At the end of last season I was about musical’d out so I cautiously approached the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s opening musical. But not any longer, I am sold on Prelude To A Kiss!! This is a world premiere directed by Kenneth Ferrone. Prelude To A Kiss was developed in partnership with the South Coast Repertory and after being performed there is now being presented at the Rep.
With music by Daniel Messe and lyrics by Messe and Sean Hartley, writer Craig Lucas has adapted his play to a musical. And they have given us a bit of a gem in contemporary musicals. My favorite Rep musical since In The Heights. The story, briefly, features Peter who is searching for something, not quite sure what, and is ready to leave for environs unknown, until his best friend Taylor introduces him to a neighbor, Rita. And then all bets are off and we are transfixed by their whirlwind romance and easy assimilation into each others lives…until they get married…and the mystery begins.
And then comes the story telling. Lucas, Messe, and Hartley present a pretty straightforward attempt at documenting young and older love, its ins and outs and ups and downs, and the models we have for partnership and aging. The characters are clearly defined and fully rounded and we are drawn to each and everyone of them!! And the music follows suit. I really appreciated that few of the songs here are big production numbers where story gets lost or the lyrics are unclear or we seem to be going on a tangent that is good for spectacle while short on actual story. It really works as wonderful theater when you can watch and listen to couples or friends or other pairings as they converse directly in song and we were are able to savor every moment.
And the cast is simply marvelous and obviously are having fun working together. But of course the principals need some particular mention.
Caitlin Houlahan is amazing as Rita. Flirty and precocious (yes) and sexy and then later moody and withdrawn. But Houlahan has this confident stage presence that just draws you to her and then she sings with a voice you just want to hear in every song in the performance. I hope that she has the opportunity to return to the Rep in future productions. She was a favorite of mine and very obviously a favorite of the entire audience as well.
Peter is wonderfully worked out by Chris McCarrell. Peter moves through a number of conundrums, first so eagerly giving himself over to Rita just as he was set out to leave town and then trying to figure out her complete change in persona after they are married. Others try to convince him that marriage changes people but he has the fortitude to buck that trend and discover the truth…and then fix it! And McCarrell holds his own in song and brings out the best in Peter and the best in Houlahan as well.
And other favorites are James Moye as Rita’s dad and Karen Ziemba as her mother. They are professionals in their careers but free spirits in their personal lives…and you can feel where Rita gets her own independence. There is a banjo involved (but in Milwaukee an accordion might have been a reasonable substitute). And Keirsten Hodgens’ sarcastic but loving Angie, Rita’s best friend and co-worker is also a stand out performance here.
And a Milwaukee favorite, Jonathan Gillard Daly, makes a first act appearance as a strange unknown man at Rita’s and Peter’s wedding and sets the whole mystery plot in motion…and we later learn that he is Julius and will become an integral part of the happy ending that we all are hoping for.
And we mustn’t forget the orchestra. They are in residence on the second floor of the stage/apartment building and it is wonderful to have live accompaniment here. And the stage set at nearly three stories tall gives us some insight into why the downtown complex is being remodeled. I don’t think this set would have worked there as built.
Because of the extensive remodel of the Rep’s downtown theater complex, Prelude is being performed at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield, WI. It runs through October 19, 2024 and additional information and tickets can be found here. There is plenty of free parking at the center and it is warm and inviting and very comfortable!
