The reviews are in for the world premiere production of Oratorio for Living Things by composer Heather Christian, presented by the Off-Broadway company Ars Nova. The show officially opened March 30, following a preview period that began March 15, and has extended its run at Ars Nova @ Greenwich House through May 15.
Lee Sunday Evans directs the work, a fusion of music and theatre, surrounding the audience with 18 singers and instrumentalists to perform Christian's classical oratorio, infused with blues, gospel, jazz, and soul sounds. The ensemble cast includes Johnny Butler, Kirstyn Cae Ballard, Jane Cardona, Sean Donovan, Carla Duren, Clérida Eltimé, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Brian Flores, Odetta Hartman, Quentin Oliver Lee, Angel Lozada, Divya Maus, Barrie Lobo McLain, Ben Moss, John Murchison, Onyie Nwachukwu, Dito van Reigersberg, and Peter Wise.
Read the reviews below.
New York Magazine/Vulture (Helen Shaw)
New York Theater (Jonathan Mandell)
Time Out New York (Raven Snook)
Playbill will continue to update this article as reviews come in.
The creative team features music direction by Ben Moss, scenic design by Kristen Robinson, costume design by Márion Talán de la Rosa, lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, and sound design by Nick Kourtides. Greg Taubman serves as Latin consultant and translator. The production stage manager is Joseph Fernandez, assistant stage manager is Kelsey Vivian, and casting is by Henry Russell Bergstein.