S75 - Lighthouse by Veronica Mansour and abs wilson - 6w
A 6-women, fourth-wall-breaking pop country musical following our unreliable narrator "Bus," an 18 year old girl who wants nothing more than to escape her small Minnesota town. But what Bus really wants to escape? Herself— and everything she fears she could become. With a cast ranging from ages 18-73, LIGHTHOUSE explores anxiety and OCD, the lives of women in rural, conservative communities, and what it means to be yourself for the rest of your life. Ultimately, LIGHTHOUSE celebrates the idea that maybe, just maybe— every version of yourself is worth being.
NOTE: Link to music demos on first page of script.
Labels: musical
posted by Jim Vogel at 8:54 PM
7 Comments:
I loved Lighthouse. Having recently watched Next to Normal on Great Performances on PBS, I was in the "right zone" to connect with a script dealing with mental illness. And I really enjoyed the music (which I found online when the links in the script didn't work). Now that we have gotten over the "musical hurdle" with Endometriosis: the Musical, the door seems open for other musicals. I assume this would be another world premiere for TRP and, since it seems to be a work-in-progress, being able to workshop it with the creators would be another great opportunity.
It does present some potentially challenging tech, but I think we're getting pretty good at overcoming a lot of similar obstacles. I would love to see us do this one.
I also enjoyed it. The stage directions said that ideally it should be played on a thrust stage or arena, so the staging should be doable. The characters are strong, and my heart ached for Bus. Musicals are always requested by audience members, and we always counter with the argument about the limitations that the arena can offer. But this just might work!
It doesn't excite me. I had a difficult time getting into it. Perhaps the psych patients I had to deal with during my training turns me off. It does have a Minnesota connection. While not memorable, I think the music helps the script.
I am more interested in seeing how the director and design team would get around the multiple transitions and technical issues than about the script.
Yes. I was the second in the initial read on this and like Kristin had resonated with my feelings for Next to Normal. That being said, I worry about this and Ashland being in the same season.
To Howard’s point has the technical advisory board member that sits on season planning I think it would excite a lot of designers and directors to take on a challenge like this. I support keeping it on the list and getting director proposal. In order to see if works into the mix of other plays we are considering.
I haven't read the most recent script, but I watched the staged reading last year and listened to the music. It plays much stronger than reads, the music is very affecting and it was personally very moving for me. I still need to read the most recent version of the script - the reading I saw had quite a bit of work still to do in the dialogue and character development. I'm assuming it has changed a lot since then.
Grateful for the "it plays better than it reads" insight, because I did not enjoy the read. However, it checked most of the boxes that I generally want checked... so I concede to leaving it a possibility for directors and designers to show me what I missed
This feels like a production I would enjoy watching/hearing. The music sounds beautiful from what I listened to in the demos. And as someone who grew up in rural, conservative Wisconsin, some of this story really resonates with me.
I also appreciate how many altos there are in this musical. Too often I hear from my alto friends how difficult it is to get cast into named roles in musicals. This could be a fun opportunity for many.
Let's really consider this one!
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