"Cascade’s Fire" is a daring and original script that challenges musical theater conventions

Tesseract Theatre Company opened “Cascade’s Fire: A Modern Antigone Story” on Friday evening as the second entry in their New Musical Summer Fest 2024. “Cascade’s Fire” was written and directed by O’Fallon, Missouri’s Taylor Gruenloh with music by Kyle Wernke. The show had its world premiere at Missouri University of Science & Technology where Gruenloh is an Assistant Professor Theatre.

Gruenloh told Broadway World earlier this month that “Cascade’s Fire,” while billed as a musical, is more like a play with music. Structured similar to a Greek tragedy, “Cascade’s Fire” tells a story of a community of young adults spiraling out of control. The characters’ actions have dire implications on one another’s lives. Themes include bisexual polyamorous relationships, jealousy, anger, rage, revenge, suicide, and murder. It is extremely dark but daringly original.

Ancient Greek tragedies, written by philosophers and writers in the 6th century, often took on harrowing themes to tell stories of conflict with sorrowful endings. According to the website byarcadia.org, there are four characteristics of a Greek tragedy: (1) “a tragic hero that forms a bond with the audience,” (2) a tragic flaw leading to downfall from an error in judgement; (3) a catastrophic ending resulting in death, suicide, or ruin; and (4) “a central belief in destiny by the tragic hero that their actions were preordained by the gods.” Gruenloh’s script and lyrics contain all these elements.

"Cascade’s Fire” opens with narrators introducing the story to the audience. Actors Brittney Roberson (Female Chorus) and Chris Melton (Male Chorus) weave Grunloh’s story challenging the belief systems of the characters. There is no fourth wall in this production, Roberson and Melton acknowledge and directly address the audience with their dialogue. When they are not part of the action, they are perched on risers, above the stage floor watching the action unfold. The remaining cast is seated around the perimeter of the performance space also observing the action when they are not part of the story. The action takes place in an area on the stage floor that would have been considered the orchestra in an ancient theatre. It is one of Gruenloh’s design choices that is a nod to the genre that inspired his play.

His original book is unlike any musical theater script that has come before it. The dialogue and lyrics of elegant prose tell the story in a non-linear fashion. The chorus immediately introduces key plot points, tells of a main character who will lose their life to suicide, and informs the audience they are there to see a tragedy. The play has much more scripted dialogue than a traditional musical but still includes about a dozen original songs.

The score, played by piano, is haunting and sets a somber and premonitory motif. The lyrics are part of the play’s dialogue and play more like a libretto in a sung operetta. Each of the characters have both spoken and sung dialogue making the show song-heavy like traditional musical theatre. If the intention for "Cascade’s Fire” is to be in the vein of a play with music, there is opportunity to trim some of the songs and streamline storytelling without reducing the impact of the tragic exodus. As its constructed right now, "Cascade’s Fire” oddly sits in that space between a play with music or a musical, but that also adds to its unique novelty.

Josie Schnelten reprises her role as Cascade, the show’s tragic hero who returns to avenge the death of her girlfriend who has died by suicide. Cascade’s tragic flaw is that she broadly assigns blame among the principal characters. Dylan (David Pisoni) is there as a prying character who smokes out the other characters’ motives. His only flaw is his nosiness. The remaining cast includes Kambell Hemeyer as Cascade’s deceased girlfriend Trinity, Jordan Ray Duncan as Robbie, the third in the love triangle with Cascade and Trinity, Luke Geockner as Luke, and Ella Penico as Olivia.

Cascade's disappearance early in the show is referenced but never fully explained beyond a short mention of fatal events prior to her leaving. One assumes that she was a victim of a violent sexual assault, but the narrative focuses on her actions to avenge her wrongdoers. It paints her more as angry vengeful vigilante than as a victimized protagonist who elicits audience empathy. The character never forms the necessary early bond with the audience to evoke their pity that is essential in Greek tragedy.

The cast is mostly comprised of student actors who are learning their craft and being afforded the opportunity to gain professional acting experience. Schnelten, Penico, Duncan, Geockner, and Hemeyer have more experience and their learned skills show in their performance. Each were able to handle their parts of the sung dialogue adequately, but none have the vocal chops to really sell a difficult libretto. Melton stepped into his role as a late recast and was the better of the two narrators, fearlessly selling his song “Pressure,” but his vocal performance needed coaching as well. Robinson’s delivery as the other narrator was unapologetically preachy, and her singing was painfully screechy. Perhaps the delivery was a directorial and acting choice to convey discord and discomfort. If dissonance was the intention, she nailed it, but a less brusque dogmatic portrayal may have elicited greater audience compassion for the characters’ doom.

Gruenloh’s collaboration with his technical crew created a visually interesting production. The simple set design harkened back to the orchestra ring in front of the skene where the Greek choruses danced and delivered lines to advance plot. Matt Stuckel’s lighting design created tension and enhanced the narrative. Sasha Bateman’s sound designed was balanced and allowed the audience to easily hear both the spoken and sung dialogue.

Often new works at festivals, both plays and musicals, are unoriginal and rely on conventions that are commonly used. "Cascade’s Fire” is an adventurous undertaking that deserves to be seen. Gruenloh’s book is unconventional, and his lyrics are remarkable in their originality. Wernke’s piano score creates lugubrious motif but would benefit from some thoughtful edits and the performance of more skilled vocal musicians. It is a bold new work with an innovative plot and unique story arc. Tesseract is giving their audience a rarity with something that bravely challenges the conformities of musical theatre.

"Cascade’s Fire” runs through July 28, 2024, at the Marcelle. More information is available at tesseracttheatre.com.