Octet
An interesting commentary on life with the internet.
Octet at the Studio Theatre is an interesting commentary on life today. It explores our dependency on the internet. There are twelve different musical numbers, all telling part of the story. Some of the titles of the pieces are; Refresh, Candy, Glow, Monster, Actually, and Beautiful.
The play is about eight people who meet in a church basement. They all lock their phones in a box before the meeting starts. The are all addicted, not to drugs, or alcohol, but to the internet. Many people in the audience could clearly relate based on their laughter, and the knowledge that today, most people no longer have a phone attached to the wall, but rather attached to their body. Each audience member got an email before the show telling them; “Inspired by the play’s exploration of analog connections, Octet will be a phone-free experience. Prior to entering the Victor Shargai Theatre, audience members will be required to turn off their phones and secure them in a Studio-provided tech pouch for the entirety of the show. Audience members will retain possession of the pouch, which will be unlocked at the end of the show.” Some of the audience reactions were kind of funny to hear, as they were worried there could be an emergency they wouldn’t hear about during the 100 minutes of the show. Their reaction is what the show is all about.
The show is an ‘acapella’ chamber musical with music, lyrics, book, and vocal arrangements, by Dave Malloy. It follows eight people, therefore the name Octet, struggling with digital dependency. Malloy’s score plumbs the many corners of the internet from pornography to games. Each of the characters has a yearning for the connection they find on it. The score is funny at times, serious at others. Each of the eight people in the basement tell you who they are, and why they are there. Of course, all in song.
The play is interestingly staged in the round, which can be done in the Studio’s first floor Victor Shargai theatre. The stage is an innovative turntable, and David Muse, the very talented Artistic Director of Studio Theatre, directs this play in a what seems like a very simple way, but manages to keep it interesting by his moving the actors around, on and off the stage, throughout the production. He directs in a way that allows us to see what the author wants us too. That is the connection we all seek in life often has to really come from the human voice, and human contact.
Octet cast members are all uniformly talented. They are; Chelsea Williams (Jessica), Angelo Harrington II (Henry), Tracy Lynn Olivera (Paula), Ana Marcu (Karly), Jimmy Kieffer (Ed), Aidan Joyce (Toby), David Toshiro Crane (Marvin), and Amelia Aguilar (Velma). The creative team includes a talented Set Designer, Debra Booth; and Lighting Designer, Mary Louise Geiger, both effectively setting the scenes for this musical done with no intermission, and no curtain.
Octet will be at the Studio Theatre through February 22nd. Tickets are available online and good word of mouth on this production will see them gone quickly.
