Review: Looking Back is well done

By DAVE MOSIER

Van Wert Civic Theatre’s newest production is a “genre-bending” musical that provides excellent music, great vocal performances and an interesting and poignant story that should resonate with people of all generations.

The music and book for the musical, Looking Back, were written by Perri Webb. This is the third musical written by Webb, a Lima native who is about to enter her senior year at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston majoring in contemporary writing and production, with a minor in music theatre writing.

It’s also the second performance of Looking Back, which was also performed at Berklee College in March.

The dramatic storyline follows corporate executive Rebecca Mitchell, whose ambition to climb the corporate ladder leads to the betrayal of one of her best friends, the person who was in line to get the job. Early in the play, though, we find her facing the consequences of her actions, as AJ, the person she betrayed, wields a knife ready to stab her to death.

But, as in It’s a Wonderful Life, a supernatural being comes to the rescue … kind of. Unlike George Bailey’s “Clarence”, “It” doesn’t save Rebecca to show her how her life positively impacted others, but basically how she messed up AJ’s life – and eventually her own.

Even though there’s redemption coming in Rebecca’s journey, it’s a bumpy, painful trip to that positive conclusion.

I had the chance to catch a rehearsal of Looking Back earlier this week and was very much impressed with the quality of the music and story, as well as the performances from a mostly young and energetic cast.

Chloe Parker is excellent as Rebecca, a woman who betrays AJ to land a coveted corporate financial officer’s position at the company where they both work. Her acting skills are first-rate, while her musical chops were also excellent. Other superb performances are handed in by Payton Frese as It, Douglas Long Jr. as AJ Wills, Alivia Hines as Sierra Robinson, Finley Foehl as Bill, Abbie Mengerink as Margot, Nick Long as Craig, and Charles Bennett as John.

Of particular note was a trio, The Muses, comprised of Function (Emily Gehle), Emotion (Kimberly Salisbury) and Belief (Jazmin Loaiza Ordonez). This trio of young women is instrumental in moving the story along, and their harmonies and solo efforts are some of the best performances in the show.

An ensemble consisting of Landon Adams, Carson Caprella, Anna Cassidy, Sawyer Holbrook, Marcus Freewalt, Evan Joseph, Colin Miltner, Noelle Prine, Alyssa Taylor and Onyx Williamson also provide great musical support for the show’s production numbers.

The music itself is well done, with some great, catchy tunes and beautiful harmonies throughout.

Looking Back is well worth the price of admission and includes some excellent musical performances from its cast.

The show opens this Thursday and runs for four performances only (July 31-August 3). Evening performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday start at 7:30 p.m., while the Sunday matinee begins at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16 and be purchased only at https://vwct.org.