Thankfully, the meat of this story lies on the more than capable shoulders of Modaff. This is a musical after all, and even though the songs can pulsate and drive like a concert, something gets lost if the lyrics and story aren't prioritized. That can partially be attributed to the sound mix, which swallowed the understated, yet beautiful, vocals of Phan. While Stiff's direction is capable of holding the beautiful artistry of those mental picture moments, there are times, especially when Shaun's part of the story gets told, the actual plot gets muddied. What keeps this production from truly taking flight are the few times that concert feeling overpowers the story being told. The bottom drops out as Abigail is unable to stop the unyielding clicks from Johnson's sticks as Abigail's retelling of their story gives way to the moments that maybe they don't want to remember. It's an effect that gives way to horror as tragedy strikes the couple. A click of Johnson's drumsticks matched with a flash of lights capture each memory. One high point is a montage of Abigail and Shaun as they attempt to stretch out days as long as they possibly can by taking mental pictures of all of their adventures together. Through them, and with Stiff's direction and especially Jackie Fox's lighting design (she also designed the set), the concert feel elevates to something significantly more magical as it takes the audience inside the minds of Abigail and Shaun during a tumultuous time in their relationship. Phan is charming as a reserved Shaun, and Modaff an absolute powerhouse as Abigail. The sheer talent to be able to, say, go from an accordion to guitar to upright bass is enough to impress, but the a cappella sections of this show will send literal chills.īut this show isn't just a concert, it's a love story, with Modaff and Phan at its center. The Bengsons' music, under music direction by Matthew Muñiz, is exhilarating as the ensemble of Grace Bobber, David Gordon-Johnson, Lucas "Looch" Johnson, Brennan Urbi and Melanie Vitaterna each play multiple instruments and contribute background vocals to support the central story led by Emilie Modaff (Abigail) and Alec Phan (who alternates playing Shaun with Royen Kent). ![]() The back platform contains a variety of musical instruments, played by the cast of seven, and the thrust stage is covered in layers of rugs. Kokandy's production, directed here by Lucky Stiff, is even set up to feel like a music venue, with cabaret tables surrounding a thrust stage with a platform at the back. The exploration plays out over the course of essentially an hour-and-a-half concert featuring a mix of folk and punk music. The musical explores a simple question: Faced with someone you love potentially only having 100 days left to live, what do you do? But more deeply, it follows the effects of Abigail's deep-seated grief, spawning from childhood trauma and death of those close to her, on their relationship. ![]() The story follows Abigail and Shaun falling quickly in love and marrying after three weeks. "Hundred Days" presents a musical memoir of its creators, Shaun and Abigail Bengson, who wrote the music and lyrics as well as wrote the book alongside Sarah Gancher. ![]() But now that we're finally able to gather, perhaps a story like "Hundred Days," one that reminds us that, despite the inevitability of death, grief doesn't have to be suffered alone is the perfect story for the moment. Kokandy Productions was set to open the Chicago premiere of "Hundred Days" back in March 2020, before the pandemic. Before readily available vaccines, many had to face down that grief alone, unable to even be around family members as they spent their last moments in crowded hospitals. That's never felt more true than when looking at the ever-rising death toll resulting from COVID-19. "Grief has touched the lives of us all at one point or another. ‘Hundred Days' by Kokandy Productions is a moving story about grief, death and love, told through a concert-like play - Jerald Pierce, Chicago Tribune 11/16/21.
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