Review: MOONLIT WALK HOME at Nautilus Music - Theater

MOONLIT WALK HOME is a new operatic music-theater piece adapted from the poetry of Fern Green Baldwin, mother of eight, wife, artist, grandmother, and great grandmother. Her writings offering a singular perspective on rural America, industrial transformation, and migration, an expression and a chronicle of a lifetime articulated from a Minnesotan "sense of place" and a wonder of invisible things. Stories emerge occasionally through conversation, frequently in narration, and always with imagery. The sense of location is profound, and natural elements (family, weather, landscape, animals) often recur as themes. Now, her daughters Jennifer Baldwin Peden (soprano) and Christina Baldwin (mezzo) join composer Daniel Nass and director/dramaturg Ben Krywosz to create an operatic meditation for the theater, adapting Fern's writing into moments that sing, giving voice to a spirit that describes, remembers, celebrates, laments, and forecasts a life of quiet substance. Under the musical direction of Sonja Thompson, this hyperlocal chamber opera is scored for piano, violin, and ukulele, and is presented in Nautilus' intimate studio theater. Seating is very limited. The performance is about 70 minutes, with no intermission.

This was my first time at this theatre and I really enjoyed the intimate space. I like the set with the background, deck, swing, and lights. It worked well in the space and the actors made great use of it. What I liked about this musical is that it was more musical-theatre operatic as a classically trained singer who enjoys musicals, I really enjoyed it and both actresses had excellent voices, blend, and chemistry with their characters. I felt connected to them and their story through the poetic music and dialogue.

I would recommend seeing Moonlit Walk Home while you have the chance.

For show tickets and information, click here

Photo courtesy of Nautilus Music - Theater

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