Review by Anthony Chase
"Hundred Days," a folk-rock musical written by married couple Abigail and Shaun Bengson, along with Sarah Gancher, is playing at MusicalFare in Snyder through August 4th. Based on real-life whirlwind romance and marriage of the musical duo, “The Bengsons,” and the concomitant anxiety about what will happen when mortality, inevitably, rends their union asunder, the show explores themes of love, mortality, and making the most of the limited time we have on earth.
Originally, productions of "Hundred Days" featured “The Bengsons” themselves playing the lead roles and performing their own music. MusicalFare has introduced an amusing twist by starring Nick Stevens and Samantha Sugarman, who are engaged to be married in real-life, as Shaun and Abigail Bengson, a couple drawn together by their mutual love of music.
Sugarman portrays Abigail as a passionate, intense, and somewhat anxious woman, who feels things deeply and tends to overthink everything. Her character grapples with fears about loss and the fragility of life, which influences how she approaches her relationship and drives the action of the play.
Stevens, by contrast, depicts Shaun as a more easy-going and optimistic person. Ever smiling and able to tread cheerfully past all obstacles, he is supportive and grounding, and serves to balance Abigail's more intense emotions.
The two are excellent and complement each other winningly. They tap into the underlying humor of the piece, which lies in a seeming awareness that Shaun and Abigail’s fictionalized selves are somewhat naïve, rash, and self-absorbed. This is emphasized with particular charm in a conversation in which they predict what they will be doing at 40, at 50, at 60, at 70, eliciting knowing laughs and groans from those in the audience who are or have been 40, 50, 60, and 70.
The “Hundred Days” of the title refer to the hypothetical proposition, “What would you do if you had only a hundred days to live?” Without giving too much away, let me just say that this theme is motivated by the anxieties of one of the characters. (I won’t reveal which). And lest you enter the theater with too much anxiety yourself, rest assured that the Bengsons are still living, still married, and still making music. I trust that they are a little older, a little wiser, and a bit less stressed about embracing their futures.
Directed by Susan Drozd, with Music Direction by Theresa Quinn, lighting design by Brian Cavanagh, set and sound design by Chris Cavanagh and costume design by Kari Drozd, the show runs efficiently through its urgent 90 minutes without intermission. Augmenting the engaging charm of Stevens and Sugarman as the ardent couple is a talented crew of musicians -- Anna Krempholtz, Theresa Quinn, Kevin Stevens, and Jay Wollin – who appealingly propel the evening forward, while managing to insert a great deal of their own vivid personalities into the action.
More a song-cycle than a book musical, the “The Bengsons” pop in and out of the reality of the storytelling to narrate their own story, and to set up the songs. It might be best to view this as a fictionalized concert. Seen in that light, “Hundred Days” is a resounding success. The glue that holds it all together is the radiant talent of the two leads, and expert music direction by Theresa Quinn. It’s a solid and confident performance.
“Hundred Days” plays Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. www.musicalfare.com
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