A talented cast from Concordia University’s theatre department is staging a musical production of The Theory of Relativity opening Friday, March 15.
Composed by Neil Bartram and written by Brian Hill, it reveals the knotted feelings, relationships, desires, liaisons and losses of teens and young adults, and shows how they are all interconnected.
This moving, slightly edgy and non-linear song cycle explores the connections teens and college-age adults make while attempting to find their true identity and discovering their place in the world. As characters discover and share their life experiences, the musical also reveals how they cope.
“The music is sophisticated without being daunting. There are a lot of feature moments where everyone gets the glory. What I love about this song cycle are the character moments and lives that really seem so authentic. The students don’t have to act. They just have to be themselves,” said guest director Darrin Hagen.
What appears to be a random collection of 20 songs and two monologues, introduces an array of characters that could be family, friends or even next-door neighbours. They experience love and loss, joy and heartbreak, and the inevitable desire for human connection on many different levels.
St. Albert’s Jenn Ethier plays Caroline, a young woman who has trouble opening herself up to genuine relationships after an unhealthy high-school relationship left her reeling. Ethier’s spotlight moment arrives singing Ricky and Me.
“Caroline falls in love, but after her relationship doesn’t work out, she’s very protective and keeps herself closed. She goes on dates, but is very cautious,” said Ethier, a 2020 St. Albert High School graduate.
With 24 student actors, everyone has a spotlight moment as everyday characters sing songs that reveal the effects of relationships and the common thread of love.
Jenny, who works at Dairy Queen, becomes overweight and has difficulty finding happiness. Another individual is allergic to cats. There’s also a song about being a germaphobe and its effect on love.
Songs create multiple poignant issues throughout including Apples & Oranges, a thinly veiled metaphor for homosexuality; Footprints, a number about the discovery that the path to adulthood can separate a person from family, and End of the Line, a friendship that runs its course.
Linking all these small chunky five-minute stories into one large fluid piece can be challenging for directors. However, Ethier has high praise for Hagen’s approach to working with students.
“He’s open minded. He wants us to feel comfortable on stage and truly share our ideas. He has conversations with us one-on-one and makes us feel super supported. He tells us to follow our instincts, and builds us up as actors. Darrin treats us as professionals even though we’re university students,” Ethier said.
In working with Concordia’s theatre students, Hagen compares this production to Fame, the critically and commercially successful film about a group of vibrant, energetic students attending New York City’s High School of Performing Arts.
“In the last scene there are these moments of joy and hope,” said Hagen.
“I hope the audience experiences pure joy. There’s that special feeling watching these adults on the precipice of life as they step forward into the unknown. I think the audience will get that it’s genuine.”
The Theory of Relativity runs March 15 to 17, and 22 to 24 at Trish & Al Huehn Theatre, 7128 Ada Boulevard, Concordia University. Tickets are $15 to $20. Visit edmontonarts.ca/events
