Abigail and Shaun Bengson know that their musical "Hundred Days" is not standard theatrical fare.
"We started out as musicians and moved into the world of writing for theater because of our passion for telling stories and the ability theater has to bring people together for big moments of shared emotional catharsis. So, our music pulls from a wide variety of genres that inspire us, like folk, punk, indie rock, blues and electronica. We also pull from a lot of different theatrical styles when it comes to building the structure and form for the stories we want to tell, including folklore storytelling, documentary, concert and stand-up comedy,” said the creators.
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts is presenting "Hundred Days" as part of its Theater Up Close series inside the Carnival Studio Theater at the Ziff Ballet Opera House.
Described as uncensored, exhilarating and heartrending, "Hundred Days" is the true story about embracing uncertainty, taking a leap, and loving as if you only had 100 days to live. It plays through April 21 at the Arsht.
“Our core collaborators Sarah Gancher, Anne Kauffman and Sonya Tayeh have also been hugely instrumental in creating this new, music-theater hybrid. They helped us push the form and the sound as well as weaving in more traditional theatricality throughout our work," according to the creators.
"And really, the truth is, even with all of the ways in which we are trying to break the mold, at its core, 'Hundred Days' is a story told through music just like any other piece of musical theater! It’s all in the service of building an emotionally compelling story that we hope will resonate with our audiences,” add the Bengsons.
The Bengsons have appeared at such venues as Joe’s Pub in New York City, MASS MoCa in North Adams, Mass., and the Market Theater, Johannesburg, South Africa.
They are founding members of the Real Make Collective. Abigail Nessen Bengson has toured as a member of tUnE-yArDs, including an appearance on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”
New York Magazine says that the show is "filled with a series of ecstatic songs that make the case for living and loving." And the New York Times made it one of their Critic's Picks saying, "The Bengsons offer luminous hope that a new generation of talent is taking up Stephen Sondheim's' mantle of exquisite ambivalence."
Tickets to "Hundred Days" are $55, and may be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling (305) 949-6722, or online at arshtcenter.org. To visit, www.hundreddays.org.
