Each song a ‘mini story’ in ‘Edges’

“Edges” is a small, intimate musical written by two 19-year-old students about coming of age – love, loss, self-discovery, growth – while they were undergoing it themselves.

The two, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul from the University of Michigan, revised it in their 20s when they had achieved a bit more maturity. Now the show, actually a song cycle of about 20 tunes, has provided a voice for millennials around the country – and even contributed a cultural anthem, “Be My Friend,” that has become famous as the “Facebook Song.”

“As musical theater, it is a really human show,” said Phil Speary, founder of Guild Hall Players, who is guest director for this Wichita premiere by DZ Productions at Crown Uptown Theatre. “It captures the dimensions of young adults, from thinking that you know everything to discovering how complex life is. The characters struggle a lot, but they learn to relax and come to good.”

The show opens Thursday, July 21, for three performances at the Crown Uptown, 3207 E. Douglas.

The four characters – two men and two women – are all in their early 20s, but they don’t have names or consistent personalities. They are archetypes who change with each song because, Speary said, “each song is its own mini story. There is no through plotline, but there is a connectedness that ties them all together.”

Music director Paul Graves at the piano will lead a trio including drums and bass guitar.

Playing the versatile four are Noah Montgomery, Jaden Shepard, Deiondre Teague and Raven Taylor. The first three are music theater students at Wichita State University, while Taylor graduated last year from Sterling College in business with a minor in theater, which is her passion.

“Edges” dates from 2005, but cast members say the themes and situations are all-too-familiar to them today. Because the characters change, the four talked about some of the songs and the various characters who live them.

“It’s challenging because they aren’t fixed in a set plotline. It’s our job to interpret them so the audience can see how different each is,” Montgomery said.

“For ‘Along the Way,’ I play a slacker and a klutz who worries that he can’t get anything right. Now that he’s about to become a father, he is in total fear of not being ready. He has a lot of anxiety,” Montgomery said. “For ‘Part of a Painting,’ I’m a more mature man, an artist, who spends a lot of time in isolation. He’s coming to the conclusion that there is a woman that means more to him than he realized. It’s such a cool piece.”

WSU junior Shepard likes “Lying There,” about a woman who lives with a boyfriend that she takes for granted. “He’s actually a great guy, but she’s just not feeling it. She’s very independent, like Miranda of ‘Sex and the City.’ She knows she should want marriage and kids, but something holds her back.”

She also likes “Man of My Dreams,” which she said is completely different. “Her best friend is ‘The Guy,’ the one who’s perfect for her, the one who is into all the same things she is. She is all ready for an intimate relationship, but she finds out he is gay. But he’s still perfect for her, so she decides she doesn’t care.” Then there’s “Dispensable,” a duet with Montgomery that she describes as the quintessential breakup song with both at fault because of lack of communication.

Teague, a WSU senior from Nashville who went to national collegiate competition with “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” ranges from “Boy With Dreams,” about a young man who wants to invent the next big thing, to the cynical “So Much Better,” a duet with Shepard about trash-talking classmates at their high school reunion who didn’t succeed as much as they.

“The one I’m most enthusiastic about is ‘I Once Knew,’ about a man thinking about a dying friend and reflecting on how she has influenced his life,” Teague said. “She’s someone I want to hold onto, not give up. I need to have her in my life.”

Sterling College grad Taylor likes “Perfect,” a sort of reverse of “Pygmalion” about a man who creates the perfect woman for himself. This is from her point of view.

“She is in a relationship and when he hints at a breakup, she offers to make herself perfect for him. ‘I know I’m not good enough,’ she tells him. ‘Mold me. Do want you want with me. Just don’t leave me,’ ” Taylor said. “It’s probably my favorite because I get to break the audience’s heart.”

For contrast, there’s “Coasting,” about a girl listening to friends advising her how to get a guy. “All these girly girls are not being themselves,” Taylor said. “They become addicted to being robotic selves. They don’t know how to stop.”

And there’s “In Short,” about a girl justifying breaking up with her boyfriend. “We’ve grown apart and I want to break up. I start sweet and sincere, but when I discover that he’s already moved on, I realize how much it bothers me and I slip into a psychotic rant,” Taylor said.

The composers were the youngest to win the Jonathan Larson Award, named in memory of the “Rent” creator, for their first work. The two went on to create the musical adaptation of the beloved “A Christmas Story,” which was nominated for three 2013 Tony Awards, including best musical. They are also known for “Dear Evan Hansen,” recently off-Broadway, and the musical version of Roald Dahl’s kids classic “James and the Giant Peach.”

DZ Productions was formed four summers ago by Dalton Zogleman, a recent Rutgers University grad, with help from his mother, Deanne, who is director of music at Newman University. The idea was to explore cutting-edge shows not likely to be performed by other local theaters as well as encourage young local actors. Among past shows are “Spring Awakening,” “Glory Days” and “Heathers: The Musical,” a regional premiere. DZ will be doing “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” in August.

This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Each song a ‘mini story’ in ‘Edges’."