Pictured: (l-r): Foline Roos, Jeff Mills, Royen Kent, Paige Daigle, Maeghan Looney, Amanda Giles and Demi Zaino. Photo by Evan Hanover.
By Bec Willet
Bluegrass-inspired thriller musical MY NAME IS ANNIE KING is the latest offering from new-musical champions Underscore Theatre Company. Sparked when Aaron Albert, Katy Rea, and Krista Pioppi met in a musical theater writing class at New York’s Pace University some years ago, Underscore’s production is the world premiere of this work.
The story begins as angst-filled city-dweller Lucas (Royen Kent) farewells his estranged father. His anger turns to accident, resulting in a chance meeting with Cash, the leader of a religious cult in the backwoods of Missouri. The welcoming arms of this ‘family’ of women under Cash’s leadership convince Lucas that they are the salve to his troubled soul. Unfortunately, two men in a fold of women is one too many, and the welcoming façade of family soon crumbles.
As a musical unto itself, this is a strong piece and Underscore’s production – both the design team and cast – has done a great service to these young writers. While there were some technical issues with sound on the evening I attended, the actors and band handled them with the professionalism one would expect from the quality of their performances. Paige Daigle’s grounded vocals gave us a lens to the story, as she guided us through her journey, supported by the consistently tight choral work of the ensemble of women. Jeff Mills, in his Chicago debut, fearlessly and deliberately handled every subversion and manipulation of cult leader Cash. Counterpointed by Maeghan Looney, as Cash’s long suffering partner Hannah, their final conflict demonstrates Looney’s mastery of emotional control.
The quality of the work on this production makes it clear why Underscore has been so successful in their quest of producing new musicals, including a recent Jeff nomination (New Musical) for last year’s HAYMARKET. However, after seeing this particular production I left the theater asking myself: Why now? The relevant themes of oppression, freedom, and self discovery in-built in the story are present but lack the depth of exploration which would provide a clear perspective of the writers’ beliefs about them. Unfortunately, I suspect that by setting this story in a cult – a construct that could easily be transferred onto a more relatable structure – distracted from the full weight of the writers’ voices, causing the audience to distance themselves from these themes rather than engage with them.
Underscore’s mission to be the home of musical theater in Chicago is a noble one and their production MY NAME IS ANNIE KING exemplifies the high quality productions for which they are coming to be known.
MY NAME IS ANNIE KING runs through May 28th at the Pride Arts Center (The Broadway). For more information visit underscoretheatre.org.
Bec Willett is an Australian, Chicago-based director, designer, educator, and writer. She has worked on projects with an array of Chicago theater companies, including 20% Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, City Lit, Dandelion Theatre, Prologue Theatre, and Waltzing Mechanics. To find out more about her work and upcoming projects, please visit becwillett.com.
