Review: MURDER BALLAD Rocks with Killer Vocals

Four killer voices are rocking the Omaha Community Playhouse. MURDER BALLAD, a new indie-rock sung-through musical by Julia Jordan and music by Juliana Nash, is an old tale of a love triangle and its inevitable bad outcome. But this production is a new experience!

The narrator (Mackenzie Dehmer) guides us through the steamy story of Sara (Leanne Hill Carlson) and bartender Tom (Thomas Gjere) who are lovers that drift apart. Sara settles for kind poetry professor Michael (John E. Jones) and she is contented. Or is she? Temptation is overpowering when you have time on your hands and your past love is still kicking around the bar.

Jim Othuse transforms the small Howard Drew Theater into the bar, complete with bartenders, lighted beer signs on the wall, and a whole array of shiny bottles. You can actually order a drink, shoot a game of pool, or try your hand at pinball. A flat screen TV over the bar plays a video interview that discusses folk songs about murder. The bartender calls out, "Last Call," the audience returns to their seats, and three persons are left at the bar smoking cigarettes. A guitarist gets blood stirring and Dehmer stands up to the mic, delivering a powerful opening number that suggests what kind of ride we are in for.

MURDER BALLAD has all the elements to make this a big success. The story is built on love, lust, and revenge. Music director Doran Schmidt's band is small, but mighty with a driving rock beat. Jeff Horger directs a gifted cast of four. Each performer is all-around terrific: young and attractive with crazy good vocals. Along with thrilling harmonies, they have great interpersonal chemistry. The intimate love scenes are sensual. The fight scene is real (special shout out to fight director, Christina Rohling.) They are masters at movement, and everything becomes a stage: the bar, the pool table--they are all put into play. There is never a dull moment in this 80-minute long gem.

This steamy little production will be hard to beat.

Photo Credit: Colin Conces