HERE LIES LOVE at the Public Theater

(Seen May 5, 2013)

MURDER BALLAD at the Union Square Theatre

(Seen May 14, 2013)


These two shows have tangential alliances, other than the fact that they both detail love stories gone awry.  They each have forced what should be a conventional theatre piece into an environmental format.

HERE LIES LOVE has the audience moved about, as on a dance floor, theoretically to follow as the action moves to various stage areas.  MURDER BALLAD has the scenes pop up in various sections of a bar/club, with the audience straining to watch from various areas in order to see the story unfold.

Both pop-rock musicals are intense and driven, and feature highly talented performances.  But I feel that the creators have imposed an environmental approach in order to be different or experimental, not because it works better for the material.  It seems they have avoided a proscenium or theatre-in-the-round as a device.  At the Public Theatre, in fact, there are a limited number of seats in a balcony surrounding the space, where the audience can watch the show without being being constantly herded about by ushers.

HERE LIES LOVE, with "concept and lyrics" by David Byrne, and music by Byrne and Fatboy Slim, is a compelling story of the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, strongly sung and acted by Ruthie Ann Miles, forcefully supported by Melody Butiu, Jose Llana, and Conrad Ricamora, along with an able ensemble cast, with driven direction by Alex Timbers.

MURDER BALLAD, with concept, book, and lyrics by Julia Jordan, and music and lyrics by Juliana Nash, is less epic, but still relentless in telling this story of love, passion, betrayal.  The ill-fated trio of lovers are passionately played and sung by Caisee Levy, Will Swenson, and John Ellison Conlee, with Rebecca Naomi Jones as a narrator/ringmaster to propel the story forward.  It is a strong work directed by Trip Cullman.

I would like to see these musical works again, in a proscenium or thrust stage format, where I could be more focussed on the material rather than the surroundings.