Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jeff Augustin’s tender WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE SEA charts a father-son relationship with bold simplicity

• By drediman
• November 9, 2022
• No Comments

Over at New York City Center, I recently had the opportunity to take in Manhattan Theatre Club’s Off-Broadway production of Where the Mountain Meets the Sea by Jeff Augustin. The work tells the story of Jean, a Haitian man who immigrates to America, and Jonah, his queer son. Both of their experiences are told in alternating parallel monologues that, when pieces together, create a greater portrait of their father-son relationship.

The production uses a distilled hybrid of theater, song, and movement to convey its parallel stories. Augustin’s alternating, “Rashomon”-like monologues depict the characters’ respective stories with care, even treating unexpected life events with subtlety, almost throw-away obviousness. In a fascinating and unlikely choice, the music comes by way of the Brooklyn-based husband-and-wife folk duo of Abigail and Shaun Bengson (collectively known as The Bengsons), who perform live onstage alongside the actors. Their rich but unadorned scoring forms the heart of the piece, creating a bridge between not only father and son, but the folk music traditions of Haiti and America. Both Jean and Jonah are also given the opportunity to express themselves through respective “dance breaks”, further adding texture and authenticity to their tales.

As Jonah and Jean, Chris Myers and Billy Eugene Jones, respectively, give sensitive performances that disarmed me with their tenderness and willingness to keep their delivery at a modest register. Although their music is central to the piece, The Bengsons generously keep to the background for much of the show. The MTC production has been directed by Joshua Kahan Brody with similar restraint, taking its lead from the material’s bold simplicity and focused storytelling.

RECOMMENDED

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE SEA
Off-Broadway, Play
Manhattans Theatre Club at New York City Center
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 27