THEATER REVIEW
“Murder Ballad”
Grade: B-
8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Dec. 7. $26-$45. Actor's Express, 887 W. Marietta St., Suite J-107, Atlanta. 404-607-7469, actorsexpress.com.
Bottom line: A bit of a letdown.
Bad things can happen in seedy Manhattan clubs — especially when the music is seductive, the liquor is flowing and young lovers succumb to carnal desire.
In “Murder Ballad,” Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash’s sung-through rock musical for four actors, Actor’s Express gives us a lesson on the dangers of late-night, East Village-style excess.
As an immersive, environmentally authentic performance piece, “Murder Ballad” — a show that couples the sexual energy of “Rent” with the psychological chaos of “Next to Normal” — winningly straddles the line between musical theater and gritty little club gig.
Instead of handing you a ticket, the theater’s box office blots your hand with a rubber stamp. The playbill resembles a concert poster flier. Most convincingly, set and costume designers Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay have fashioned a ratty bar with a pool table and some cabaret seating that puts you so close to the action you can almost smell it.
I enjoyed director Freddie Ashley’s 90-minute one act, for the suspense, the surprise and the lurid menage a trois that forms its core. As the Narrator (Jessica De Maria) tells the story without a shred of detachment or objectivity, Sara (Kristen Alyson Browne) embarks on an explosive romance with Tom (Jeremy Harrison) before settling down with the steady academic Michael (Kevin Harry). But Michael couldn’t tame Sara if he tried, and soon we have the makings of a full-blown case of lust, betrayal, obsession and violence.
“Murder Ballad” sometimes feels a bit like a tawdry version of Jason Robert Brown’s tale of curdled love, “The Last Five Years.” Just when you think the sun has come out to light up a new world of domestic bliss, the story takes a dangerous and unsettling turn.
For the most part, Browne and Harry serve their characters fairly well. Harry’s Michael is earnest and kind; Browne’s Sara seems to be a decent person at heart, despite her flaws. As it turns out, she’s a skittish kitten who insists on prowling, and her bad decisions will go on to unmoor her, at some great cost to her peace of mind and her marriage.
De Maria imbues the tale with edgy vitality, though some of her agitated shenanigans as an observer on the sidelines are so over the top they border on comic. (Keep your eye on this character: She’s a tricky one.)
Harrison’s performance is more problematic, however. From the outset, he appears too clean cut for this debauched group, and as the stakes are raised, he hardly seems like stalker material. Still, when he sings tenderly in a higher register, he almost redeems Tom’s creepy motivations. But when he attempts the show’s scorching rock numbers, his voice sounds strained.
There are many things to like about this endeavor — from the terrific band led by Bill Newberry to the way the action spills into the audience. I think “Murder Ballad” could have been all the more fresh and titillating with a stronger and more confident cast. As it is, it’s not nearly as erotic and unnerving as it could be.
