‘Buried’ Explores Lives of Serial Killers

Lindsay Manion and Sebastian Belli in a scene from Buried at the 2019 New York Musical Festival
Photo Credit – William Dey

Buried – A Review

Fresh from a run in Edinburgh, the musical Buried makes its American debut at the 2019 New York Musical Festival. It comes into NYMF as a polished production which explores the relationship between two serial killers who meet one night in a bar. Yes, it is a strange topic for a musical and the story has its highs and lows. In many ways, it is a study of the mind of serial killers. However, about two thirds of the way in, the story loses its way and doesn’t evoke enough sympathy for the lead characters or anyone else. In spite of that, the music and the vocal performances are so well done that the play succeeds in those areas. There is a promising future for the creative book and music writing team as well as the performers from this show.

Background

Buried was written by students Cordelia O’Driscoll and Tom Williams while they were completing their studies at University in Sheffield in 2017. Buried premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to wide acclaim that summer, selling out all performances during their month-long run. The production went on to win the Sunday Times National Student Drama Festival Edinburgh Award, which led to further sell-out runs at the Leicester Curve and the Pleasance Theatre in London. It also won the Cameron Mackintosh Award at the 2018 National Student Drama Festival.

Cordelia O’Driscoll is the composer and lyrics writer. Tom Williams is the book and lyrics writer.  He also serves as Director of this production. Perhaps his degree in Psychology gave rise to parts of this show because it examines what happens in the mind of a serial killer.  Studies show they may have a difficult upbringing, they get excitement and pleasure watching their victims die, and they rarely have any remorse. This all comes through in Buried; but it can be uncomfortable to watch. Wisely, the action of a victim’s death is not shown on stage. Instead, the message of a killing taking place is implied as victims are led off stage.

The Story

The story begins with Rosie and Harry meeting people in a bar who become their victims. The first song, “When You Know, You Know” could easily be construed as a dating song. As she sits down with a man, Rosie sings:

This feeling never changes, Anticipation running through your head, You wonder what they’ll be like, you wonder who will walk through that door, You never know who you might find, Will they know what’s on your mind?

But there is a another meaning here. What is on her mind is actually this is my next victim. Excitement mounts from that connection. The same with Harry. Their methods of killing are different: Rosie uses poison while Harry kills with a knife.

One day, these two meet in the bar. After they discover each was trying to kill the other, they discuss their feelings. The song “Another Me” describes how difficult their early lives were and how they each felt different from other people. But then, they realize something else:

Just like me, In another body A dream Where I have been calling for someone And I’ve never gotten a reply – Your story in line with my life, just memories of always living on the outside I don’t think I’ve ever met another me before…

“I’ve never met another me before” expresses the surprise that they have met a fellow serial killer. They are amazed and fascinated. This might be a great opening for them to want to start new lives together. But that killer psyche is at work and they cannot do it. The show gets a little cloudy as they try to come to terms with their situation but never once do you sense remorse for what they have done. Also, there is a lack of feeling that these two are in love. You get the sense that they have a connection and that they are trying to figure how to use it to their advantage to become a team for their killings.

Photo credit William Dey

And thus the dilemma of serial killer and the problem with a show on this subject. You don’t feel sympathy for either one of them. Suddenly the comedy isn’t funny anymore. This is serious. Parts of it are uncomfortable to watch. And yet, it also conveys the whole concept of the serial killer mentality. Clever in making its point but not easy to digest as a musical.

Running along side of the relationship between Rose and Harry are ensemble members who act out playing on a television show that deals with psychopaths. The information that they playfully provide gives more insight into the serial killer psyche. It is a clever way to bring some research and insight into the show.

The ending may or may not surprise audiences. Seeing no way out of getting captured, Rose and Harry decide to end their lives. The song “Yesterday Forever” allows some feeling to creep through about having met someone just like themselves, “another me.” The loneliness of being what they are has at least been shared. For that, there is some gratitude.

