On April 3, Sinclair theatre presented the Jason Robert Brown production of “Songs for the new world”. Originally produced off-Broadway in 1995, Brown has said the show is all about “That one moment. Hitting the wall and making the choice to either make a stand or turn back”.
Directing the play is Kimberly Borst; a Sinclair theater teacher who has directed such shows as “Pride and Prejudice”, “Almost, Maine” and “Godspell”. Borst said that it is “An enjoyable challenge because the show can be left up to audiences interpretation.”
“The challenge of directing the play came from it being all song with no connecting stories. When I directed other plays, they had a connecting story that made them easier to follow. In “Songs for the New World”, none of the songs or characters are connected in any way.”
“Songs”, which is entirely in song, is about the different decisions made by the characters and the struggles made when it comes to making those decisions. “The decisions made range from silly to very serious. One of the characters sings about religion and while the subject may still be touchy, it was not a big deal for the actor performing the song”.
Though “Songs” was a challenge for Kimberly to successfully conquer, it was the not the first time she had to face challenges of a production. “When I directed “Pride and Prejudice”, the challenge was the cast. With school productions, the cast tends to be small but with that show, the cast was of 26, the largest I have ever directed. But again, that story had a connecting story”.
When asked what does she want the office to get from “Songs”, Borst said, “What I want the audience to take away from the show is knowing that they are not alone. The last song of the show, “Hear my song” is about the characters of the play not giving up and I hope the song’s message stays with the audience.”
“Songs for a New World” will be presented in the Black Box Theatre, located in building 2. General admission tickets are $15
Times for shows are as scheduled;
April 3, 4, 10 and 11 at 8 p.m.
April 8, 9 at 7 p.m. with wraps and soups available before the show on April 9.
Jimaur Calhoun
Arts and Entertainment Editor