Finding the moments within SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD

Xandra Gunnel, Alicia Ferrin, Nathan Sheppard, and Darren Friedman

by Haddi Meyer

“It’s a concert with a plot. It’s a list of songs that you don’t think will lead you anywhere, but they really have an overlying arch and they do all fit together. It’s the audiences job to put them together and make their own story and conclusion out of it.”

That's what CJ O’Hara said when asked to describe Songs For A New World, which opens at Arizona Regional Theatre this Friday and runs through December 9th.

One of the show's leads, Xandra Gunnell concurred, “It’s more about the audience, and the actors and the audience being able to tell whatever story they want to tell.”

Songs for a New World, is not quite a musical, but a lot more than a revue O’Hara stated. The show is an amalgamation of songs written by Jason Robert Brown all collected into a show that lies somewhere between a musical and a song-cycle.

It features four actors who portray a myriad of different people across different time periods, who may not seem like they connect but Gunnell says the themes presented in each plot line absolutely align.

“A really common lyric is ‘it’s about one moment.’ and kind of how each moment could change your life, and how every decision you make little or big will have some kind of effect on you.”

Gunnell plays "Woman Number One" who discusses fear and love and motherhood over the course of the show. Part of her characterization process was to name ‘woman one’ in each scene she is in.
 “Every song is different. In one song she’s Amy, in ‘I’m Not Afraid of Anything’ her name is Rose.”

Characterization is an actor’s challenge, but CJ O’Hara really takes the idea of challenge to a new level. He is not only the conductor and music director for the show, but also Songs for a New World’s sole director.

“I’ve been pushing myself like crazy, to do work ahead of time and be ready to go but also to let my creativity flow over and just go ‘Oh, that’s an idea, let’s try this’ or ‘Oh no, that didn’t work let’s try something else,’ O’Hara explained, “So that’s been my fun and a little bit of my struggle.”

CJ O'Hara

The music in the show varies greatly, and O’Hara was kind enough to let me sit in on a rehearsal. The music is striking and emotional, and the four actors he selected for these roles all play compelling and dynamic characters. I found myself tearing up a little just watching a run through of “The Flagmaker, 1775”.

Gunnell sang plenty of praises for the show as well, saying “It’s going to be such a killer show. I’ve never worked with such a hard working cast. We learned the score in two nights.”

“Yeah, they really did,” O’Hara interjected. “It has been the most incredible experience. We have put so much work into it and it’s just going to be incredible.”

Songs for a New World is certainly a hidden gem of a musical and from what I saw of the rehearsal, Arizona Regional Theatre’s production will undeniably be full of charm.

Sometimes going into a musical blind with no background knowledge can be a bit of a drag, and can lead to confusion but Gunnell says that having no foreknowledge of Songs for a New World, is one of the best ways to appreciate the show fully.

“It’s good that [they] don’t know what it is or that [they’re] not quite sure because, like we said at the beginning it’s all about your imagination. It’s all about whatever you want to make it, so when you come and see it, not knowing anything about it is a better place to be in. You can make it completely your own.”

CLICK HERE for information on this production, which runs November 30 to December 9