If you’re very lucky as a young queer, you may find an understanding adult who accepts you as you are — even as that identify may be in flux — and supports you finding your authentic voice. That’s the essential premise behind the heartfelt and thoroughly entertaining show “Beau the Musical,” now at Theater 154.
It’s a coming-of-age story set in 2013 in a Nashville bar called The Distillery, and successful country musician Ace Baker has returned to debut songs from his new album, songs of a decidedly autobiographical bent. As the playlist rolls out, we see scenes of Ace ten years earlier coming to terms with his sexuality, his single mother Raven and Larry, her annoying new boyfriend, as well as dealing with the bully Ferris who torments Ace throughout his school days and who is the center of a plot twist. The story shifts into high gear, however, when Ace discovers his grandfather Beau is alive. His mother had cut him off and kept him from Ace, the reason being one of the many secrets that are carefully revealed. Ace, however, who had been searching for a father, finds a welcoming, loving man in Beau. If Beau is flawed and has dark secrets of his own, he nonetheless finds filial love and some redemption in the growing relationship with Ace. When Beau puts a guitar in Ace’s hands and teaches him to play, he becomes the catalyst for Ace to find his voice and himself.
The concept, book, and lyrics are by Douglas Lyons, with music by Lyons and Ethan D. Packchar. The songs serve the story well, amplifying the scenes and giving emotional complexity to Ace’s sometimes fraught experiences. From the difficult relationship between Ace and Raven to the confusion of whatever it is between Ace and Ferris. Finally, the rocking anthem of the piece “Runnin’” is Ace’s acceptance of himself and his determination to stop hiding who he is and embrace his authentic self. As Ace proclaims in the lyric, “There are no mistakes there in your mirror. For you were made perfectly. So why do we run why do we run; why do we run from what do we see?” It’s an exuberant statement, and it opens the door for Ace to be able to heal both himself and his relationships. It’s the legacy Beau left him.
Matt Rodin is outstanding as Ace. He’s completely at home in the country style, and he plays a mean guitar. Importantly, though, he’s able to embody Ace at different ages, particularly as a child, without ever seeming forced or false. After his star turn in “All the World’s a Stage” last season in a more conventional musical comedy role, Rodin is demonstrating his exceptional range and comfort in something so stylistically different.
Chris Blisset as Beau is warm, funny, and appropriately curmudgeonly. A one-time rocker himself, his song “Shut Up,” as performed in a flashback with his band The Bell Bottoms, is hilarious, but it is Beau’s heartbreak and loss in later years and his joy at discovering his grandson that is both sweet and moving.
Amelia Cormack is excellent as Raven, and as her secrets are revealed and the relationship with Ace is fractured, they must find a way back. Matt Wolpe is fine as Larry, who, as it turns out, has something to offer Ace…beyond firing Ace’s annoyance and resentment. The rest of the company fills in the smaller roles effectively, especially Dory Jeacoma as Ferris and Miyuki Miyagi as Daphney, Ace’s best friend.
Under the direction of and choreography of Josh Rhodes, the story flows fluidly. The actors are also the band, and they move easily between their roles and playing. The set by Daniel Allen and lighting by Adam Honoré create a realistic honky-tonk, which with slight modification, particularly in lighting, conveys the many locations on Ace’s journey.
This is an intimate production, but it has a big heart. On one level it’s a classic hero quest. Ace battles enemies, faces his demons and, ultimately, finds his way to his own truth before coming home. It’s a story that never gets old, and in this case, it also totally rocks.
“Beau the Musical” | Out of the Box Theatrics | Theatre 154 | 154 Christopher Street | Mon, Weds-Sun 7:30 p.m.; Sun 2 p.m. through July 27 | $48-$78 at Ovationtix | 1 hour, 40 mins, no intermission
