Unknown Soldier, A Developing Modern Classic
Lora Lee Gayer, Kerstin Anderson, & Adam Chandler-Berat in Unknown Soldier (Arena Stage, Teresa Castracane)
A classic musical theatre filter sweeps across an intergenerational tale of love and loss disguised as a World War I tragedy. Arena Stage has revived lost musical, Unknown Soldier after its run was cut short Off-Broadway in 2020 due to the pandemic. Although clunky at times, Unknown Soldier’s focus shines a warm light on what is seldom at the forefront in the jukebox era of musical theatre, humanity.
Arena Stage showcases what it does best from the moment the house opens, audience immersion. Actors grace the warehousely lit, bland stage depicting the back room of a research library before the production even begins. Throughout those fifteen minutes before the show, an increasing number of actors depict a busy research room at Cornell University. This well-meant immersion misses the mark however in setting a proper tone for this show. The tactic itself is attention grabbing, but unlike its use in Arena Stage’s Swept Away, the actors on stage do not tell the audience what they are about to experience. In fact, this “pre-opening” scene rather misleads the audience as to what is at the heart of what they are about to experience.
“Perhaps the most touching part of Unknown Soldier is its relatability.”
The show opens in 1973 with a young Ellen Rabinowitz (Riglee Ruth Bryson) uncovering a photo of her grandmother, Lucy (Judy Kuhn) embracing a soldier she doesn’t recognize. Lucy refuses Ellen’s efforts for discussion and thus, the show embarks on a 105 minute weaving of three coinciding timelines that showcase the beauty and pain of the human experience.
Flash forward to 2003, a grown up Ellen Rabinowitz (Lora Lee Gayer) struggles with the same question her younger self did. With her life falling apart, she hopes she will be able to find herself if she can find her family. Years after Lucy’s passing the “unknown soldier” is still a mystery. Andrew Hoffman (Adam Chandler-Berat), a researcher at Cornell, agrees to help Ellen and the two embark on an unlikely journey to find answers. Along the way, Goldstein (writer and lyricist of Unknown Soldier) forces the two into a love story parallel to Ellen’s grandparents. The motif is lovely when wrapped up at the end but overall feels awkward, forced, and unnecessary to the meat of the plot.
Kerstin Anderson & Perry Sherman reprise their roles as Lucy Lemay & Francis Grand, The Unknown Soldier (Arena Stage, Kian McKellar)
As Ellen and Andrew uncover information in the main timeline, the show shifts backward to 1973 and further to 1918. While most shifts are effortlessly executed with multiple timelines occurring on stage in tandem, some fall flat. In 1918, Young Lucy (Kerstin Anderson) meets a soldier (Perry Sherman) at Grand Central Station the night before he ships out. They get married that night but soon after she receives word that he has fallen victim to the war. In the most heartbreaking performance in the show, Anderson compiles all stages of grief in her gripping performance of A Husband Takes Care of Things.
Almost immediately following her acceptance of this death, Lucy learns of a wounded soldier with no memory of his identity admitted at a hospital nearby. In a deceptively hopeful moment, Lucy discovers this unknown soldier is her husband. Due to the theatrical device of multiple timelines, the audience knows this hope will not last. Lucy is devastated and alone in future timelines, making her hope here even more tragic. Eventually, Ellen and Andrew uncover this “Unknown Soldier” in the photo to be her grandfather, the love of Lucy’s life who despite surviving the war, never came back to her the same.
Judy Kuhn as Lucy Anderson (Arena Stage, Teresa Castracane)
Unknown Soldier finds standout performances in all three female leads. Gayer, Anderson, and Kuhn are the life breath of this production, infusing their own humanity into every moment of their performances. This production would benefit from an expansion of Tony Award Winning Kuhn’s performance. Everytime she was on stage she gripped each member of the audience until the moment she stepped off. Her portrayal of a woman constantly beat down by life, Gayer’s portrayal of the identity struggles of a middle-aged female, and Anderson’s childlike hope of a young woman all contrast each other with intense meaning.
Goldstein (Lyricist) & Michael Friedman’s (Composer) touching score was at its best in moments of solitude. It is clear their strong suit is emotional ballads as each and every single one was striking at a minimum. Friedman’s compositions give each actor a chance to showcase their vocal range. Kuhn’s melancholy “I’ll Wait For You” musical motif was weaved harmoniously throughout the entire show, setting the theme clearly.
Perhaps the most touching part of Unknown Soldier is its relatability. Not in the exact events it portrays or the emotions you can feel emanating from the actors but at the core of the show. The beating heart of this show is love, loss, and family. Unknown Soldier, while uneven at times, is a stirring showcase of the human experience.
Unknown Solider is playing at Arena Stage in Washington D.C. through May 5th.
By Aidan O’Connor
