly impressed with their performance in "Chant" and its reprise, "Wait For Me" and its reprises, and "Why We Build the Wall" because it is extremely powerful. The live band on stage also features some unbelievably talented teens and I was blown away by Dylan Thomas on guitar. The set, costumes, and choreography are very reminiscent of the Broadway production and I loved all of it. I would highly recommend supporting these talented teens in this amazing production but, unfortunately, the remaining four performances are sold out (but you can go here to learn more about the JAKS Theatre Company).

Note: We were sitting by a really chatty young girl with lots of friends in the cast.