If you happen to be in the Twin Cities between now and the end of June, I'd highly recommend seeing "To Let Go and Fall," a new play with music produced by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theatre.
The show centers on a gay romance between two young, and occasionally confused, dance proteges in New York starting at the height of the AIDS epidemic and extends to basically the present day through a series of encounters between the two men. The action takes place beside a fountain near Lincoln Center in New York City, home of the American Ballet Theatre.
The play, by Harrison David Rivers, examines how the AIDS epidemic sparked fear and flight and sometimes had the power to sever relationships. Rivers has said the play was inspired by the love letters composer John Cage sent to dancer/choreographer Merce Cunningham. Young love is tough enough in any environment, against the backdrop of a harrowing health crisis, it can become poisonous. The show is directed by Sherri Eden Barber with choreography by Penelope Freeh. And not to be overlooked is the music. Cellists Jacqueline Ultan and Michelle Kinney wrote and performed the music that accompanies the players on the stage. /Overall, "To Let Go and Fall" is one of the best premieres I've seen in long time.
The play stars Mark Benninghofen, Austen Fisher, JuCoby Johnson, Tyler Michael King, Andre Shoals and Jon-Michael Reese, with Conner Horak and Da'Rius Malone providing dance scenes.
