Every once in a while you come across a show that is so full of emotion, comedy, deep melancholy, and joyous soul that it hits the right notes on multiple levels. If you’re lucky, it’s wonderfully acted, smartly executed, full of a sense of love and keeps you well in the world. The Recital is just that show.
Part promenade, part interactive theatre, part deconstructed concert, The Recital is a true hybrid of immersive and traditional theatrical styles that glides between genres with barely a break or a stutter. It is an immersive tasting menu of open framed experiences ranging from light LARP, to sandbox, to environmental, to light puzzling; and it’s wrapped in themes of longing that go far beyond what the premise implies.
In The Recital, you’ve been invited by an old college acquaintance, Simon (Michael Cassady), to come to a recital; he teaches piano to kids. This is a surprise because you haven’t heard from him since college, and more so because Simon was a child prodigy. The child prodigy.
Upon arrival, you find yourself mingling with a few of Simon’s closest friends: Danny (Allan McLeod), Simon’s best friend in college, now a proud dad; Jen (Alana Dietze), musician and Simon’s former flame; eager work friend, Adrienne (Lauren Flans); and eventually, Simon’s boss, Chuck (John Ross Bowie). There is a feeling of unease and tension between his friends, as no one truly knows what to expect from the evening. It’s awkward in the way only high school and college reunions can be; gratefully, there’s wine and just a little bit of drama.
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After a brief introduction and welcome from Simon, we’re treated to a song by his student, Monica (Ruby Farley, in the first of dual roles in her debut performance), which quickly transitions into the real reason for the night’s gathering: the resurgence of Simon as a performer.
As one might expect, this does not go as planned, and the show moves into a dreamlike trip through Simon’s memory of college, work and relationships; and eventually, the heart of his drive to perform once more.
The writing of creators Michael Cassady and Eva Anderson shines throughout, inter-weaving music with funny, sometimes soul-crushing dialogue; Eric Hoff’s sharp direction keeps the overall tone of the show from becoming too broad or too serious. This is enhanced by story-deepening production design to give a slightly surreal exposition to Simon’s mindset of the past. Creative sound and lighting design work along with some beautiful visuals to subtly reset the audience from the more interactive pieces of The Recital into the more traditional moments exploring the “now.”
The Recital is a stunning, powerful blend of immersive and traditional theatre that blurs the lines of what you expect from either form. It’s comedic, it’s rich in pathos… and it has snacks. The Recital a moving, entertaining experience that is at once both melancholic and hopeful.
The Recital runs through October 27 at an undisclosed address in LA’s Koreatown. Tickets cost $30, and can be purchased here.
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