The music was rather monotonous and didn't seem to support the action. The work could use much editing, as the first act alone was an hour and a half. This was one of few performances that had so little to keep my attention that I left at intermission.

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The Gilded is tarnished.

Be warned, the first act alone is ninety minutes long, so hit the bathroom before it starts, the long evening teeters at the three hour mark, and feels endless. You're at the two hour mark before you can figure out what the plot is about and who's-who.

This "steampunk musical fairytale" supposedly about "art" and "freedom" and all things "magical", is badly in need of some whimsy and magic, maybe a few artful special-effects to pump up its fantastical elements, and free it from the author/director's grip.

The basic story is ultimately clever and interesting but this show is badly in need of re-thinking, re-directing, and someone who can put the author's ego in check and cut a solid hour of rambling dialog. The musical score runs the gamut from banal to grating, the lyrics from doggerel to unintelligible. The music direction and accompaniment is perfunctory at best and out of balance at worst.

The performers are not horrible, but every one is badly miscast, some sing so softly you can't discern lyrics, others screech out blinding top notes. The chirography is high-school 101 at best and only helps to muddy the characterizations and plot.

The most extraordinary thing in the musical are the tawdry and otherworldly costume designs, done on a budget but with imagination and devotion. The setting is low-tech industrial rather than steampunk driven.

The theme of this show is about the lure of fantasy, enchantment, and wonder, but manages to be clunky and wholly un-magical or fanciful in its execution. What is intended as an otherworldly contrast to a war-torn landscape just comes off as boring and mundane.

About a third of the audience fled from this world during intermission, and though they missed the better second act, I was jealous of their freedom. I hope someone with an unbiased eye will take charge of this mess and whip it into shape, as there is the kernel of a charming musical buried deep somewhere in here.

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Sorry I attended the last performance yesterday since the show is well worth seeing. A small cast and a work in progress, but some great material that is still being shaped.

Each main character has a story arc - the young soldier, the runaway princess, the storyteller, etc. Each is on a journey to self discovery and maturity. Relationships and alliances shift during the show. The setting is in a borderland war torn city. A troup of actors performs tales of knights and ladies in an abandoned building. The Gilded is the name of the troup. The production design and especially the costumes are heavily influenced by Steampunk, which is a very good look for the production given the distressed circumstances of the play and its setting in wartime.

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After 8 years of rewrites, the playwright still doesn't have a story, or an ability to edit himself. It was agonizing to stay for the whole performance, but my group did stay, as we were 25% of the audience and felt sorry for the actors. The actors had great voices, but the story, sets and costumes were a dreary affair. Don't go.

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