The Music and Performers

The music is very well done in this show. Songs like “When You Know, You Know” and “Then I Released” are well written and the melodies flow nicely. “Something Ordinary” sung by Harry is a good solo number. And the music used in “The Psychopath Next Door” scenes gets the message across well.

Lindsay Manion is outstanding in the role of Rose. Her voice is strong and clear. Listening to her sing is a high point of the show. Sebastian Belli plays Harry. His characterization is well thought out and well delivered. He also has a good, strong singing voice and adds much to the musical aspect of the show.

Ensemble players are used in a variety of roles in this show and they deserve their own set of applause. This includes Niamh Finan, Laurence Hunt, Wilf Walsworth and Rebecca Yau.

Final Thoughts

Run time for this show is 90 minutes and there is no intermission.

Buried is a mixed bag. There are redeeming features such as the music and performers, but there is a problem with the tone of the story.

However, this work shows that O’Driscoll has a good future ahead of her writing music. And if she chooses to remain teamed with Williams for lyrics, then I would look forward to hearing more from then.

Visit NYMF 2019 now through August 4, 2019. For more information visit their website at nymf.org.

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‘Half Time” Original Cast Recording Release

Scheduled for release July 19, 2019

Paper Mill Playhouse and Sony Masterworks Broadway announces the July 19th release of Half Time (Original Cast Recording). Music is by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Nell Benjamin and additional music by Marvin Hamlisch and Ester Dean.  The album features music from the Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin-written musical, which made its 2018 debut at Paper Mill Playhouse.

The Half-Time (Original Cast Recording) features some of the last songs written by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch, who passed away during the show’s early gestation.  The album also features a who’s who of Broadway talent, including five-time Emmy Award-nominated actress Georgia Engel (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Everybody Loves Raymond), Tony and Emmy Award winner Lillias White (The Life, Sesame Street), Tony and Drama Desk Award winner Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line) and Emmy Award winner André De Sheilds (The Wiz), who most recently won a Tony for his role in Hadestown

The Original Cast Recording is dedicated to the memory of Georgia Engel.

Based on the motion picture Gotta Dance, directed, written and produced by Dori Bernstein, Half Time tells the incredible true story of ten determined dreamers who audition to dance at half time for a major basketball team. It was inspired by the true story of the Brooklyn Nets NETSational dance team. They have three things in common: they love to dance, they have something to prove, and they are all over 60. Only after making the cut do they learn they won’t be dancing tap, salsa or swing—instead, they will bring down the house with a style that is entirely new to them: hip-hop. When the odds are stacked against you and the challenges seem too great to overcome, it’s not the end of the game—it’s Half Time.

Read our review of this enjoyable and heartwarming show when it ran at Paper Mill Playhouse here.

HALF-TIME (ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING) – TRACK LISTING

  1. A Number – Company
  2. Who Wants to See That? – Haven Burton and Company
  3. Princess – Lillias White and Nkeki Obi-Melekwe
  4. Follow Me to the Party – Donna McKechnie, Kathryn Kendall, Lori Tan Chinn, Lillias White, Nancy Ticotin, Lenora Nemetz, Kay Walbye, André De Shields
  5. Dorothy/Dottie – Georgia Engel, Garrett Turner, Valton Jackson
  6. The Prince of Swing/There You Are – André De Shields, Mary Claire King, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe
  7. Swagger – Haven Burton, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Mary Claire King, Georgia Engel and Company
  8. The Waters Rise – Lori Tan Chinn
  9. They All Get to See That – Haven Burton
  10. Princess (Reprise) – Lillias White, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Garrett Turner
  11. ¿Como No? – Nancy Ticotin and Company
  12. The Prince of Swing (Reprise) – Georgia Engel and André De Shields
  13. Too Old for This – Donna McKechnie
  14. New Point of View – Company
  15. Gotta Get Up – Haven Burton, Lillias White, Georgia Engel and Company
  16. Time Machine (Bonus Track) – Donna McKechnie

This album is available for preorder now.

