When Starry Starry Skies‘ Little Bird leaves the nest, just what can our intrepid Robin Foster (Abby Corpus) do? She had an idyllic life in the farm state of Iowa, but she yearns for more. Her parents have her life fairly well charted, in hopes she’ll follow in their footsteps, but her life is defined by the music she loves. This country girl has a lot of rock-and-roll in her blood, and she decides to run away.
Where she goes is London. The historical footnotes are not without notice, and factors into this story by playwrights Autumn Antonsen, Corin Bert Wrigley and Gabe Lagos. They certainly have a firm grasp about the end of a decade when free love and Woodstock capped off the 60s. I suspect they may have also drawn from the life of Janice Joplin when penning this tale. Everything she learns, for better or worse, will see Robin come of age.
As this show is on Vimeo, viewers can take a pause at wherever they feel an intermission is required, and resume half an hour later. This show is available through streaming, and a code can be “purchased” through this theatre company’s website.
Music plays a key role in Robin’s journey. There’s niativity that will eventually turn into jaded perceptions of an industry in flux. In the UK, just what this young lady has to discover is more than about what Bowie was up to, but rather see how free love blooms. The punk rock movement has not yet begun; as I recall, it owes a debt to the sounds being formed here. A lot of the story takes place at one dive; and who Robin meets sees her discovering some harsh realities she really must face.
The tale is not so much about her finding love, but also acceptance–something she never quite had back home. Instead of showcasing well-known tunes to explain what’s going on, I enjoyed the direction of having original music inspired from the likes of Elton John, Abba, Bob Dylan to tell this tale. There’s many more artists too, but these three were the most distinguishable.
Props have to go to Starry Starry Skies to go the route of offering their performances online. As I’ve noticed other larger companies in town (The Belfry and Blue Bridge Repertory closing shop) this team knows it’s time to pull out those iPhones to make recordings. Despite a few technical challenges with this type of equipment (there’s a few dark or over exposed scenes), I’m thankful to have a rewind and pause button so I can get my notes in.
Plus, they are giving those of us arts lovers who are self-isolating a chance to experience the local theatre scene from the leisure of home.
