Review: PASSION at EPAC

Passion is the 1994 Tony Award winning musical from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine currently playing at EPAC. Interestingly, it has some themes in common with another show up for Best Musical that year, Beauty and the Beast.

The basic premise is of the show is that Giorgio (Scott Sealover) is a solider in love with Clara (Sarah Anne Huges), an attractive married woman. While stationed away, he meets Fosca (Stacia Renell Smith), a sickly and homely woman embittered by the cruelty of the world. Giorgio and Fosca develop surprising feelings for each other which play out in unexpected ways.

Passion is one of Sondheim's least performed shows, and I can see why. It is a somber piece, one that might be more appreciated by opera fans than those who enjoy the razzmatazz of musical theater. Furthermore, Sondheim has never been interested in writing toe-tapping show-stoppers. Instead, he would deliberately create melodies and lyrics specific to the context of his story. While this strategy makes sense for shows like Assassins or Pacific Overtures, here it doesn't seem especially engaging or purposeful.

Passion has very few traditional Broadway musical numbers. Instead, there was a lot of dialogue set to music. A glance at the program lists "songs" such as Fourth Letter and Soldiers' Gossip #3. In my opinion, this wasn't the most interesting or theatrical way to progress the story. Furthermore, there were some musical snippets that gave me a serious sense of Sondheim deja-vu, most notably, from Into the Woods.

Leads, Sealover, Hughes, and Smith, are all highly talented and well-suited for their roles. They each deserve praise for creating characters that are both dynamic and deep. The nine members of the supporting cast are used effectively. The soldiers, especially, sing impressively as a group.

Director, Edward R. Fernandez effectively reimagines this show for a more intimate thrust stage. The large bed on stage doubles as both the soldiers' dining room table and their pool table. I found this to be a very creative use of the space, and a subliminal reminder that sometimes the intimacy of the bedroom spills over into more public parts of our lives.

I appreciate and value EPAC's efforts to bring this production to the Central Pennsylvania stage. They continue to take risks and select material found "outside the box". Not every show will appeal to every patron, but shows like Passion encourage performers, production crew, and audience to extend their artistic reach beyond their grasp.