It’s about one moment— in this show, it’s that tragically beautiful heartbreaking moment near the end— it’s about one second— maybe when sexy Mrs. Claus saunters into the clinic? But you didn’t know— that you have to go— to Other Voices Theatre to see Songs For A New World, appearing as the penultimate show of their 2024/2025 season. Directed by Ashley Gerhardt with Musical Direction by Marci Shegogue, this song-cycle show, by the incomparably talented Jason Robert Brown, gives you moments of laughter, of tears, of heartfelt connection; it’s a unique and moving experience not to be missed. With a cast of just seven (and a live orchestra in equal numbers) this musical journey is wondrous and beautiful and wholly spun together in a relatable fashion. Everyone has baggage; everyone has their own stories, their own experiences, everyone has emotions. Why not have them supported as you express them through song?

The beauty— and also the danger— of a song-cycle is that it’s essentially a blank canvas…with songs attached. The director, designers, creative-production team, can pretty much take it in any direction and hope for the best. That’s a daunting task in and of itself, one that Director Ashley Gerhardt (with Assistant Director Jamie Gerhardt) rises to and soars through with flying colors. There are a great many brilliant things one could do with this series of 16 songs by composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown. Ashley Gerhardt chooses the unifying thread to be emotional support. More specifically a community center of sorts, with an “Emotional Support Group: In Session.” But more on how that really brilliant concept creates a refreshing and revitalizing take on the show after the well-deserved praises of the production team.

Scenic Artists Christine Levy, Jeff Elkins, and Jeanne Lloyd, alongside set-construction crew Nancy Klag and Walt Dutton, with Set Dresser Jana Moberly, fabricate this really authentic-looking community center interior into existence. It could actually even be an inpatient space at a recovery-style clinic, or group-check-in space at a half-housing-facility; or even a community space on a university or hospital campus. The attention to the minutia of the set is helpful in creating the sense that it’s one of those type of spaces without being so restrictive as to demarcate a limited space— this is and can only be a ‘group therapy room in a very specific location.’ This setup lends itself to the ubiquity of Gerhardt’s concept; anyone anywhere can find strength, help, hope, and healing in an ‘emotional support group.’ There’s plenty of furnishings that look comforting, but nothing overly specific, lending itself once again to the ‘every-space’ concept.

Props (Pat Dickinson) and Costumes (Breton Stailey) fall perfectly in line with Gerhardt’s vision. There are moments when members among the ensemble appear in every-day attire; nearly everyone has a breast-cancer-awareness pin somewhere on their costume at one point in the show or another. Costumes help to define ‘characters’ created within Gerhardt’s vision, like the saucy Mrs. Claus dress used on Ava Silberman during “Surabaya Santa”, which could just as easily represent any housewife who’s come unhinged by her husband’s antics, especially at the holidays. Fluidity and consistency seem to be the overriding conceptual constructs within this production, and the costumes and props reflect that accordingly. Mood lighting (by way of Lighting designer Caitlin DeLong) helps accentuate certain moments in song, without being overly dramatic or too heavy-handed. DeLong finds the balance with the show’s illuminating tactics, knowing when to leave ‘lights up’ for the ensemble, versus a tighter, more focused series of lights for songs that could readily be experienced as internal monologues bursting out of these personas who are in the support group.

Gerhardt has really put a heavy emotional spin on the show, particularly in the second act. And it’s definitely a talking point, though not one that can be readily discussed without delving into spoilers or ruining the twist that this narrative takes. Suffice it to say that Gerhardt and the production team are showcasing LGBTQ+ positivity, showcasing struggles of those from within that community and highlighting some of the harsh realities that accompanies living life as a transgendered individual; this is thoroughly and wholeheartedly reflected with Nathan Campbell, who has one astonishing solo midway through the second act but is featured heavily thereafter to drive the point home. There are moments throughout where different actors on stage are leaning on one another, comforting each other, checking in on one another, the way you might imagine they would in a real-life emotional support group— for whatever it is you go to an emotional support group for: surviving trauma, struggling with grief, being in recovery from addiction, trying to regroup after a breakdown, dealing with existing in a world that refuses to acknowledge your right to simply be a human being, etc. And while a great many of these moments are really striking, there are a few that are humorous too. The exchange between Ava Silberman and Otega Okurume (and in the background, desperately trying to push the hand sanitizer in Okurume’s direction, Taylor Mitchell) during “Surabaya Santa” comes immediately to mind for the more lighthearted exchanges. The other is Ryan Kieft and his cookies. But that’s a whole thing all on its own.

Musically the show is exceptional. Musical Director Marci Shegogue and her live orchestra pit (Shegogue on piano with Dean Ceresini on drums, Bobby Potter on guitar, Blaise Ryan on bass, Alice Bradley on violin, Bertie Bennett on cello, Katie Acheson on percussion) give you that fulsome, lush sound that Jason Robert Brown’s music deserves. Shegogue also does quite a magnificent job with the seven-person ensemble, bringing them together with gorgeous blends, stunning emotionally evocative vocals, and a practically perfect sound for nearly every song. “The New World” and “Hear My Song” in particular— the opener and closer of the show— are powerhouse blast-blocks that Shegogue masterfully guides into giving the audience all the intense pathos, every note of each number.

