Gone Missing

Theatre Elision consistently does weird theater in a way that makes me smile. Which is why I was thrilled to be able to write about them when the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers decided name them the "Under the Radar" theater for 2018, and why I was equally excited to see Gone Missing. Going into a show with high expectations can be dangerous but I have not been disappointed yet.

Gone Missing is a show about things that have been lost, it is a documentary musical that is pieced together from interviews that the creators of the show, The Civilians, Steve Cosson and Michael Friedman. The show as Theatre Elision performs it is staged with just 4 performs but tells many stories and gets to the heart of the emotional connection that people can have with things. I couldn't help thinking about the Life Changing Magic of Tidying up that is currently looming large in our cultural mindset with Marie Kondo's new Netflix show. In our world were we seem to be surrounded by things sometimes it can be nice to remind ourself how much certain things mean to us.

Gone Missing is a show that is sentimental, that literally talks about nostalgia, but it is also an extremely funny show. On the night that I saw the show, the show had to pause for a moment to wait for the laughter that filled the theater to cease before the show could go on. This balance of humor, sadness and nostalgia, and the joy in the stories in which things were found, blended together beautifully.

Just like the balance between the stories and the music, the flow between music and dialogue was seamless, and the range of musical styles across the 11 songs will ensure that everyone will have a part to enjoy.

Gone Missing is playing for one more weekend, this Thursday January 24th through Sunday January 27th at Dreamland Arts in Saint Paul. Click here for more information about the show and how to get tickets.