Liza’s adventure is narrated by her alter ego Jules (composer-lyricist Kai Anderson), a shy comics-loving student whose anxiety over homecoming and his gender identity leads him to isolate himself from his friends (David Gaztambide, Jadyn Koneski, Roman Ricardo, and Chad Sell).
Anderson’s music, which mixes ’80s-style hair metal with 8-bit chiptunes, is far better than the average original Fringe rock opera. The lyrics are somewhat are repetitive, tending to reiterate exposition instead of the pushing plot forward, but the score has a good variety of styles and some rich harmonies, and Liza’s “Echo of My Guitar” anthem has a melodic hook as catchy as anything in U2’s Spider-Man musical.
In the titular role, Ginty wields her electric guitar with gusto against her musical rogues gallery; she’s saddled with an awful red wig, but overcomes it with her powerful voice and passionate performance.
The finale’s climactic revelation comes across as a bit too After School Special, but its heart is certainly in the right place. Liza Battles the Instruments of Destiny is a fresh, promising work filled with solid musical and dramatic ideas that’s still rough around the edges, and just needs some more polish to bring out its potential.
Lowndes Shakespeare Center
Liza Battles the Instruments of Destiny
McNair Productions
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This article appears in Summer Guide 2023.