Review: Director Rebecca Lowrey's GETTING THROUGH APRIL is emotional, meaningful and structurally sound!

Getting Through April

Book, music and lyrics by Elle Tyler 

Director/Music Director Rebecca Lowrey

Produced by MusicalWriters.com 

Audience rating: PG-13

Running Time: 110 minutes (no intermission)

Accessible Seating: Available

Hearing Devices: Not available 

Sensory Friendly Showing: Not available

ASL Showing: Not available 

Sound Level: Comfortable

Noises or Visuals to Prepare for: None of Note

Reviewed by Stacey Calvert 

I had the pleasure of being invited to a preview of Getting Through April, a new musical sponsored and produced by MusicalWriters.com and written by Elle Tyler. Director/Music Director Rebecca Lowrey‘s new performance space near Deep Ellum and Fair Park provided an intimate setting for this portrait of an emotionally fragile young woman going through a year of big changes and struggling with mental illness. The main character, Lina (convincingly played by Brigitte Wilson), reminded me in some ways of the lead in the musical Dear Evan Hansen, in that both characters use coping mechanisms that help them get through traumatic life experiences, but then eventually the coping mechanisms themselves become counterproductive and even self-destructive, causing further damage to their relationships and leading to more trauma. From an audience perspective I wanted to shake Lina sometimes for her poor decision making, while still understanding that this is a symptom of her chronic illness. 

Tyler‘s book and lyrics are plain-spoken, straightforward and easy to follow. The score is more complicated; in fact, the more complicated it got, the better I liked it. I particularly liked the songs in which the cast sang in four parts, simple melodies and lyrics weaving separately into complex tonal harmonies and arriving together. These more elaborate songs are where Tyler‘s music really shines. The cast consisted of two women and two men, all of whom are well known in local DFW theater. All were well cast and are talented and compelling actors and singers. Lowrey ably accompanied on the piano with Kami Lujan on percussion, hidden behind the action. 

The story follows a year-in-the-life pattern, beginning and ending on New Year’s Eve with four friends in a small Chicago apartment. Lina and Holly (Lexi Nieto), longtime best friends and roommates, are coming to a divergent point in their lives, with the bubbly, ambitious Holly planning to move to New York in the fall to go to design school. This major change seems to be the catalyst that begins to drag Lina back into a depressive episode that she has apparently experienced many times before in her life. This time, her descent into the black maw of depression affects Holly and her other friends’ lives as well and tests the limits of their relationship.

Lowrey keeps the pace going at a continuous clip as we follow Lina’s deteriorating emotional state, with characters weaving in and out of scenes, striking props, and even changing clothes onstage with no real breaks. In a production with one static set, this approach helps keep the energy up and underscores the passage of time, along with a mounted screen showing us the dates throughout the year. 

Mark (Joshua Sherman) and Craig (Ben Meaders), the roommates’ boyfriends, are also trying to figure things out in their respective relationships with the women, without much success. All of the relationships between the characters are tested by the events of the year and are in a much different posture one year on. Wilson and Nieto are believable as old friends who have come to a crossroads the friendship may not survive. Nieto’s powerful vocals are contrasted with Wilson's more delicate sound, with their differing vocal styles further emphasizing the differences in these characters and where they are in their life journeys.

The cast gave a polished performance on preview night, which was impressive given the piece is new for all concerned and hadn’t opened yet. There were a few minor cue mishaps that did not detract from the overall quality of the production and should be smoothed out by opening night.

Getting Through April is an emotional, meaningful, and structurally sound work featuring talented artists and gives DFW theatre-goers a wonderful opportunity to support the premiere of a new musical in a new space.  See it during its short run through January 5 at 2422 S Malcolm X Blvd, Dallas, TX 75215. Tickets are available at musicalwriters.com/gettingthroughapril/

On with the show!

Stacey Simpson Calvert

Photo by Sarah Powell

Left to Right: Joshua Sherman as Mark, Lexi Nieto as Holly, Brigitte Wilson as Lina, Ben Meaders as Craig