Night Side Songs – 16 January 2025

The Lazours are rapidly rising on my list of musical writers to watch. They are among the only composers telling genuinely original stories with beautiful ensemble structures that uplift the story of a whole world, rather than a single protagonist. This piece, which I saw in development at Lincoln Center, turned the audience into a song circle, asking us, at times, to open our book and learn a couple of lines of the songs. Effectively, the audience functioned as the piece’s ensemble, while the barebones actors for the reading sang the solo parts. I normally abhor this format, but in this production, it was exceptionally beautiful and meaningful. So many of our lives have been touched by physical illness, and we all found ourselves needing to say something, yearning to contribute to the content. This format allowed us to do so in a nonspecific way that allowed us to hold our private grief close while also sharing it with others. There were stage hands armed with tissue boxes who had plenty of work to do during the show.

Yet the stories depicted in the play were not tragic, sad, and hopeless, though the characters go through moments of feeling that way. The characters were bright and vibrant, and the show has many playful moments, including the brilliantly inspired staging of “A Little Wine” where Taylor Trensch and other cast members very creatively danced with a wine bottle. In general, Trensch served as the liaison between the story and the characters. Though occasionally stepping into a character role, Trensch’s narration did a brilliant job of guiding the audience through the chronology of the story, as well as the emotionally charged moments. Every actor had multiple roles, some of which were utilitarian ways to guide the audience into seeing the relevance of some of the more esoteric connections regarding the development of medicine.

The most moving part of Night Side Songs is how much fun I had and how healed I felt. Although cancer and terminal illness are painful things to go through, they also help enhance people’s awareness of beautiful things that are often forgotten. The words in the song book I left with stood out as poignant and precious. “I appreciate your voice.” “What you said or did is of no consequence.” “I won’t know what to say, but I will check in on you every day.” “Welcome me in. Show me out.”

I cannot wait for a fully realized production, and I hope that the producers are able to find an appropriate venue so that the audience’s personal connections can still be included in this powerful work. Night Side Songs was a beautiful thing to feel a part of, and an inviting experience where exploring my feelings felt safe and encouraged. Our audience takeaways were unique and personal, yet all drawn from the same content. This is the kind of power a musical can have when structured properly and mindfully written. I hold hope in my heart for the art of theatre to return to this level of meaning, where more new works like this one can arise and be realized.

I did not attend this performance on a press pass.