My overall impression
Generation Me was one of my highlights of this Fringe Festival- one of the most poignant and relevant pieces I have seen in years. The vocal stylings of this (all-teenager!) cast were rock solid with particularly beautiful choral/ensemble work. The music in the second act outshined the first act - some of the songs were a little overambitious ambitions not unmet by the cast’s abilities, but for a while it felt a little bit like seeing a production of Company where the song “not getting married” is on repeat. I was relieved at the slow down in act two, and was absolutely blown away and moved by several pieces toward the end of the show. Impressive well-written script, tackling a myriad of topics without ever feeling overindulgent – a solid mix of comedy and hard-hitting issues. In particular, the coverage of the serious issue of date-rape (and the trauma that often follows) is handled with poise and careful consideration. The cast performances – especially in regard to this part of the show were beautiful and haunting. This focus of this topic is often skewed to emphasize a dramatic physical attack and the aftermath is often ignored in life and in the arts so it was wonderful to see a smart and moving storyline in this production. When the song that brings out her anxiety/flashback began you could feel the audience “get it” in a way many probably would not have. Beautiful work to all of the cast and crew of Generation Me. Hope to see this production further workshopped and produced and to see it on a bigger stage in the future!
