Emily Chackerian

Blackout Songs also delivers moments of brightness. Lee is particularly magnetic, playing Her with a sharp blend of wit and vulnerability. The gaps between memories/scenes feel cavernous, though the physical transitions themselves are smart and sleek, thanks in large part to lighting design by Stacey DeRosier and staging by director Rory McGregor and movement consultant Sarah Parker.

Bell’s book and lyrics often struggle to reflect the seductive eeriness of its source material, with lines that feel overly literal or dependent on the rhyme scheme. The simplicity distracts from a story that relies on ambiguity; how can we accept the mystery of the vanishing girls when so many other plot points are stated directly to the audience?