by Alan Jozwiak
When we search for light in our lives, we sometimes get enlightened in the process. This is certainly true for Nic (Gabi Adams) within the exciting world premiere rock opera The Light Chasers, written and directed by Know’s Producing Artistic Director Andrew Hungerford.
Background
The Light Chasers is a rock opera based on Cloud Cult’s 2010 album of the same name. Hungerford fell in love with the music and thought someone should do a rock opera based off of the album. He then realized he was the person who had to bring this album to the stage.
Along with Jess Hutchinson, the duo crafted a story of the attempt that Nic and her friend Ellis (Carson Mehlbauer) hatch to create a wormhole so that she can communicate with her father who is the Pilot (James Creque) on a space mission bound for Proxima Centauri.
Perhaps one of the more interesting features of this play is that over two-thirds of the cast come from University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music’s (CCM) Acting students. This is the second time that Know Theatre teamed up with CCM Acting and one of the rare times when Hungerford knew his cast before writing the book for this rock opera. According to his own statement on the issue, Hungerford and his co-author were able to craft the roles specifically to the performers.
Plot of ‘Light Chasers’
Nic and her mother Chris (Sarah Summerwell) move to a new town at the start of Nic’s senior year in high school. Feeling somewhat lost and isolated, she soon befriends her next-door neighbor Ellis, who has a car and helps Nic with her master plan. Nic wants to create a wormhole so that she can communicate with her father who is the Pilot on a space mission bound for Proxima Centauri. In order to create the machine to generate the wormhole, Nic crosses paths with members of the Union of Concerned Student Scientists and their leader Charlie (Nico Graves). Nic turns her machine on and what transpires allows Nic to reach her goal in a way she never imagined. Any more plot and I would be spoiling the show.
Performance
This is a strong cast of ensemble actors, so it is going to be difficult to point out all the fine performances. The cast works well together to create a unified show that highlight’s Nic’s (Gabi Adams) story. Adams is particularly strong in the role of the headstrong teen who wants to connect with her father no matter what the cost. I can easily sympathize with her plight and the outcome of her journey towards the light. She also has some really good chemistry with Ellis (Carson Mehlbauer). The two work very well together.
Nic’s parents–mother Chris (Sarah Summerwell) and her Pilot father (James Creque)–both deliver strong performances that make you feel for the characters as they are dealing with their personal issues. Rounding out the strong cast is Charlie (Nico Graves), the head of the science club that comes in the way of Nic’s desire to create a wormhole. Graves delivers both passion and spunk.
Production and Technical Elements
As Scenic and Lighting Designer, Andrew Hungerford pulls out all the stops to create a world that is, in his words, “a liminal space between central Ohio and Proxima Centauri.” The stage is bare, save for moving panels in the back and the sides that resemble what Hungerford calls a “theatrical wonder cabinet.” The set works well to place all the scenes and I also like the lighting design at the end where the audience gets to see the vastness of space. The wormhole machine is also a wonderful piece of machinery that shows off Hungerford’s technical prowess. It does some cool things that I can’t reveal unless I spoil the wonder.
Overall
This is Andrew Hungerford’s swan song for Know Theatre. He is stepping down as Producing Artistic Director at the end of this season. It is fitting that such a fanciful play with lots of heart and a surprising number of laughs (along side the scientific jargon) is his last show for Know Theatre. The production embodies so many of his interests and his worldview (he has degrees in both Astrophysics and Theater).
I recommend this show. It is a surprisingly touching play that makes you think while you also groove to some great music. Who can ask for anything more?
Tickets
The Light Chasers runs Wednesdays through Sundays, April 5-28, 2024. For tickets, click here.
I’m not afraid of the dark, I’m just more enlightened by the light.