Leah Chiaverini, who has both of her solo features in the first act, brings sturdy emotional balance to both numbers. “Just One Step” is a manic, frantic, dizzying exploration of a woman on the edge. Literally. If this number is meant to set the humorous tone of the show, it’s a dark one, but she navigates it well. Chiaverini delivers an impressive belted sustain at the end of that number, and it really gives you the impression that she might be at the end of her tether at least from a patience perspective.” Her rendition of “Stars and Moon” is one of those moments where the song feels like it’s an expression of an internal monologue, that perhaps she never truly shares aloud to the group, as the light tightly focuses on her and the others on stage are paying attention to their own little things, in their own little world.

Taylor Mitchell, who has solos in both the first and second act, appears to have more of a ‘character’ than some of the other performers— with a survivor’s reveal and a pregnancy belly (the concepts are separate) in different moments of the performance. Vocally brave for “I’m Not Afraid” you get a really intense sound from her in this number, which makes for a fascinating juxtaposition against “Christmas Lullaby”, wherein Mitchell dons the pregnancy belly and his this dulcet, almost hushed emotional expression that drifts and burbles gently through her singing voice, as if she were truly whispering a lullaby to her unborn child. It even gives the impression that she’s perhaps in need of support because she’s an unwed mother of a faith that frowns on such things.  

While Erica Felder only has one attributed solo— “The Flagmaker, 1775” (which in this production gets spun on its axis to setup the finale, which is a rush of the penultimate and final number, creating that ‘spoiler’ that I didn’t want to talk about)— you can hear her voice plenty throughout the opening two numbers and the top of Act II with “The World Was Dancing.” Like the rest of the ensemble, Felder has a solid vocal capacity with rich emotional depth, but what makes her presence on the stage so interesting is her ‘guidance counselor’ mode of existence. You often see Felder observing, and not just observing but observing with intent, and taking notes. Almost as if she were the group leader or the in-house clinician/psychologist overseeing the ‘emotional support group in session.’ It’s really fascinating to watch her respond to different numbers as they unfold around her.

Ryan Kieft is a scene-stealing-weasel who’s out to get all the belly laughs, and mostly just with his cookie antics. Don’t get me wrong, Kieft is brilliant— with soaring vocals and a full capacity for dialing it back when he needs to disappear into the background, completely understanding when to stand out and when to blend— but that man is determined to rile up the audience with his facial expressions and his cookie-shenanigans. And he succeeds. You won’t be able to contain your chuckles as he goes off the rails during “She Cries” and his groove-moves, once he joins along for “Steam Train” are pretty impressive as well. But there is a subtler, more somber side to Kieft’s performance and you get to witness it during “I’d Give It All For You”, a duet he shares with Ava Silberman.

Silberman, who puts her serene and sweet, albeit sad and bittersweet, vocals on display in that aforementioned duet, is really going to wow you with “Surabaya Santa”, which I think has been mentioned now at least three different times. That is Silberman’s shining glory moment— she just slams her way through the door, wearing that saucy Mrs. Claus number and lays the song down sung. She owns the sexiness of the blockyography, the vampiness of the persona she’s portraying in that song, and you get crystal clear vocals from her in that number, both in a tonal and pitch sense and with the way she expresses emotions. It’s a wild ride for sure!

Nathan Campbell gives the audience a jolting good shock for “The River Won’t Flow”, which also features Ryan Kieft and eventually the whole company. You get this evocative, soulful, jazzy sound radiating out of his verse of this number, which is quite infectious and carries to the other members of the ensemble as the song goes on. Amber lighting gives the notion of warm recollective glowing memory when Campbell sings his bit in “The World Was Dancing” and you get to see more of the nuanced character in his portions of this song. But where Campbell truly shines, radiates like the burning sun is with “King of the World.” There’s an intensity that Campbell is able to exude in this number, almost as if a great emotional burden has been lifted from his shoulders just by singing the song; it’s truly remarkable to experience.

And while Otega Okurume’s facial expressions and body language has already been praised for that “Surabaya Santa” scene, there are so many other wonderful reasons to see him (and really the whole cast) in Songs For A New World. “The Steam Train”, which ends the first act, has Okurume blasting out rhythm, groove, and a whole lot of attitude in this number and it really amps up the audience, making you want to bounce and dance along. And with the same spirited energy and effervescence, though in a very different emotional vein, Okurume kickstarts the finale-sequence with “Flying Home” and it’s almost like a gospel homecoming moment, where spirits and pains and emotions are being released into the ether on the stellar sound of his voice.

You’ve got one moment— and in that moment, you should decide to grab tickets to Songs For A New World at Other Voices Theatre. Rarely does a song-cycle show come together so naturally, with such a strongly outlined and thoroughly executed concept, whilst simultaneously having such extensive talent with great consistency throughout the performance.

Running Time: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes with one intermission

Songs For a New World plays through May 18^th 2025 with Other Voices Theatre Other Voices Theatre at The Performance Factory— 244-B South Jefferson Street in Frederick, MD. Tickets are available by calling the box office at (301) 662-3722 or by purchasing them in advance online.