Intense and playful, tawdry and tender, Murder Ballad is a punchy, heartbreaking rock opera. Can Sara resist the siren song of Tom, her thuggy, gorgeous, former lover? Or will she stay faithful to her caring, devoted husband Michael? Even though we know murder is imminent, this gloriously purple melodrama is filled with surprises. It’s not just who commits the murder, but how did we get to this place? Imprint, it seems, has transformed the Margo Jones into a nightclub (The Kings X) with IDs requested, a band with a singer, pool table, bar and seating designed to accommodate potent libation. This venue in not exactly a dive, but there’s not exactly a waiting list. Most of the characters sport serious ink and tight attire.
Tom and Sara have an intense, dangerous romance that ends abruptly. Sara’s still nursing her wounds when she crosses paths with Michael, pretty much Tom’s polar opposite. Michael offers her warmth, safety and reliability. Before we know it, Michael and Sara have married, and subsequently a daughter. It’s not quite what Sara expected (the bourgeois life wears thin) but she’s not subjected to the extremes that come with an alphadog. As we might have expected, by the time their girl is old enough to go to kindergarten, Tom emerges to rekindle with Sara. Once Michael grasps the nature of Sara’s past with Tom, their relationship goes into upheaval. Michael angrily assumes Sara’s been unfaithful (Christ knows she’s barely had time) and Tom’s aching would make a gorilla cry. Tumultuous storms are tossing this vessel hard, and fever’s running higher than a town with the Black Plague.
Created and composed by Julia Jordan (Book and Lyrics) and Juliana Nash (Music and Lyrics) Murder Ballad has a healthy dose of cynicism and petulance, but not as toxic or jaded as Cabaret or Chicago. We understand the despair, pain and disappointment of the principal characters; Jordan and Nash reveal their insecurities and fears, that awful feeling of being perpetually lost. The songs are touching and unpretentious, without steering dangerously close to hoke or mawkishness. This kind of balance can be frustrating and difficult to find, but Director Ashley White and her savvy, intrepid cast engage us with an assured, persuasive touch. Jordan and Nash take us beyond the torrid Frankie and Johnny to Sara, Tom and Michael, convincingly flawed and utterly human.
Imprint Theatreworks presents: Murder Ballad, playing April 27th-May 13th, 2018. The Margo Jones Theatre, 1121 1st Ave, Dallas, Texas 75210. 469-554-8025. imprinttheatreworks.org