In Pieces at The Other Palace Review

Image: Danny Kaan

Written by Ziwen for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review. All views are our own

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A handful of chairs, a single table, a few wine glasses, and a transport case—while the stage might seem sparsely furnished at first glance, this minimalism does nothing to hinder my imagination from envisioning every scene of In Pieces. While elaborate set and lighting design can certainly elevate a production, there is something profoundly raw and moving about watching actors bare the emotional core of a resonant story on an unadorned stage. This is precisely why I am so drawn to works presented in workshop or staged concert formats. After five years of refinement, In Pieces—with Music, Book, and Lyrics by Joey Contreras—has made its debut as a staged concert at The Other Palace under the direction of Martha Geelan. Even in its nascent stage on the boards, this piece effortlessly achieves the most crucial of theatrical feats: it tells a story that resonates with almost everyone.

Everyone has a few people in their lives who leave a profound mark at a certain moment, only to disappear dramatically or quietly. Or perhaps, when their paths cross again, they merely share a polite smile and a few words, yet both intimately remember the moments they once shared. This is the very story In Pieces tells. Its six characters represent different "pieces" of love and life: Charlie (Ryan Kopel) harbors a secret crush on the popular Grey (Alex James-Hatton), who feels the spark but is too afraid to own his true feelings in public. Charlie’s brother, Peter (Antonio Cipriano), and Sam (Ailsa Davidson) are clearly in love, yet they suffer deeply from the stark disparity in their career paths. Then there is Alex (Romona Lewis-Malley), accustomed to watching others' lives from a café, and River (Emilie Louise Israel), who is too afraid of loss to fully give her heart away. Over the course of ninety minutes, the audience watches these six characters across three stages of their lives, encountering those who leave a mark on them and finding their own footing along the way.

Clearly telling the stories of six characters simultaneously is no easy feat, let alone within such a limited timeframe. Because all six are introduced at once in the opening number, the audience has to gradually piece together everyone's backstory as the show progresses, making it easy to miss certain details. Furthermore, the relationships between the characters lack extensive exposition, relying heavily on the audience's intuition. The life stages covered span a wide range, and the transitions can be rather abrupt, making it occasionally difficult to immediately catch up with each character's emotional state. Fortunately, the delicate emotions woven into the piece often compensate for these structural issues, and the cast successfully captures these essential feelings.

Among them, Ailsa Davidson’s performance of "Another New York Love Story" is particularly memorable. In this number, Sam runs into Peter on a bus after years apart; by this time, he has finally made it to the Broadway stage. Although it’s a shared scene, the entire song is narrated solely by Sam. The audience follows her perspective—hearing how Peter notices her and sits down, listening as she mentally counts the stops until her station, right up until he walks her to her door, leaves a kiss on her cheek, and silently departs. The song is incredibly restrained yet emotionally dense. Davidson’s gentle, understated vocal delivery instantly pulls the audience right into the intimacy of the moment.

While it is apparent that this current iteration of In Pieces still has some rough edges, it is absolutely a work that deserves a wider audience. What it needs now is tighter connection between the characters, allowing the audience to understand each of them more deeply. This could start with identifying a central protagonist among the six—a potential core figure who is actually already quite obvious, just not yet brought to the forefront. Moreover, the production shouldn't shy away from taking more time to flesh out their stories. Doing so would only make the piece fuller and smooth out the pacing, because it already possesses the vital core needed to sustain a great musical.

★★★★