When theatergoers show up for performances of “Underground,” a world premiere musical opening July 7 at Coronado Playhouse, they should expect an interactive experience.
Inspired by the songs and lyrics of the prolific American singer-songwriter-pianist Ben Folds, “Underground” is set inside a “dive bar” where a bandleader named “Ben” and many of the characters from his songs over the past 35 years will come to life. Audience members will sit at bar tables and can order beers, cocktails and soft drinks while they watch the show unfold around them — not onstage but on the auditorium floor behind the bar, at the piano and near the foosball and other game tables.
Singer-songwriter Ben Folds photographed in concert in Los Angeles in 2013. Folds is the subject of the world premiere jukebox musical “Underground” at La Jolla Playhouse in July 2023.
(Paul R. Giunta / Associated Press)
“Underground” is a co-production of Coronado Playhouse and San Diego’s Blindspot Collective. This is the first time in the Playhouse’s 77-year history that it has co-produced a show with another local theater. This partnership seems particularly appropriate.
Blindspot, headed up by artistic director Blake McCarty, is known for creating deeply immersive, site-specific, community-based work. McCarty is the bookwriter for the “Underground” musical and he works as the production manager for Coronado Playhouse. McCarty said the co-production is a win-win for both organizations.
“We’re excited,” McCarty said. “Blindspot has generally operated without permanent facilities in any form. Also, this is an opportunity for Coronado to continue engaging new audiences and look at a different producing model.”
“Underground” has been in development for the past 13 years. Its first workshop was presented in New York City in 2012 as a graduate school project of original co-creators Amy Cordileone, Donnie Tuel and Rachel Tuggle Whorton. McCarty first encountered the musical in 2015 at a showcase of site-specific theater projects in New York.
A scene from “Underground,” a new musical being coproduced by Coronado Playhouse and Blindspot Collective.
(Courtesy of Joe Kao)
McCarty had been there to direct one of his first Blindspot Collective shows and was an old friend of Cordileone. They met in Africa in 2007 where they both worked as teachers in Northern Uganda. McCarty eventually moved Blindspot to San Diego and Cordileone went in the opposite direction. She’s a San Diego native who performed at Lamb’s Players, New Village Arts and Starlight Theatre before moving permanently to New York, where she’s now a member of the theater faculty at New York University.
Cordileone, McCarty and the rest of the creative team are all longtime fans of Ben Folds, whose music they grew up listening to and whose lyrical storytelling has always been a favorite of musical theater composers and performers.
“For many people, Ben’s music was formative when we were teenagers and young adults,” says Cordileone, who is directing and choreographing “Underground” in Coronado. “It’s a joy to explore these songs through a fresh, theatrical lens and hopefully introduce a new audience to Ben’s exceptional songwriting.”
In earlier workshops of the musical, “Underground” was a musical story told through a Ben Folds-like male protagonist. But during the pandemic — when most theater artists were idled — Cordileone, Tuggle and McCarty — started collaborating online to flesh out the story and give songs to multiple characters in the show’s 16-member cast.
McCarty said the musical’s theme is about human connection, something that everyone longed for during the pandemic.
“There’s a recurring lyric in one of his newest songs about ‘do you still believe in the good of humankind.’ In many ways, it felt synchronous to us,” McCarty said. “That’s the central question of the show. How could we see the humanity of those around us, even if we don’t know their full story? We’re getting insight into the strangers around us and utilizing the music and themes to really explore different characters and experiences that are all in a shared space together.”
The show will feature all or snippets of 40 to 50 Folds songs, including “Underground,” “Losing Lisa,” “Army,” “Annie Waits,” “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” “I’m No the Man” and “Dog.”
Much of San Diego’s older theater audience may be unfamiliar with Folds and his music, but McCarty said his music is insightful, relatable and ear-catching.
“He’s a musical genius, a musical savant who can use the keyboard as both a melodic and percussion instrument. He’s known for writing songs that are personal and full of pathos and humor that capture the quirks and depth of individual human experiences. Often he’s writing about his own foibles and flaws in a way that feels humanizing. But so much of his music is full of remarkable hooks that you can’t help walking away humming.”
“Underground” is recommended for audiences ages 15 and up. Alcohol will only be served to ages 21 and over.
“Underground” opens July 7 and runs through July 30, with performances at 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 3 p.m. Sundays at Coronado Playhouse, 1835 Strand Away, Coronado. Tickets start at $24. Call (619) 435-4856 or visit coronadoplayhouse.org.