[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Outro, with music and yyrics by Holly Anne Mitchell.
How to describe Outro…it’s a puzzle.
Of course, it is a brilliantly written and beautifully performed story, with some truly excellent songs and vividly portrayed characters. However, there is something more to this show, something difficult to convey. In my profession, I see a lot of plays. I hear a lot of stories and I watch a lot of talented actors play their parts in shows well worth their time, and some not so much. But there is always a moment or two in every show that holds me in place. Whether because of an actor or because of the words of a playwright.
Outro has so many of these indefinable moments. Too many to count, in fact. It is absolutely one of the best shows I have seen in NoHo…ever. With music and lyrics by the magical Holly Anne Mitchell, who I discovered years ago in her previous role of writer-performer in the fantastic musical, Blood Supply.
This new musical, Outro, is something entirely different. A country star, Wynn, is on her way to her own chosen end. Recording her final album, trying to make peace with her ex-husband and the child she lost custody of when she accidentally burnt their house to the ground during a drug binge. She is reaching out to set what she can in order, seeming to be finally at peace.
Her dead father’s ghost has other ideas, however, always keen to get the last word…or song. Her teenage child narrates the story, and they have their own ideas, of course, about the hows and the whys of Wynn’s careening career and her furious need to lose over and over. And all of this poetic unfolding is punctuated with song. Gorgeous, heartbreaking, profoundly candid song. With a voice that could charm the angels Wynn is played of course by the spectacular Holly Anne Mitchell. She channels Wynn. She emotes her every note. And as the center of the piece, you would expect nothing less than brilliance. But the other players, her father Stan, her ex Woody, and beautiful incandescent non binary child Jack all bring wonderful voices, glorious and moving and absolutely convincing. Even her manager, their love-hate relationship in full force, brings her own very special voice and sings her heart and soul out on stage.
You could only pull this show off with the kind of commitment brought by everyone in Outro. The band was just incredible, such gifted musicians, all of them witnesses to every moment of all these lives. What a brilliant light to shine on everyone. What an insanely clever reminder that those around us, helping, supporting, contributing in ways that seem totally assured and sanctified, will ultimately be our witnesses and our record of it all.
Outro is an epic and ingenious show. Full of subtle truths and unfettered honesty. An unforgettable musical confession performed by an equally unforgettable cast.
Holly Anne Mitchell has created a haunting, hilarious, raw and genuine story of people who are flawed and perfect, driven and lost, heartbroken and saved. I hope Holly Anne Mitchell and this incredible cast and group of musicians takes this truly amazing show on the road. I would love to see them shine again and fill a theatre with their heavenly sounds. Bravo!!!
https://www.hollyannemitchell.com
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