“Murder Ballad,” the rocky popera of passion and revenge, began its two-week run this past weekend through Bloomington’s Cardinal Stage Company.
“Murder Ballad” is 90 minutes of nonstop pop rock action. It tells the story of a love triangle between three young adults in New York: a past lover, a husband and a wife stuck between love, lust and her family. This trio is performed by Will Skrip, Donterrio Johnson and Shaina Vencel, respectively, and plays on the balladic tradition of revival and betrayal.
The ballad comes from old-world Europe, in the days of oral storytelling and simple, catchy melodies. According to the musical’s playbill, ballads “are poems with accompanying melodies of generations.” In modern context, the ballad has transformed itself to mean anything from “Mary Had a Little Lamb” to “Purple Rain.”
“Murder Ballad” brings along newcomer Annelise Cepero, a BFA Musical Theater senior at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Her character for the majority of the musical remains apart from the trio’s actions, giving sardonic asides to audience as the events of the play unfold. Her character relishes in the drama of the story and provides an omniscient voice over the story as she sings from the shadows of the action.
The Cardinal Theatre is located in the Waldron Auditorium on the second floor of the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center. Audience members are welcome to peruse through the first floor art gallery, which is currently exhibiting sculptures for the 20th anniversary of the Indiana Limestone Symposium, after which audience members ascend the grand stairwell to the theatre above. Upon entering, patrons pick a table of their choosing and are welcome to the theater’s bar, which transforms into a centerpiece for the musical.
Rachel Glago is the marketing coordinator at Cardinal Stage Company. She has worked at the Cardinal for the last 10 months and said she is excited to present this tried-and-true story.
“It’s an immersive theater experience,” Glago said. “The audience feels like they are actually in the world of these characters. To do this, we’ve turned the theatre into a working bar so that the audience experiences the show from tables and chairs that are all over the space, allowing the actors to move seamlessly through the audience.”
The actors spend the 90 minutes weaving in-and-out between the tables at the theater. The audience members on the floor level were able to see the actors singing and performing inches from them.
“I find having the audience so close is exhilarating,” Johnson said. “In theater, we have the ‘15-foot rule.’ Everything looks different from the audience’s perspective 15 feet away. But in this case, they are right there with us. We can’t hide. We have to share the experience with them.”
“Murder Ballad” is scheduled to perform until July 3, with shows happening through the weeks. The Ivy Tech Waldron Arts Center is located at the corner of Walnut and Fourth streets.
“This play offers a unique theatre experience that includes live pop-rock music with an onstage band of local artists and a fully-functioning wine and beer bar,” Glago said. “It really feels like your out for a night on the town rather than at a musical theater production. It’s really different in that way.”
Tickets for the show have already sold out.
