Nothing's as amazing as a musical! This line from the
2015 Tony nominated musical Something Rotten! says it all. Except that it's even more amazing when combined with
Unlabeled Theatre Company's uniquely special model of pairing an actor with a disability or who is neurodivergent with a neurotypical actor (called a shadow partner), creating dual performances of each character.
Something Rotten! is about the love of creation, and the partnership of creating together, something that Unlabeled exemplifies more than any other theater company I've seen. They allow people to be the best that they can be, without being defined by labels, and express the pure joy of performing. Specifically, muuuuusicals! I'd tell you to go see this joyful production before it closes next week, but it's entirely sold out.
But follow them on social media for a chance to see
their upcoming shows:
Once Upon a Mattress this spring, and even more exciting - the US premiere of the British play
Jellyfish this fall, featuring a character and actor with Down Syndrome.
 |
| the chorus line (photo courtesy of Unlabeled) |
The gorgeous movie
Hamnet, which just won the Golden Globe, posits one theory of the origin of William Shakespeare's biggest hit,
Hamlet, and
Something Rotten! posits another. It tells the story of two brothers, playwrights and poets, rivals to Shakespeare who both loath and are jealous of him. The elder, Nick, pays a soothsayer for info about the next big thing in theater - musicals - and Shakespeare's next hit -
Omelet (so close). What results is a delightful mish-mash of Shakespeare's plays and lines with too many musical theater references to count. But in the end it's a sweet story about brotherhood and creation and America, land of opportunity.
 |
Portia and Nick (Tiffany Graff and Mason Green,
with shadow partners Nadya Dominique and Matt Larson)
(photo courtesy of Unlabeled) |
This cast is so charming, and I really love how director Jessica Froelich creates the paired performances of the actors. They speak and sing mostly in unison, sometimes side by side, sometimes mirroring each other on opposite sides of the stage, sometimes turning to face each other, as if having a conversation with themselves. Theater and musicals are filled with scenes of one character on stage talking to themself, so having two actors in conversation brings more meaning to those scenes. The shadow partners are not miked, allowing the actors with disabilities to be the focus, while providing constant support and helping to create the full picture of the character. They perform some fun choreography (also by Jessica Froelich) tailored to each actor's ability.
 |
Eve Benson with shadow partners Emma Steincross
and Shanan Custer (photo courtesy of Unlabeled) |
The cast includes Sean Carroll (with shadow partner Joey Deegan), a natural as Nick in his first show with Unlabeled; Mason Green (with shadow partner Matt Larson) as the sweetly nerdy younger brother Nigel; the charming pair Tiffany Graff and Nadya Dominique as Nigel's love interest Portia; Eve Benson in not one but two roles - Nick's wife Bea (with Emma Steincross) and Nostradamus (with Shanan Custer); and Zach Williams (with Leah Leonard) expressing all the brazen confidence of The Bard. Everyone in the cast is putting their whole heart into the story, and their joy shines through and is contagious.
With so many actors on Gremlin Theatre's small thrust stage, the set pieces are fairly minimal, just a couple of black boxes moved around. The space is well used, including aisles and entrances and exits from all directions, creating an immersive feel. Unfortunately there are no live musicians in this show as they've sometimes had in the past; the cast sings along to a recorded music track but it flows smoothly. The cast is dressed in chic modern Renn Fest costumes.
Ten Thousand Things' motto is - theater is better when everyone is in the audience. At Unlabeled Theatre, everyone is not just in the audience, but in the show, having a great time, being their full selves, and sharing their talents and their joy.
