'Relative Space: An Atypical Musical,' a show that depicts mental health challenges in a rock concert theatrical drama, will debut in Pleasant Grove on June 22 before it heads to New York City to vie for a spot on Broadway.
PLEASANT GROVE — Sixteen-year-old Kjersti Long has been writing music for years as a way of journaling and working through her depression.When she was 12 years old, she sang one of her songs for her parents, and her father, Jeremy Long, was blown away by the song. He was also concerned about his daughter's mental well-being.
The Longs connected with Broadway Records President Van Dean, who they knew from when they lived in New Jersey, and he told them the music could easily be the making of a musical. "I've been around the talent in Utah and it's insane. I knew we had great talent here, and I had a work opportunity back here , so I said we're gonna do this in Utah," said Long, who became the producer for the musical.Melissa Leilani Larson
Leah Carr and dancers rehearse for "Relative Space: An Atypical Musical" on May 13. The show depicts mental health challenges in a rock concert theatrical drama that will debut in Pleasant Grove. As the show was first being developed, Long didn't want it to all be focused on Kjersti, so they held auditions to find the perfect person for the lead singer. But the directors all agreed that Kjersti sang the music better because of her connection to the lyrics and the story.
Long and Larson said most musicals have one or two songs that stand out among the soundtrack, and the music is typically developed after or simultaneously with the written story. "Those threads are in the songs that this girl wrote when she was 12 and 13. She was very aware; I think of her as an old soul. She is thinking about these things in a much more adult way than most 13 year olds are thinking about them," Larson said. "The music lends itself really well to this mother-daughter dynamic, which I think is really relatable and that audiences are going to both enjoy and see themselves reflected in.", Long said.
He hopes it spurs conversation, and that family members who see the show will look at each other after and know it's OK to discuss and be more open about their challenges with each other. "Mothers and daughters who might not have mental health issues but might not the best relationship, and they just need to learn to communicate. It's a family drama aside from everything we are dealing with," Larson said. "There are a lot of ways the music will speak to people, and there are moments, scenes that are going to speak to people.""Relative Space" started out as a fun side project that Long planned on filming and sending to New York.
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