It’s a strange time that we’re currently traversing. The Pandemic may never truly be over; it is transitioning to something that is endemic and for some life is returning to normal or new-normal, however you’d like to label it; this is the next step. The next step for Kristin Putchinski, perhaps more readily recognized by her performance moniker, ellen cherry, is to start Grad School and put a pause on performing. In a curious self-discovery piece that is just as strange and disjointed as the current lives we’re all leading as we figure out how to take these next steps back into the real world, Songs From The UnderWorld features an evening of songs and stories, medium to which ellen cherry is no stranger. There’s even a bonus puppet piece included with the evening’s entertainment.
At the top of the show you get a shadow-puppet piece entitled Everything Is Included by Anna Fitzgerald. Choose to perceive it as a bonus experience. The musical scoring for the piece was done by ellen cherry and the poetry that is narrated over the seven staves— indicated by shadow numbers on sticks— is somewhat profound in various moments. But there are times during the ten-ish-minute piece where the lighting just isn’t bright enough and some of the more intricate movements of these shadow puppets become blurred around the edges and look fuzzy and unfocused. If this is Fitzgerald’s intention it’s unclear as to why, and if it’s a technical error it’s unfortunate that it happened at the performance.
The main show of the evening is nothing if not transparent. From the moment ellen cherry retakes the stage, explaining why she’s choosing to wear comfy shoes and how the set is her ‘Covid Safe Space’ constructed entirely from the comforts of her own apartment, there is nothing but an openness about her performance. It feels slightly jarring then, when it is explained after the first number is song, that the song isn’t actually hers. Artists do covers or pieces written for them by other artists all the time and there is no shame or judgement in that, but it does seem an odd if not wholly unsettling to open a show about your experiences, feelings, stories and songs with someone else’s music.
As a vocalist, ellen cherry has this resonant sound that is a bit like Alison Kraus poured over a smooth, afternoon espresso. Or if you prefer— poured over café con leche, before you drink it. The evening features 13 songs in total, 12 of which are cherry’s, though none of which are new or recent— save for the last song she’s fabricated into existence, entitled “Blue Angel”, written during the beginning days of the pandemic, in June of 2020. Part of the journey for ellen cherry is the discovery of how she has not written any new music since then and finding that her path is pointing her in a new direction. Many of the songs featured are subdued or deeply and darkly emotional, all of which come connected to anecdotes that give the audience a deeper understanding of her creative process as a songwriter.
Stellar songs of the evening include “The Locksmith”, which is the song— according to cherry, the only good song— that came out of a frenetic inhalation of several café con leches during her first day of an artist’s residency in Key West, Florida some years ago. “Jessabelle” is another fine tune, though completely different from “The Locksmith.” There is a smoky, smoldering sinfulness about this number, which she says is all about desire and inspired by Madonna. The song she chooses to close the performance with is also quite striking (though the name was not announced to the audience. Several of the songs were introduced by their story and their name, this one was night and might be called “Hey, Tyler!” or possibly “My Favorite Time.”) This final song has a heady sense of nostalgia all around it, blending the notion of childhood both fictional and factual with this deep-seeded profundity and a strong sense of truth permeating both chords and lyrics.
What makes the overall performance somewhat questionable is the bizarre juxtaposition of all the video footage included in the show. And this isn’t video footage being featured in the background of songs that ellen cherry is performing. This is video work— one ‘music video’ created by Louis Black, one creative montage that she’s used on her grad-school application, and three pieces of work from her time spent in lockdown— is not entirely unpleasant, but rather jarring in the way it’s presented. She tells us what we’re about to watch, and then sits on stage and watches it with us. This doesn’t gel with the overall feeling of being so excited to be performing live for people again after months of being in isolation, performing to a cellphone camera. And there’s something unintentionally pretentious about the performer being on stage watching it as she’s asking us to watch it. Two of the silent pieces that she features are major missed opportunities for including some of her original score work. Even if it isn’t new score work, their lack of sound is off-putting and further spirals the audience into a sense of isolation.
The evening must be a cathartic release for ellen cherry and there is no denying that the emotions and experiences she is expressing are authentic. Many of the songs are very moving and very telling of her life experiences that surround them. The production, which would be more appropriately pitched as a ‘farewell to performance, transitioning to the next steps of life’, is an intriguing one and is a chance to be with a live person, performing live, despite the video work, and is a unique experience.
Running Time: Approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission
Songs From The UnderWorld plays through February 27, 2022 at Baltimore Theatre Project— 45 W. Preston Street in Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 752-8558 or purchase them online.
Kristin Putchinski
