Love: A Multiple Choice Question
A one man musical by Jamie Jackson with musical accompaniment by SoHee Youn. A musical production which explores the preconceptions of love and the people caught in its grasp, Love takes the audience on a fun and deep trip through the mind.
Jackson plays Ben, a man caught up in the self-doubt and fear of trying to discover just what "love" actually is, is shaving when the exploration begins. From a bathroom in Manhattan, New York all the way to Wallagalong, Australia, the stark absence of onstage props leaves a lot on the shoulders of Jackson. Effortlessly transforming himself over the course of a dozen or so characters, each individual stands alone in their idiosyncrasies and nuances.
Jamie Jackson possesses a strong singing voice and commands a dynamic presence on the stage floor. Characters and personalities live and breathe easily until such time they break free and hold him to ransom, telling their stories with a helpless Jackson only there to serve as conduit.
SoHee Youn, hidden behind an upright piano draped in black, serves the lyrics of Jackson with a sweet and emphatic score. Whimsical and twinkling with a cheeky pulse, the music of the piano never overpowers the lyrics or the mood of the room, rather holding its hands and dancing along merrily, joyful in the bliss and connection.
In the quest for the truth behind what love is, Ben's family members reveal not only themselves, but secrets of their love lives which send him reeling. Revelations which destroy the memories of what he once believed to be true.
Jackson brings out the voices of each of the family members in their respective songs. Lyrics span the gauntlet of emotional space in relationships with a deft kindness. Moments of hilarity jostle comfortably with sombre, respective points. From power ballads to introspective laments, the tunes encompass the mood as the unravelling of the mind takes its toll toward the inevitable end.
Love: A Multiple Choice Question is playing at the Griffin Theatre's Stables Theatre in Kings Cross until April 2nd, 2005.
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Published March 2005 at The Program - NSW Stage reviews
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