HELD a Musical Fantasy part of the NY Int'l Fringe Festival

The NY Int'l Fringe Festival will wind down this Sunday, August 28th.  Now in it's 20th year, the Festival began on August 5th.  It will present 200 emerging theater & dance companies in various venues throughout the city.  Fringe is under the direction of Elena Holy, a past Tony nominator & inductee to the Indie Theater Hall of Fame ('15.)  Past alumni include Bradley Coopery & Mindy Kalin.  Last night, HELD, was held at the Drom, an attractive & accessible, brick walled  nightclub. The cast of 3 actors were all strikingly handsome & delivered earnest performances.  All are alumni of my alma mater UW-Madison.  Meghan Rose, the composer/producer & pianist also hails from UW-Madison. Her songwriting & arranging for pinao/cello & bass showed great promise as a rising composer for musical theater.  The standout in the for her exceptional singing voice and credible portrayal of a female warrior wa Katie Bakalars as Mera.  Mera amply portrayed the battle ready, protector of their  flourishing land. The standout numbers were "Waking & Dreaming" sung in 3 part harmony along with lovely port a bras that added an ephemeral elegance and "Time to Think; Mera's solo.  The cello & bass music underscoring the lyrics was outstanding.  The minimal set and effective lighting served to impart a fantasy world.  However,   the phantasmal storyline was problematic.  The 3 actors; undying friends since childhood grow into a love triangle that rang awry.  Trapped in a mystifying purgatory, they fervently endeavor to seek their escape. The 1 act cleverly travels back in time revealing their interwoven bonds leading back to their shackled predicament & fugue state.   HELD reached too far in its simple premise.  The plot was a moldy mix of playdoh combing fragments of  "Hunger Games," Plato, Disney Princess and the long running off-Bwy "Fantastixs."  Perhaps, the play would play to an intended young audience if pared down.  But, HELD should prove a launching pad for its talented cast and most assuredly for its composer.