This is very short notice for you, the reader, I know. For the first time, the Rep’s Ignite! Series is repeating a show. This series of play readings is mostly for people who are dedicated theatre buffs, because it’s no sets, no lights, just actors, chairs, and scripts. The first show of the three in the 2017 series is The Disappearing Man, what they refer to as a folk opera. I saw it last night, Wednesday, April 5, and while “folk opera” may be technically correct, don’t let the phrase put you off. Think of it as a musical.
These shows are scripts that are in development, so the audience has a chance to see a show in its infancy. (In this case, they’ve brought in a piano and a guitar to utilize the score.) After the show, Seth Gordon, the associate artistic director of the Rep, asks the audience a few specific questions in order to get feedback.
The second performance will be tonight, Thursday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m. at UMSL at Grand Center on Olive.
I think Disappearing Man has great potential. It’s intriguing, the music is good, the acting, even though the performers are working from scripts, is good, and it’s hard to ignore the tingly feeling that can tell you something big may be coming as it matures. There are seats left, and for $10, it’s a better investment than a movie ticket. Besides, if it ends up being staged at the Rep, you can say you knew it when.
A very worthwhile investment of time and a tenner.
The Disappearing Man
Ignite! 2017
April 6, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
UMSL at Grand Center