We are so excited you are coming to see the world premiere of this new musical, Long Way Down, written by creative geniuses Dahlak Brathwaite and Khiyon Hursey. If you’ve never been to Olney Theatre Center before, “Welcome to the Family!” We hope this is the beginning of a very long friendship. If you’ve been with us before, Welcome Back! We missed you. Now, let’s talk a little bit about Long Way Down.
The story is a simple one. Shawn, a teenager, has a younger brother named Will who looks up to him. Shawn teaches Will the three rules of the streets.
Don’t Cry.
Don’t Snitch.
Get Revenge.
When Shawn is murdered, Will wants revenge. He grabs a gun from his brother’s drawer and heads to the elevator. On the ride down from the 7th floor, Will meets six ghosts who show him the costs of the actions he is about to take. With hip-hop as the musical tool used to share their stories, we learn all about the lives of these ghosts, their values, and the long history of those who lived and died by the three rules. By the time Will reaches the first floor, he has a huge decision. Can he honor the three rules and take revenge against Shawn’s killer or make the choice to end this cycle that has plagued his community for generations?
This powerful new musical is based on the book, Long Way Down, written by Maryland native, Jason Reynolds. In 2017 it was released as a novel for young adults and became an instant hit, topping the list of every major book award. It even went on to be selected by Time Magazine as one of the greatest young adult books of all time. In just over 300 pages, Reynolds wrote a fast-paced narrative that takes place over the course of 66 seconds. What is Will gonna do? 7 Floors. 3 Rules. 1 Decision. This new musical honors everything Reynolds wrote and more.
Over the course of 4-weeks of rehearsals, the cast and creatives of Long Way Down have been working to honor the power of Jason Reynolds' narrative and turn it into a musical. This is no easy task. Before lights, costumes, sets, (Yes, there is an actual elevator.) and the band even enters the conversation, a new show takes shape slowly because everyone knows changes will be made daily, often until opening night. The energy in the rehearsal room is loving but filled with an intense focus to create the best story possible in the time they have. It’s a fast-paced process. Every day there are new pages, changes to songs, and adjustments to the characters and their connection to Will. Musical Director Cedric Lyles teaches new music regularly. There is a team of transcribers creating scores for the band. Emails are exchanged hourly. Hair appointments. Costume fittings. Co-choreographer, Victor Musoni quickly adapts whatever changes are made in the music and modifies a piece of choreo that the cast may have been working on for weeks. Everything changes fast and it’s all in search of finding the best way to tell the story. Six days a week. Eight hours a day. Dance. Sing. Act. Change. Dance. Sing. Act. Changes. Each day finds a more focused story than the one before. It’s an amazing cycle to behold. New musicals require a lot. Director Ken-Matt Martin and his team are brilliant and we are so grateful that this team is premiering their hard work at Olney Theatre Center.
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Over the course of the rehearsals, I’ve learned so much about the characters and the story but I’ve also learned that Long Way Down is a heartfelt snapshot of a community strongly rooted in their history. People from all walks of life, from many different points in time come together to celebrate or criticize the things they learned from those who came before them. I discovered that Will comes from a long line of people who love and care for him. The knowledge they impart, though forceful, tragic, or comedic at times, is rooted in everyone’s need to see Will survive.
Let me be clear. This is not always an easy story to watch. It is a beautiful and intense story. It is a funny and jarring story. It is a provocative and heartwarming story. This world premiere musical is what every theatre experience should be. It’s an emotional journey.
The actors and creative team are working hard to not shy away from the intensity needed to honor the narrative created by Jason Reynolds. And just when you think it couldn’t get any more brilliant, you realize that every character uses hip-hop as their love language. They communicate their stories to each other through rap. They explore anagrams, palindromes, and cadences to help us travel through time. Lyrical influences from hip-hop superstars like Kendrick Lamar, Notorious B.I.G., and Tupac Shakur are found in every song. Wordplay, fast language, and emotional arc are found in every musical phrase. It is a work of art that asks you to stay focused and intently listen. What every character needs to say in Long Way Down is urgent. It is quite literally a matter of life or death.
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The show is only 90 minutes, but what an amazing ride it will be! This is not your typical musical. It’s not Hamilton or the short-lived Broadway musical, Holla If Ya Hear Me! It’s simpler. Smaller. The scope is narrowed to focus on Will and the choice he has to make and the scope widens enough to show us two brothers who are trying to love and honor each other the only way they know how.
If you leave the theatre feeling strongly that Will could only make one choice, then we at Olney Theatre Center have done our job. Even better, if someone you’re with feels exactly the opposite. The actors and creative team have challenged you, the audience member, to think. We have invited you to place yourself into the narrative and ask yourself, “What would you do?” And isn’t that what great theatre should do? Make you think. Feel. Explore worlds unknown. Examine those things and people different from ourselves and find similarities.
We are all on that elevator with Will. We have all loved and lost. We have all succeeded and failed. We have all been asked to make the hard choice at some point in our lives. We all make choices every day. The only thing Long Way Down does is remind us… we have a choice.
Enjoy the show.
Kevin McAllister
BIPOC Artist Advocate/Director of Curated Programs
PS - If, following your performance, you find yourself unsettled by some of the more difficult emotions the play can surface, we’ll have a list of resources available. Just ask our staff.
