Two Atlanta Actors Are Creating a Magical New Musical, THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE

Over the last month of this past summer, a new musical was exciting everyone involved with the Atlanta theatre community. However, it wasn't playing at the Alliance, or Actor's Express, or Serenbe, or at any other theatre really; instead THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE played two nights at a Java Monkey Café, and, in a private concert version, in the Aurora Theatre's black box.

The new musical is the work of two of Atlanta's most talented young actors, Jeremiah Parker Hobbs and Jessica De Maria. While Hobbs was staring as Riff Raff in Actor's Express' ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, and De Maria was seen as Mrs. Brill and the Bird Woman in Aurora's MARY POPPINS, the two began performing their work for friends and colleagues around town, and the response has been incredible.

Hobbs began writing the show when he was still in college, over six years ago, and after hitting a creative roadblock, reached out to De Maria earlier this year. The two quickly began collaborating, rearranging, and fine tuning to the point that they felt comfortable sharing their work with the world.

This musical memory play chronicles two relationships that move in very different directions. The stories are told from the point of view of a singer/songwriter who, on his rise to superstardom, is giving interviews about his life.

In talking with the creators, De Maria said that the show "takes you inside one man's mind, who is over- expressive, undisciplined, but stunted in the same way. It's about finding hope, and release and acceptance in a situation that you feel you can't understand."

Hobbs quickly followed up with, "Everybody's had that romance that you understand why it wouldn't work in the long run, but you don't understand why it didn't work in the (moment)... That can be a really wonderful thing to go through, and also a destructive thing to go through."

While I was fortunate enough to attend the concert version at the Aurora, we weren't privy to much of the book. The plot was only described after that fact, so piecing the story together was nearly impossible, but it didn't matter. The music, and snippets of dialogue that we heard, were as fresh and inventive as anything I've experienced in years.

The music and lyrics (by Hobbs) are packed with nuanced emotions, exciting melodies, and creative surprises at every turn. Though only played by Hobbs on either piano or guitar, the songs had a naturally lush quality that will assuredly lend themselves nicely to future, fuller orchestrations.

The dialogue, which Hobbs and De Maria share writing credit for, is all in the form of bursts of poetry and elevated prose; a risky proposition, to say the least. However, a decision that could easily have come off as amateur and precious, instead seems inspired; the romantic musings of an artist reflecting on what once was, and what might have been.

As the pair continues to refine the show, they are currently looking for the next natural step in the life of the musical; no matter what that step turns out to be, Hobbs and De Maria are developing a captivating original musical, in every sense of the term. So, whether it is at a theatre, in a bar, or in someone's living room, if you get the chance to see THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE, do it, because it won't be long before you have to pay twice face value to get into a sold-out production.

Below, check out video of the song "You're All Alone" from one of the Java Monkey performances. You can see more performance on the show's YouTube page, and you can connect with the creators on their Facebook page.

Photo Credit: Kevin Harry
Video Credit: Richard Williams | stupidDOPE