Now, they invite the public to participate in a hybrid congregation., In our new work, the idea is that loss is the mechanism by which God comes close, says Abigail Bengson. Visually, the piece is as bright as The Bengsons' surroundings (and outlook). styleElement.type = 'text/css'; Living Life to the Fullest | Chicago Theatre Review The musical, based on the blockbuster film of the same name, reopens at a different venue: the Savoy Theatre. The production opened on Wednesday, November 2, and will conclude as scheduled this Sunday, November 27. Their return also marks the launch of their 40th season in operation. We filmed it at my moms, in the house I grew up in, which is where we have been staying for the past six months, Abigail said. He ha (read more about this author). What did our critic think of OPEN at Nu Sass? Were interested in this great loss that weve all been moving through that has many names and is communal, but is also specific and particular to each person. Andrew Gans | La Jolla Playhouse | Sovereignty Hymns | La Jolla Playhouse Mr. Bengson, who exudes a defensive deadpan calm that hints at demons scrambling beneath, sums up their chronicle with the jaunty disclaimer, So here it is, the sound of introverts pining! That may not sound like much fun. Ms. Bengson says that she and her husband are both profoundly introverted, but you wouldnt know it from talking with them. | St. Ann's Warehouse to Begin Indoor Performances With The Bengsons Abigail and Shaun Bengson are a married composing and performing duo based in NYC and VT who have performed across the country and around the world. In a quieter, more reserved performance, Shaun Bengson is played by the talented Alec Phan, with Royen Kent alternating in the role on weekends. Because of past trauma in her life, Abigail said, getting close to anyone in a short period of time brought on an enormous amount of PTSD. That was 13 years ago, and today, the dynamic duo composes and performs together around the world. The first, "My Joy is Heavy!" Adina Verson, at center, in The Lucky Ones, which considers the impact of a killing on Ms. Bengsons seemingly idyllic childhood. More upcoming/ in development: Ohio (piece by piece productions). In 2001 he began to explore beyond the Miami Valley. A couple's intimate portrait of celebrating joy during difficult times. October 8, 2020. The subsequent revisions suggest that autobiography is a highly mutable art form. // Append the CSS rule to the style element // Define the CSS rule for the .my-paragraph class And with those words, Mr. Bengson and his wife, Abigail the other half of the folk-rock duo the Bengsons, the indie-theater darlings who created the show for Ars Nova attempt to draw a cloak of privacy around themselves and the people they love. | They've learned the best from indie music videos and are able to convey the beauty and reality of Vermont winter while eking out metaphors in its landscape. December 26, 2022, By | } ExPats Theatres production of The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield, directed by Karin Rosnizeck, features two great actors, but stumbles with low production quality and a script which doesnt do its characters justice. A while later, this cameo struck Ms. Bengson as curious. Talaura Harms Abigail and Shaun Bengson performing in "My Joy Is Heavy!" (Arena Stage) Gift Article It feels something like a privilege to be given access to the melodic intimacies of "My Joy Is Heavy!," a. But accompanied by a wonderfully droll quartet of singing musicians Colette Alexander, Jo Lampert, Dani Markham and Reggie D. White the Bengsons are stirring, and surprisingly witty, company. The production runs 90 minutes and has no intermission. Michael R. Jackson, John Gallagher, Jr. & More to be Featured in Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3 Concert Series, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tina Fey & More to Celebrate Ars Nova 20th Anniversary at NOVA BALL, Photos: On the Red Carpet for the 66th Annual Obie Awards, Photos: Go Inside Opening Night of WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE SEA at Manhattan Theatre Club, Photos: First Look at WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE SEA at Manhattan Theatre Club, Photo Coverage: The Public Theater Celebrates Launch of 13th Annual UNDER THE RADAR. sleeknoteScriptTag.type = 'text/javascript'; And the sound of Ms. Bengson wailing like a banshee as she considers the mangling trap that is love will echo in your ears for days to come. The story, which is reminiscent of the more fully-realized Broadway musical, "Once," unfolds through short dialogues that are alternately pithy, poignant and playful. And I do mean overwhelming. Andrew Gans Ancram Opera House presents AN EVENING WITH THE BENGSONS at the Circa 1799 Barn in Ancramdale. The one-day-only event, starring Olivier nominees Rachel Tucker and Rachel John, played the West End October 11 following a digital production earlier this summer. A Childhood Eden Seared by Violence. Set to Music? Part of it was a wish to examine how to go about making a family thoughtfully, unconventionally, as their own parents did even while aware of the unintended harm that parents can cause children in the process. March 12, 2022, By Though initially charming, Hundred Days goes off