Suicide topic of moving show
By Julie Jensen, ARGUS/DISPATCH -- June 19, 2003
Photo by: Todd Mizener

New Ground Theatre will present `Journey for a Reason' at 7:30 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. Tickets can be reserved by calling (563) 326-7529 or purchased at the box office an hour before each performance. Repeat performances will be June 26-29.

Suicide is an unusual topic for a song-and-dance show, but New Ground Theatre's ``Journey for a Reason'' which begins an eight-performance run today, deals with it in a moving and cathartic manner.

Chris Jansen, artistic director for New Ground, wrote the book, and Andrew Wilder, a Broadway composer she has collaborated with several times before, wrote the music. The two of them worked with Georgia Bills on the lyrics.

A preview of the show consisting of excerpted scenes gave a sampling of the music, directed and accompanied by Jonathan Turner, and the dances were conceived by Connie Bracey, Briony May and Kay Ferris.

An early scene shows Sara, played by Alicia Jackson, brooding over the suicide of Laura, her best friend, played by Melissa Mooney. Laura comes back from the grave to take a journey of self-discovery into the past with her friend.

From there, the concept is that of a video camera capturing moments that might give a clue as to why Laura would choose to end her own life.

One of those scenes is at the high school newspaper office, the hangout for the popular and cool kids, who sing ``Chosen Leaders of the School'' and perform a sassy dance.

Among those leaders are Tom, played by Jim McDoniel; Jason, played by Todd Kempel; Amy, played by Trish Quarterman; and Beth, played by Emily Coussens.

There's a scene with Laura and her adviser, Ms. Kendall, played by Susan McPeters. The teacher recognizes warning signals of suicide and tries to be sympathetic because, as she sings, ``I'm a teacher.''

There's a dream ballet in which Laura wheels and turns, torn between running to her boyfriend, Greg, played by Ted Stephens III, and pushing him away. They waltz together, and then he dances with another girl. Laura's little brother, Randy, played by Travis Hedman, comes in and hugs her, and then they dance together happily.

The high school kids sit on chairs with their backs to the audience, upraised hands holding pill bottles. Laura snatches two of them and consumes the pills as her brother yells, ``No!'' Her friends are a frozen tableau.

There's a scene near the school lockers in which Ms. Kendall welcomes Laura back to school after she has been in the hospital for observation.

Laura tells Sara that everyone is avoiding her and she is a social pariah. To top it off, she sees her boyfriend kissing Cindy, a vivacious brunette played by Stephanie Beck.

Ms. Jansen said, ``This is an attempt to make clear that responsibility for suicide lies with the victim alone. Sara has the chance that many who have been hurt by suicide wish they had -- the chance to show Laura what her suicide has meant to others.’’

Some of the songs in the show are ``Best Friends,'' ``Why?'' ``Other Parents,'' ``That's Not What I Meant'' and ``All Alone.''

Ms. Mooney's portrayal of Laura is sympathetic and entirely believable, and this is a high-energy cast.

Despite the subject matter, you won't leave this show feeling depressed.

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