Daniel Goldstein's books continually (and sometimes confusingly) move back and forth between three eras. In the 2003 story, Ellen (Laura Lee Geier, with just the right amount of stoicism and vulnerability) begins an online affair with Andrew (Adam Chanler), an overzealous Cornell University research librarian. – Berat, charming and then toxically nervous), helps her find out who the man in the photo is. (Their “Will We Or Want We” duet “Milkshake” isn't quite as forgettable as Kelis's banger of the same name (also his 2003!), but this is a high bar )
In the 1973 section, a ponytailed, preadolescent Ellen learns about World War I, much to the fascination of her septuagenarian grandmother Lucy (a versatile Judy Kuhn). And in the 1918-1920 part, before she turns 20, young Lucy (Kersten Anderson), her widowed mother, meets an amnesiac veteran (Perry Sherman) who is admitted to a mental hospital. I will continue to visit you for several months. A sympathetic doctor (Nehal Joshi) names the mute doughboy “Francis Grand.” Because he seemed to respond to “Francis.” Grand Central Station is where he was discovered.
It takes a lot of narrative scaffolding to score, but most of the 16 numbers are worth it. The music is by Michael Friedman (he and Goldstein co-wrote the lyrics), and Friedman, like many of the characters here, played the world premiere of The Unknown Soldier at the 2015 Williamstown Theater Festival. He passed away at the young age of 41 just two years later.
Friedman appears to have used the first part of this story as a guide, keeping this musically in a pre-rock era. It's always difficult to rate a score after only hearing it once, but first impressions are that it's an incongruously hilarious summary of clinical amnesia and how we tend to remember what we remember. Solo numbers are stronger than ensemble numbers like “The Memory Song.” It's better to regret it, and vice versa.
Geyer makes Ellen's late-night, melancholy melody “I Give Away Children” his greatest masterpiece, while Anderson's rendition of young Lucy's “A Husband Takes Care of Things” is a perfect example of Lucy's loneliness. It's even sadder because it has reached the point where it is. Her unborn granddaughter takes less than half the time. Another masterpiece is “The People Stare,'' in which the mute soldier Francis finally unburdens himself. Both Anderson and Sherman are reprising their roles from the canceled 2020 production, and with these performances it's no surprise that director Tripp Cullman (also returning from the 2020 version) brought them back. Ta.
Cullman is also keeping the original production team intact. Mark Wendland's set changes from a colorless warehouse space of storage boxes to an internally lit model of Troy, “the worst town in New York” (as an early Ellen and Andrew duet proclaims). ) 2003 Ellen is cleaning her childhood home inherited from her recently deceased grandmother Lucy. (The book has no comment on this, but by my calculations, Lucy would have been over 100 years old when she died.) There is an analog clock on the wall, noticeably missing the hands. . It is an eloquent reminder that no matter how cruel the past haunts us, time is always now.
unknown soldier, on Arena Stage until May 5th. 1 hour 45 minutes, no break. arenastage.org.