35MM

Yes to new musical theatre! I love this song cycle! Partly because the music is kick-ass, also because the majority of the recording artists on this album are amazing and inspiring, and because the way in which this music was written breaks the typical conventions of musical theater writing. The writing of this musical reminded me of how the musical Found was written or the song cycle Gone Missing. Music and Lyrics were created by the up and coming writer of our generation Ryan Scott Oliver. He gained his inspiration for the music and lyrics through the photographer Matthew Murphy’s photos. I like to imagine what that conversation was like for RSO and Matthew. There isn’t much to say about the through story of this “musical exhibition” because each of the songs are a sort of response to the photo it gathered inspiration from. The group numbers are kick-ass. The musical style is definitely contemporary. There are techno, rock, and poppy themes throughout the entire album. A lot of the chords sung on duet and group numbers are close or augmented. Having only listened to the music and not looking at the composition I would still make an argument that the music composition and vocal expectations are difficult and somewhat demanding. I appreciate that the language and content in the music is certainly unapologetic and unafraid which is fantastic. Lindsey Mendez is fucking amazing! I especially like the “transitions” (Transitions 1, 3, and 5 are my favorite) in the album.