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A Woman Cannot Win in ‘The Mountains Look Different’

The Mountains Look Different’+ By Micheál mac Liammóir Con Horgan and Brenda Meaney Photo by Todd Cerveris

Is a life forever cast in stone due to actions taken at a young age? The Mountains Look Different attempts to answer that question. The results are a little hard to take as they are not as positive as one would want them to be. But perhaps reflecting back to a time when women had little mobility in society shows that it was a difficult if not an impossible thing to do.

The play The Mountains Look Different is the Mint Theatre Company’s most recent offering. It first ran in Dublin in 1948 when the playwright Micheál mac Liammóir played the role of Tom. It caused a bit of news as several members of the audience left at intermission and attempted to stir up the rest of the crowd to also leave. They didn’t but the newspapers got wind of it and still gave it pretty good reviews.

According to press notes, the idea for The Mountains Look Different came to mac Liammóir after working on Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie. He wondered what happened to Anna after the curtain came down: “I saw many plays over the years whose subject matter was young women who sold their bodies in order to live, and the end of every one of the plays was that the unfortunate woman married some simple innocent man who fell in love with her. But the curtain always came down before any of us in the audience knew anything about the life that was ahead of the couple.” That is where the story begins in this play.

A Good, Solid Story is Told

Bairbre is anxious to start a new life with her husband of three days, Tom. Her life in Dublin as a prostitute was a difficult one, but one that Tom does not know about. She happily comes to live in Tom’s father’s home in a rural part of Ireland. The couple arrive on a night of the celebration where bonfires are lit to celebrate St. John’s Eve. The set design does not include any sightings of these bonfires. However, there is discussion about them glowing in the distance. This adds a bit of an eerie feeling to as the story unfolds and it adds to the action in a subtle way.

Right before the newly married couple arrive, Bairbre’s uncle visits Martin Grealish to let him know of their arrival. He mentions that his niece had a good job running a hotel in Dublin but has no qualms about giving it up to live on the farm. It is only after Martin meets Bairbre that pieces fall in place.

Is it fate or is it bad luck that Tom’s father, Martin, remembers her from a years back. Although she cannot remember him, the memory of her is distinct in his mind. He knows she was a prostitute. He was one of her customers the one time he left his farm to go into Dublin. It was shortly after his wife’s death and he needed female companionship. What are the chances this might happen? That is impossible to even guess. It is an essential piece of the plot because it dramatizes the difficulty any woman would have in trying to establish a new and better life for herself.

he attempts to get his son to end the marriage. Oddly, Tom and Bairbre still haven’t consummated the marriage of three days yet. So it would be possible to do. But Tom is in love with her and doesn’t want to do it.

The remainder of the play needs to be seen in order to see how well the rest of the story unfolds. There are difficult encounters between Baribre and Martin but tender moments between her and Tom. The arrival of neighbors also brings in some interesting aspects to the play. However, the lengths Bairbre goes to in order to start anew are quite surprising. This, too, is something playgoers will relish watching unfold. And one is left with questions at the end about what was really in everyone’s heart, especially Bairbre’s.

The story is easy to follow; but the ideas behind it are rough to watch. The challenge facing a woman with a sordid past like Baribre is rarely explored. Would the same fate await her in today’s society? That’s for viewers to decide after seeing The Mountains Look Different.

Director and Cast

Aidan Redmond provides solid direction for this play. The inclusion of cultural references, use of dialect, and even some music and dance that is performed bring out an Irish theme to the play. However, it is not overdone and that shows how universal the topic of women attempting to change their stature in life truly is.

The fine cast includes Ciaran Byrne, Liam Forde, McKenna Harrington, Con Horgan, Cynthia Mace, Daniel Marconi, Brenda Meaney, Paul O’Brien, and Jesse Pennington.

Additional Information

Performances for The Mountains Look Different run Tuesday, Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7:30pm with matinees Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday at 2pm.  All performances take place at Theater Row, 410 West 42nd Street, New York City.

Tickets can be purchased online at Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200 or in person at the Theatre Row Box Office.  

Consult the Mint Theatre website, minttheater.org, for more information.

The Mountains Look Different runs through July 14, 2019.

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