REVIEW: Tracking the missing in ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’
Photo: From left, Gillian Han and Sarah Walsh star in Picnic at Hanging Rock. Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy / Provided by Candi Adams PR with permission.
NEW YORK — Picnic at Hanging Rock, the new musical based on the novel by Joan Lindsay, is an interesting adaptation currently playing at the Greenwich House Theater in the West Village. The story of a group of teenage girls who go missing on Valentine’s Day in 1900 has already been made into a legendary Australian film, but its source material doesn’t exactly scream the musical treatment. That stated, this show has a bounty of solid talent and much promise in how it tells the tale of these young women and the instructors who were charged with their safety.
The show touches upon several important themes, including sisterhood, love, queer relationships, independence, feminism and friendship. The point of this story has less to do with the inherent suspense of the narrative and more to do with the lives being lived on stage.
The Greenwich House Theater is a relatively small off-Broadway theater with not much space on stage, but the talented cast utilize almost every inch of the enclosed area, often heading into the audience and singing mere inches from the assembled theatergoers. Still, at times it can feel like this large cast is cramped on stage, especially when some of the playing space is taken up by musicians.
The set is simple enough, with two sets of rocks flanking the stage and some staircases allowing ascents and descents. The top platform that hovers above the musicians is intentionally built on an angle, giving the proceedings an unsettling feel.
Greta Gertler Gold’s music and arrangements are engaging and in good hands with the cast members. The notes feel folksy at times, while at other moments, there’s a chamber musical feel. Gold’s work, alongside Hilary Bell’s book and lyrics, is more cerebral and lends itself nicely to one-on-one interactions.
Erin Davie, known for Grey Gardens and a lot of other stage work, is a standout amongst the cast. She plays one of the teachers tasked with guiding the students and helping them with their young lives in Australia.
Gillian Han is excellent as one of the students. She has a fully realized character, and her role is superbly brought to life with powerful singing and a general leadership amongst the company members. Much credit to the other performers as well, especially Lizzy Tucker, Kaye Tuckerman (one of the best voices on the stage) and Bradley Lewis.
There are points throughout the show when the full company is on stage, and the singing and energy can be powerful. However, in a relatively short show, which only runs two hours, there’s also the simultaneous feeling that there are too many characters in this intimate work. Some of the roles feel a tad underwritten, and it’s difficult to follow the arcs of so many people on stage.
Director Portia Krieger has a deft hand at making the proceedings move along, and that utilization of the full space of the Greenwich House Theater is an inspired one. The actors head into the audience, sometimes in quite unexpected ways, and bring the intimacy of the show with them to the crowd.
One wonders if the musical would work better without an intermission, but then there is a definite sadness and mystery that are achieved when the audience members head back to their seats for Act II and realize some of the characters are gone — perhaps forever.
The central questions that the novel and movie ask are still present for the musical. What happened to these students? Where did they go? What does it all mean? The best quality about this show is how they retain the question marks, leaving everyone in the dark, which only heightens the drama and makes the worrisome ordeal that much more palpable.
Picnic at Hanging Rock is not a perfect musical, but there are scenes and occurrences that stay with audience members long after the two hours spent at the Greenwich House Theater.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Picnic at Hanging Rock, directed by Portia Krieger, features music and arrangements by Greta Gertler Gold and book and lyrics by Hilary Bell. Starring Erin Davie, Gillian Jackson Han, Lizzy Tucker, Kaye Tuckerman and Bradley Lewis, among others. Running time: 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission. Runs through Jan. 17 at the Greenwich House Theater in the West Village of Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
