Soon – 04 October 2026
Nick Blaemire’s musical ode to circular loneliness, Soon, follows the story of a young woman, Charlie (Ava Delaney) who is paralyzed in place as global warming threatens to destroy the world. Charlie refuses to leave her apartment, and spends the bulk of her time with her fish, Herschel watching doomsday news coverage. She is looked after by her roommate, Steven (Mike Millan) and fields occasional calls from her mother Adrienne (Mylinda Hull). Her monotony is interrupted by a grocery delivery boy Jonah (Oliver Richman), who falls in love with her instantly. As the story progresses, Jonah becomes frustrated by Charlie’s unwillingness to fully trust him. When the knowledge of Charlie’s medical situation becomes clear, Charlie has to make a decision about whether she really wants to die alone in the apartment or take a chance on a life with Jonah.
Charlie’s fish Herschel is a wonderful companion and metaphor. Gold fish have an average memory span of three seconds. Hershel’s enclosures are very small— much smaller than is recommended for his species. Charlie is equally stuck, glued to her couch and losing track of time. The audience surrounds her on two sides, walling her into her tiny space. The haunting score makes brilliant use of dissonant, suspended chords that emphasize her inability to motivate herself in the wake of potential death. Soon tugs on heartstrings, both in its musical structure and compelling characters— they even manage to make us care about the fate of the fish.
Though Charlie is the seminal character, a lot of the momentum in the show comes from Jonah, who is the only character actively trying to change his circumstances. Jonah’s existential crisis song, “Waiting” moves the audience, swaying us to believe in his ability to move Charlie. In the end, Jonah finds the strength to leave, and Charlie finds the strength to chase him. She takes Herschel with her, symbolizing her need to hold on to the safety and security that she built for herself in isolation. It also shows change and a desire to take a friend with her into the future. This change is extraordinarily significant for her, and represents a hopeful ending.
The experience of watching this show is engaging, and it’s packed full of metaphor and meaning while also maintaining a plot that is easy to follow. It’s well written despite the seminal theme of Charlie’s metaphorical suffocation. As a listener, I usually struggle with this many reprises of the same song, but Blaemire does an excellent job of repackaging the material. The show maintains the possibility of hope throughout, even though Charlie herself is lacking it. Ironically (and beautifully) her impetus for change comes from within, in the form of a hallucination that lets her see a possible future for herself for the first time.
The lighting (Paige Seber) is transformative, turning a static space into a dynamic playground. The collaboration between sound design (Jordana Abrenica) and orchestrations/arrangements (Wiley DeWeese) is cleverly utilized, and the details in the scenic design (Sean Frank) are fun and quirky. Director Will Blum has a clear vision, and it comes through in every aspect of the show— Charlie and her fish are trapped, and so is the audience, but we’re loving it.
Soon is about waiting for the end, but also the idea that we can stave off the end for a little while as we find someone worth passing the time with. Whether it’s a fish, a friend, or a fling, or even forever— it’s important to share the journey with someone whose harmonies compliment yours in a way that lets you sing without suffocation while also moving at your own pace.
I attended this performance on a press pass from The Press Room.
