Review: A Relationship on Shuffle

By Michael Block

Writing is a cathartic way to let go of heartbreak. Believe me, this writer is no stranger to the practice. In Brad Baron's Last Ditch Playlist, the memories that rattle in the mind are projected onto the stage as the romance of a young couple is recounted. An interesting look at the rise and fall of a relationship, Last Ditch Playlist sings a common tune.
Told through a mostly nonlinear story structure, Last Ditch Playlist follows the range of love between Aaron, a hopeless romantic, and Wes, an intellect seeker, as they navigate their relationship through the huddles of intimacy and distance. Told through Aaron's eyes, he tries everything he can to hold onto something that may actually be nothing. Written by Brad Baron, Last Ditch Playlist takes a common theme yet explores it in a unique approach. Rather then playing sequentially, Baron plays with time. Doing so illuminates the relationship and the structure greatly. With time loosely free, Baron has room to play with structure and streamline repetition out of the story. Firstly, Last Ditch Playlist takes on a heightened theatricality but when it moves linearly near the end, it falls into a different genre. When the angst feels closer to a CW melodrama, the plays loses steam. Baron includes a sense of closure for the relationship. There’s a mutual coming to terms. It’s a cathartic ending that seemed to work best for the writer but not necessarily the piece as a whole. As it stands now, the story is wrapped up beautifully with a bow. We jump ahead in time and see the aftermath of Wes and Aaron’s parting. But do we really want to? Yes, there is a scene or two that offers some important character information but with the nonlinear structure, Baron can easily jumble the puzzle pieces and throw them in somewhere else. If that should happen, Baron has two potentially gorgeously ambiguous endings that resonated beyond belief. The reality is we likely know the result, but keeping the audience wondering as they leave the theater? It leaves them wanting more. Having the room to continue to explore and play with the puzzle will certainly help with the arc of the story. Baron has the death of his hometown friend as a key cog into Aaron’s inability to truly trust and get close to a person. It may be useful to track her presence and other amplify it or eliminate her as a character as it comes across as a superfluous blindside. The information is important, the physical character may not be.

photo by Joseph Prestamo

Rather than make Last Ditch Playlist a big production, the piece was staged so the words would take precedence. There were no thrills or frills attached. Directed by Baron and alongside a tag team of names, Last Ditch Playlist had an experimental essence about it, similar to how Cock was original staged. For a piece about intimacy, it lacked the direct intimacy it desired. With two sides of seating, Baron and co had a long alleyway of playing space. Wes and Aaron spend much of their time as a long distance pair, so finding a way to make the distance intimate was quite difficult. There was something unnatural about how they spoke on the phone to one another. But that may also be due to the inconsistency of prop usage throughout the play. The video design by Joseph Prestamo was quite striking. It was another aide that helped heighten the play. One of the strongest moments of the entire show was watching Wes dance on the rooftop in video and then match Casey Bagnall’s exquisite choreography live on stage.
Playing a bit of an extension of himself, Brad Baron as Aaron was our way into the world. Aaron’s emotion from scene to scene was a bit stagnant but when he was at the extremes, puppy love and on the brink of a breakup, Baron was at his best. Taking on the emotionally distracted and intellectually hungry Wes, Ross McCorkell brought a magnetism and allure that was a dominating force in the show. McCorkell gave Wes a slight entitlement as he dangled love and hope over Aaron in a slightly emotionally abusive manner. There was a slight lack of chemistry between Aaron and Wes, but that may be the moral of the story.
Brad Baron wore a plethora of hats for Last Ditch Playlist. Taking one or two off may be beneficial as Last Ditch Playlist moves forward. And it is a play that will move forward. Baron has written something filled to the brim with great potential. With a little more massaging, Last Ditch Playlist could be a universally revered relationship play.

