Miss you like hell

New works of musical-theatre can not only surprise us with pleasurable moments but sharpen our critical faculties as we wrestle with knotty problems, some maybe still being solved by the creators. Here are some questions, mostly interpretive questions, related to understanding creators’ intentions and choices. But there’s one that might just helps us reflect where and how our ears and eyes have grown with what we’ve been to so far in the theatre community and where we are being led. Pick one or two of these questions that might have grabbed you and let us hear from you.

1. The musical first presents the mother as she sings about “Lioness.” Is this an accurate portrait of the woman, or might Quiara Alegría Hudes have had something else in mind?

2. Through whose lens, mother or daughter, are we seeing this story unfold and why?

3. Would you provide three words for each of the characters in the choices the two actresses Karmine Alers (Beatriz) and Valeria Morales (Olivia) made?

4. In terms of the elements of music, set, projections, what is the world of this musical?

5. “Yellowstone” as a song comes in as a reprise in the second half, and what are we meant to make of it? What does “Yellowstone” stand for?

6. In the same Yellowstone scene, there is a scene between mother and daughter before the mother “takes a walk?” What were we to make of this?

7. Is there a stand out song or performance for you? And why?

8. Who are the Castaways and what role do they play in the show through music and dance? What did the music and especially the dance do to advance the story?

And finally…Based on how we’ve been looking at performance forms across the spectrum of music-theatre how did the elements of this musical and their execution come together to realize the intentions of the creators and communicate them to you in a pleasing and powerful way?

For what type of audience is this work best suited?