A musical about death, written by a 7th grader, who’s the artistic director of a newly formed theater company. What’s not to like?
Death! A Musical
Gabriel Shen/Twin Cities Youth Theatre
Venue: Southern Theatre
Show Description:
All youth, high energy, uplifting musical exploring life after death. Performed, directed, composed, choreographed, and musically accompanied entirely by kids! This high-energy show follows the journey of Alana Hemming, who dies, meets Death, and completes seven tasks in the Afterlife to become alive again.
Death is a complicated topic, especially what happens after it. Death! A Musical provides a positive perspective on death, emphasizing the importance of the circle of life and the greater order of things. The musical combines many common beliefs about death into one plot, from Heaven and Hell, to the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Unlike many adults, the kids in this cast aren't afraid to talk about death!
Genre & Content:
Comedy, Musical Theater, Original Music, Kid Friendly
Warnings: None
They did a five person version of the show last summer, and now this summer, they’re in the Fringe, expanding the cast, orchestra and crew to 20-some middle school kids, who will rehearse during a weeklong summer camp preceding the festival.
The “become alive again” part could be anything from resurrection to reincarnation (for now, I’m ruling out zombie).
Bonus points, it’s a project where a lot of queer youth are in charge. The coverage of the show in Lavender Magazine notes, “Shen describes the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and theatre in general, as a welcoming community for queer youth, including the more than one-third of the “Death!” cast they say identifies as LGBTQ+.
“It shows that youth, especially queer youth, are capable. They have opinions, they want to help the world. Hopefully, it’s an empowering musical for youth,” they say.”
C’mon. You’re not curious? I am.
Update 7/24/2025, their Fringe preview:
Here’s some handy links to my Fringe Top 10, Top 11 to 20 and Returning Favorites lists for this year, as well as all the coverage of this year’s Minnesota Fringe Festival.
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