Whether you’re worried about getting your shit together at work, or about the status of your relationships with your loved ones, music tends to be that one thing that truly understands us.
That’s exactly the case with Ateneo Blue Repertory’s (BlueRep) reimagination of “We Aren’t Kids Anymore.” This song cycle by Drew Gasparini explores the various themes and feelings surrounding growing up. It revolves around the lives of artists and shows the clash of young optimism with the realities of adulthood. Set primarily through a fictional video conferencing platform much like Zoom, young adult artists come together in a virtual room to talk about their current struggles, air their thoughts, and share their successes.
The video conference room, aptly named “Artists Anonymous,” is akin to-slash-a nod to an addiction recovery support group—except art and life take the place of drugs and/or alcohol (although the songs do acknowledge the reality of how these substances are used to get by).
As a song cycle, the story revolves around this premise and theme but doesn’t necessarily have a concrete plot that takes us through the songs. (Musicals, as opposed to song cycles, usually have a book or libretto—the script or narrative that weaves the songs and music together.) Nevertheless, the songs are amazing, and the selection of this piece does a wonderful job of showcasing the vocal quality of BlueRep’s newest members.
This will be particularly telling of my phase in life, but the numbers that I found striking were “Faking Cool,” “What The Hell Am I Doing With My Life?” and “Caught in a Loop”—see the trend? Since half the time, the stories are set within the confines of the video call, I feel as if I’m in the same virtual room as they are, relating to the feeling of how despite being adults, we actually don’t have it all figured out. There’s some comfort in knowing it’s a universal feeling. (And for a second made me think about whether I’d enjoy being in an Artists Anonymous call if it were ever real, or if it would’ve hit harder if the internet allowed for a more immersive experience.)
I have always had much respect for BlueReppers, having watched a number of musicals by the org during my time as a student. Years after I’ve graduated, the feeling remains true. This “newbie” cast sounds as promising as ever.
But I can also imagine how much more depth this song cycle could have with a professional cast singing with real-life adulthood experiences to ground them to each song. Nevertheless, the college cast is still a joy to watch.
Overall, the song cycle is a refreshing musical respite that will serve as that virtual hug or pat on the back that’ll tell you, “It’s okay. You’re not alone.”
“We Aren’t Kids Anymore,” directed by Nelsito Gomez, with musical direction by Abi Sulit and movement design by Evee Raypon, is still showing via Ticket2Me on Jan. 29, Feb. 12, and Feb. 19.