Last weekend, the Academy Hall Auditorium became the venue in which the RPI Players presented The Unfinished Song, a new play by Jacob Brode ’08. Conceptualized a little over two years ago, the play finally came to fruition, and while the stage setup was clearly not elaborate, it certainly set the tone of the story.
The Unfinished Song follows Daniel Almos (Kent Morris ’12), an average Joe going about his day-to-day business. As he narrates his life, the audience watches him wake up in the morning, head to work, come back home to his wife Mary (Mary DeVarney ’12), sleep and repeat the process the next day.
However, Daniel’s life begins to crumble around him just as Mary mysteriously disappears. He is then haunted by various recurring individuals in his life, including the heavily talked-about Smith (Rich Lundy) and the elusive girl on the piano (Lauren Klayman ’10).
My favorite aspects of the play, a dark and slightly complex story, were the scene transitions from Daniel’s bus ride to his office. Yes, the transition was simplistic, but I can actually remember Daniel’s voiceover narrating his straightforward thinking. To him, nobody’s face truly stood out, and he just passed through life without dallying about and appreciating the scenery. The masks over the stage crew’s faces were a nice touch.
Morris pulls off a fitting Daniel, and once the character finally meets up with the unknown girl, Callista, the dynamic between the two was quite entertaining to watch. Much praise goes to Klayman, whose fast-paced speech didn’t miss a beat. Morris and Klayman certainly served as contrasts for as long as they were together in the scene.
We can’t forget the other characters, however. Because she scarcely appeared for most of the play, DeVarney’s character was quite underdeveloped. Still, she managed to deliver an emotional scene with Morris. Lundy’s Smith is more of an iconic character; he says almost nothing in the play, and the audience ends up wondering what importance he plays in the story (the question does get answered in the end).
Kudos also goes to Robert Culen ’12 and Monica Louie ’09 for their various roles throughout the play. From playing police officers to businessmen, the pair worked well interacting between themselves and Morris. With a small stage and a minimal amount of props, it is a wonder how the crew was able to change a bedroom into a bus stop, an office, and various other venues in quick succession. It definitely helped the play move from one scene to the other.
Although some of the play seemed to drag on in the beginning, The Unfinished Song was well-written overall, and it gave a rather interesting twist in the end. Its message was to not take things for granted; it only takes a second to look around and appreciate the beauty in one’s surroundings.
While the play is already finished running, I do recommend going to see the RPI Players at some point. The opening night for their next performance, Assassins, a musical by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman, will be on April 17 at 8 pm at the RPI Playhouse.
