Review: The Vast and the Invisible

Photo by Dan Norman

There is something simultaneously epic and intimate at play in Theater Latté Da’s staging of “My Ántonia.” Back in March 2020, Latté Da awarded its first-ever NEXT Generation Commission to a team of four artists: Jessie Austrian, Noah Brody, Kate Kilbane, and Dan Moses. Six years of deliberate, careful development later, this Latté Da-commissioned world premiere has finally arrived at the Ritz Theater stage. Adapted from Willa Cather’s monumental 1918 novel, the musical traces the immigrant experience on the turn-of-the-century Nebraska prairie. It is a poignant exploration of memory and resilience, anchored by the lifelong friendship between the orphan boy Jim Burden and the fiercely independent Bohemian immigrant Ántonia Shimerda.

Many of the show’s hauntingly beautiful melodies function as a sonic echo of what has already passed. They had me constantly leaning in to sort out what I was hearing, deciphering which actor was singing which line in the most exquisite way. In the grander scheme of the production, it rarely matters exactly who is delivering the notes; the music simply drifts across that expansive, endless prairie we have all constructed in our imaginations. This is a true tapestry musical, with a relentless ensemble where each performer takes on multiple characters, weaving their individual voices together to tell a singular, unified story of a life well lived.

The production brilliantly uses three pairings of performers to portray Ántonia and Jim at varying stages of their decades-long journey. The fundamental tone and character are set by our youngest pairing, Lillian Hochman and Maddox Tabalba. This duo of young talent immediately pulls at the heartstrings, radiating a youthful defiance of social norms and rigid expectations. They plant the emotional seeds that allow the older performers to let the characters blossom and grow across the passing decades. Each subsequent pairing of Jim and Ántonia delivers the exact emotional depth and dramatic payoff we crave for the two children we met at the top of the show. Also of critical note is Em Adam Rosenberg as Willa Cather. Rosenberg infuses the role with a quiet, grounded sophistication, portraying a weary Cather searching for Ántonia’s truth through the lens of Jim’s fading memories.

The songs in “My Ántonia” do the heavy lifting that dialogue simply cannot manage. They lay bare character truths and deepen relationships without relying on bloated production numbers, showy costumes, or theatrical tricks. One of the most effective musical moments is the exquisite song “Name, What Name” and its heartbreaking later reprise. The delicate implications of the lyrics show the bond between Ántonia and Jim sown in their youth, only to return and haunt them in adulthood. It represents the bittersweet love between these two souls as they come of age and navigate their vastly different life choices.

The performances across the entire cast are remarkably straightforward yet balanced and nuanced. Serving as the literal heartbeat of the production is the onstage band. They expertly handle the folk-laced, Americana score penned by The Kilbanes, executing everything from simple, acoustic sound effects to fevered, driving musical numbers with effortless precision. Structurally, the set design is a marvel of minimalism: a series of reconfigured coat trees that transform into everything from a makeshift dressing room for the always-present troupe to a humble Christmas tree and a bountiful orchard. The production intentionally leaves it up to the audience to see the horse and buggy, the beds, and the stoves so lovingly detailed in the text.

The major themes of Cather’s novel stand up to the test of time, capturing the ache of lost love and the harrowing immigrant journey from homeland to the Midwest prairie. I fully expect this is not the last we will hear of this piece, so don’t miss your chance to say you saw the world premiere right here at our very own Theater Latté Da. 

“My Ántonia” plays at Theater Latté Da through July 19. Tickets at latteda.org.