Review: ONE PROVIDENCE PLACE: A MALL MUSICAL at AS 220

It was only a matter of time before someone put the story of that secret apartment on stage. You know the one, from back in the aughts, when a group of local artists built a hidden room in the Providence Place Mall and lived in it for four years. Well, another local arts collective, The Harpies, have written an interesting musical which takes that apartment as the core, and builds a story around it.

"One Providence Place: A Mall Musical," with book and lyrics by Ayla Ahlquist, Mariah Min, and Tina Wolstencroft and music by Avi David, is running through Sept. 29 at AS220. The show offers an intriguing premise that fuses art, grief, and the search for a sense of place. It follows Riley (Christina Smith), and her sister Tess (Rachel Hanauer) who are in the process of closing up and selling their late mother's house. Leaving Tess to the packing, Riley visited Providence Place trying to get their mom's phone unlocked. While there, she discovered a hidden space that seems to beckon her.

The Harpies do a nice job loading up these metaphors of home and communication. In a duet "Grieve (I Can't)," Riley muses, "all this empty space/and I can't find my place." It's one of the strongest numbers in the show, and an opportunity for some nice moments between Smith and Hanauer. 

Once Riley and her artsy friends embark on their ambitious plan to build themselves an apartment inside the mall, the show leans into its farcical side. In a ribald, upbeat chorus number, “Fill That Hole,” the group trumpets their grand, absurdist project. Outside the vending machine that hides the secret entrance, the two comic relief mall guards join in on a funk-inflected "Year in Review."

Arguably the most absurd bit is a giant, dancing Walkie-Talkie (Hanauer) who prods the security guards to do their jobs in “Marching Orders,” as the officers dither about clues they have found.

The day inevitably comes when an eviction notice is taped to the door. The friends bemoan their fate in the heartfelt waltz-tempo "The Last Real Dreamers of Providence RI." The song contains the only use in the musical theatre canon, to this reviewer's knowledge, of the title of Walter Benjamin's 1935 essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." Have to give The Harpies a "well played" for that one.

Riley finally manages to hack her mom's phone and finds a note, which her Mother (Nicki Mariani-Wilson) delivers in a touching monologue.

It's a one-act musical, about 90 minutes with no intermission, and just nine songs. The book and lyrics are stronger than the score, which, despite intentional variations in genre (from acoustic to electronica) feels confined to a narrow range of tempo and dynamics. This was not helped by being pre-recorded (and played a a level which made it difficult, at times, to hear the actors -- if you see the show, avoid house right). There wasn't really a standout number, and the lack of incidental music made the scene changes feel quite long. 

Providence Place offers glimpses of intriguing ideas and moments of originality, but while the cast puts in an admirable effort, despite a few sparkles, the show never really does catch fire. For audiences in search of a quirky, experimental evening, One Providence Place offers a unique experience, though it may leave some feeling it never fully lives up to its intriguing premise.

One Providence Place: A Mall Musical. Sept. 19-29, Th-Sa 8PM; Sat-Sun 2PM, at AS220, 95 Empire Street, Providence. Tickets $20 (general admission), available at https://www.harpiesprov.com/

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