Spotlight On...Brad Baron

Name: Brad Baron

Hometown: Glen Rock, NJ

Education: Princeton University, AB in English with Certificates in Music and Theater. Louisiana State University, MM in Music (Vocal Performance)

Select Credits: Kiss Me, Kate (Fred Graham), Brigadoon (Jeff), Sweeney Todd. Lots of Gilbert and Sullivan including The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance in productions across the country (so far Baton Rouge, Cape Cod, Memphis, and back home in New Jersey). I've had one acts and short plays produced in festivals and theaters around the country too, including at the La Strada Ensemble Theater, the Ringwald Theatre, and various 1-Minute Play Festivals

Why theater?: Why not? But truthfully, I don't know what I'd do without it. Plus nowadays I think it's one of the few modes of entertainment left where people come together and experience something at the same time. You go on a journey with friends and total strangers; you'll probably never see them again. But you shared something. I love Netflix just as much as everyone else, but there's nothing like the communal experience that theater demands.

Who do you play in Last Ditch Playlist?: I play Aaron, who is based on a very specific version of myself circa 2012 - 2013.

Tell us about Last Ditch Playlist: Last Ditch Playlist began as a cathartic exercise for me when getting over my first breakup. I spent months writing the first draft pretty much nonstop. That was about four or five years ago. It's been cool to put distance between myself and the events dramatized in the play, because I don't think it really started to work until I could see it objectively. So the play is a very personal and specific journey. But I hope the specificity and detail in which this relationship is described is what ultimately makes it relatable in a broader sense. I just want it to be honest.

What is it like being a part of Last Ditch Playlist?: I find it really natural and invigorating, which is actually a big surprise for me. This is my first time acting in something I wrote. I used to distance myself from doing that on principle, wanting to leave it to other actors and directors to unearth things in my writing that I never considered. I actually never had the intention of acting in Last Ditch Playlist until my on-stage boyfriend (Ross McCorkell) put the idea in my head. It was a risk, but I'm very excited by the results. Ultimately, I think giving myself permission to act in my play has helped me to understand it better.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: If I'm being completely honest, I'm pretty obsessed with Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. I think there are a lot of great new musicals that have made their way to Broadway in the last few years, but this one takes the cake for me. I mentioned how I liked being a part of a community of theatergoers earlier, and I love that The Great Comet forces you to acknowledge the audience all around you. I definitely enjoy measuring the reactions of audience members around me when I see a piece of theater. Our setup for Last Ditch Playlist also allows for some of that. Beyond that, I love how The Great Comet makes a cohesive whole out of elements that shouldn't otherwise fit together. Also considering my opera upbringing, I enjoy The Great Comet (and other sung-thru musicals like Hamilton) that, in my opinion, do new opera better than actual new operas.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: I've done it before, but I will seize any opportunity to do Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha again. I also want to be a part of more queer theater. One day, Angels in America would be cool. Otherwise, I really do think I want to keep writing for myself moving forward.

What’s your favorite showtune?: Do I have to pick?? Hmm. Well, I tend to really like the women's numbers more. A current favorite is "No One Else" from The Great Comet. I like "Take a Break" a lot from Hamilton for whatever reason. Stalwart favorites include "Losing My Mind," "It's All the Same" (Man of La Mancha), anything by Rodgers and Hammerstein or Lerner and Loewe, or Kurt Weill. Ugh, see, I can't pick!

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Madeline Kahn. Unfortunately, I think I missed the boat there. Otherwise, dream colleagues include Kelli O'Hara, Jinkx Monsoon, Phillipa Soo, Michael Urie, and Steven Pasquale.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Actually, I think Last Ditch Playlist could make a good movie. Dare I say Michael Urie again?

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: WOOF. That's tough. The original productions of Man of La Mancha, Angels in America, and a live taping of "The Carol Burnett Show."

What show have you recommended to your friends?: The Great Comet and I used to be a big proponent of August: Osage County back when it was playing.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Video Games. Hands down.

What’s up next?: After we conclude our NYC run of Last Ditch Playlist, we head to Philly for the FringeArts Festival! We're doing Last Ditch Playlist at Performance Garage (1515 Brandywine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130) for three performances on September 12, 13, and 15!

For more on Last Ditch Playlist, visit www.lastditchplaylist.com