Wednesday, July 25, 2018

9 - A Part of Me - Imagined Theatre - Southern Theater


A musical drama about two chronically ill patients: Sean, a musician, and young Jimmy. Over guitar lessons and with those that care for them, they explore life, hope, and the ever-present specter of death.

I’m partial to plays that include guitar music these days, since I’m writing a few myself, so I’m always interested in seeing the way other people tackle the fusion of the two.

This is also a theater company I got to know at first, oddly enough, not here, but down in Kansas, when we both had scripts being read last year at the William Inge Theatre Festival.  Their play down there was also in last year’s Fringe here in Minneapolis.

In addition, I’m curious to see Dan Piering (who was one of the sailor chorus in the Guthrie’s South Pacific a couple of years ago) headlining a play of his own.

Not sure I want to dwell on “the ever present specter of death” all that much, but if there’s good music - as featured in their clever show image - I might not mind quite so much.

The extended synopsis fleshes out the concept a bit more: “One guitar, two patients, five lives at the intersection of life and death. A Part of Me is an original musical drama about hospital patients with chronic illness, and their relationships with their family and caregivers. The story focuses on two patients: Sean, a travelling musician, and Jimmy, a boy who shares the same illness. Over guitar lessons and their interactions with those that care for them, life and death are explored in story and song.”  Their Fringe preview was also promising, so I’m looking forward to seeing the whole thing.

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