course during its second half. Stay informed with one email every other weekright to your inbox. May 10, 2021. Then, the pair started to strip the concept back and they arrived at theirpresent concept: "using the theatricality that we gathered and learned along the way, but in service to a humbler story that is hopefully more honest as well," Abigail said. Website by, The Bengsons create new indie-folk musical for Arena Stage, A global community celebrates Passover with The Third Seder concert on Sunday, Washington Stage Guild revives Shaws Devils Disciple with simplicity and skill, Getting to know Elizabeth Dinkova: I like creating a brave space, When I like a play, I get obsessed: Karin Rosnizeck on The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield, I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky remains sharply poignant, Calendar: Play Readings, Workshops, and Theater Events in the DMV, Rorschach Theatre announces free staged readings of three new plays, Keegans Boiler Room Series announces seven new play workshops, 2023 Womens Storytelling Festival to feature 27 performers, Brett Widmann, Chicago WordPress Developer. La Jolla Playhouse has announced the presentation of Sovereignty Hymns, a commissioned work that features a video series of original songs exploring questions about reproductive liberty. | includes seven songs, with each functioning in a different way. 'Hundred Days' Theater Review - The Hollywood Reporter We and our partners share information on your use of this website to help improve your experience. At first, we were thinking about one thingliving with chronic pain and mental illness, and how that affects the ability to cultivate pleasure and joy. Three weeks later, the couple got married. Shaun's fast and folky acoustic-guitar strumming and Abigail's delightful alt-rock vocals establish a beautifully resonant intimacy and then swell into a magnificent full-ensemble sound with the drums thundering and the ensemble singing in transcendent unison. | Know Theatre Favorite Indie-Folk Acting Duo The Bengsons Produce the James Monroe Iglehart unveils the list of nominees for a season cut short due to the pandemic. November 21, 2022, By Hundred Days runs through April 6, 2014 at Z Space in San Francisco. October 15, 2020. I'm A Celebrity star Shaun Ryder's health woes: Alopecia, thyroid By July 20, 2021. Manhattan Theatre Clubs New York premiere ofWhere the Mountain Meets the Sea, written by AUDELCO Award nomineeJeff Augustinis in its final week of performances atNew York City Center Stage I. I dont know. May 7, 2021. It's a show that forces both Abigail and Shaun to look at their life and what is terrifying them before they step on stage -- and then face it. Ars Novawill celebrate its 20th Anniversary and honor its foundersJenny & Jon SteingartatNova Ball, Ars Novas annual benefit-turned-party of the season. April 9, 2021. Logan Culwell-Block We wrote our first song together on that first night, Abigal said. Hello friends!Here's our official Tiny Desk Contest 2020 submission!THE BENGSONSAbigail and Shaun Bengson are a married composing and performing duo who have performed across the country and around the world. Those interviews became part of the piece. A half-hour into an emotionally delicate interview, there was a soft knock on the front door: Ms. Gancher, bringing over some eggs in the shell. Allen Willner's shifting lights accentuate that live-gig atmosphere, bathing the stage in one color or another when it's time to really rock out. Logan Culwell-Block | The Broken Ear Setlist: Songs from Ohio features performances by artists including Barrie Lobo McLain, Vuyo Sotashe, and Allan K. Washington. Their remarkable submission - just 27 minutes, streaming free through the Arena website - shows the couple sharing their lives through the cruel winter of our pandemic, but also willing and very able to sing about it in real time. By Colette Alexander, Abigail Bengson, Shaun Bengson, Jo Lampert, Dani Markham, and Reggie D. White, By This. We never hear about any war going on, and Christine Crook's costumes aren't noticeably informed by that period. July 27, 2021. By Set in crunchy small-town New England (a part of Vermont that happens to be in Maine), its a follow-up to Hundred Days, a musical memoir of the Bengsons beginnings as a couple that was a hit last fall at New York Theater Workshop. "It's not easy, it's not easy, but it's the way I want to live," Abigail said. The Bengsons create new indie-folk musical for Arena Stage raises the possibility of continued commissioned filmed projects from theater companies long after theaters reopen. You have entered an incorrect email address! Raven Brunner February 3, 2022, By by The Bengsons arenastage1 2.96K subscribers Subscribe 1.2K 50K views 1 year ago Arena Stage is excited to present a newly commissioned filmed music series, Arena Riffs, featuring. Its been incredible that weve gotten to work through the year, and how this song has gone viral, Shaun said. window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'AW-10891449219'); Most of the cast will return to the roles they were playing when previews began prior to the pandemic. Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3 will present NEXT@LCT3, a concert series of performances at the Claire Tow Theater.