Death! A Musical

A wonderful delight

Often delightful and sweet, incredibly charming performers. Some very thoughtful and theologically complicated ideas wrestled with. Love the abraham lincoln song and the narrarator.

Amazing show!

Energetic, Well Orchestrated, with a Touch of Humor, Death the Musical, welcomes you into an upbeat reflection of life and death. Written by 12 year old Gabriel Shen, a rising eighth grader, with a talented, well cast crew, along with an impressive orchestra composed of dedicated Middle School musicians. Death the Musical takes us where we adults. sometimes resist going: Contemplating Death! The creative music and lyrics written by Director, Gabriel Shen shares the cycle of life and death. The summary of the play may be these lyrics from the song, Life without Death: Life without death is no life at all, Life without meaning is no life at all. One needs the other, the other needs one. If you want to “get a life”, this play may do it for you. Leave it to our youth to cut through the haze.

Show was really neat!

I really was impressed with how it was only accomplished in 1 week!

When Life Imitates Art

At Monday's 5:30 performance, I witnessed something wonderful: when an actor fell mid-show, playwright Gabriel Shen stepped seamlessly into the role, creating an unplanned demonstration of the very themes his musical explores about resilience and community. This impressive production by middle schoolers tackles mortality with surprising depth and genuine humor—the Abraham Lincoln sequence and narrator work are particularly clever. Other reviewers had noted the live orchestra previously overwhelming the vocals, but that's been fixed and we heard all the vocals quite well.

Pack Up the Babies and Bring the Old Ladies--

You don't want to miss Death! A Musical

Wow! A musical written, directed, and performed by middle schoolers - kids who have clearly poured their hearts into this fabulous production. Death! A Musical offers a unique perspective on death, and living, and is filled with some fun surprises and moments of laughter. Run, don’t walk, to see this show!

Amazing show

This show was actually really freaking good. Everyone was a great singer and the songs were very catchy. It’s very impressive.

The Kids' Turn to Teach

An ambitious production that hits the mark. Bring your tears, laughs, and open mind. I'm impressed with the sheer amount of work by all, the clever compositions, the questions raised about the afterlife, and the theft of presidential property... Very engaging and thought-provoking - thank you for sharing this with us.

The Kids are All Right

I had the pleasure of watching this show in a packed house at 5:30 on Monday. I was already enchanted by the energy and talent of the young performers and pit orchestra musicians, as well the smart and insightful lyrics about reconciling death as a part of life. But then, one of the actors took a bad fall onstage. The lights went on to attend to the actor's injury, and a lone actor onstage conversed with the audience and made the best of the situation. Then, the playwright/director confidently stepped in for the fallen actor without missing a beat, covering her on the next musical number so that she could recover. When the actor returned to her role, she recieved a round of applause. From then on, we witnessed this group of young performers experience what live theater is all about. Sometimes, things don't go as planned, but you keep going, rally one another, and maintain the magic. There's a great song toward the end about how without death, life wouldn't have meaning. Sometimes you can't appreciate just how ALIVE live theater can be without something wrong and everyone having to rally and move forward, and do so successfully. This show embodied the spirit of this festival more than anything else I've seen at the Fringe in the over 20 years I've particiated as either a performer or audience member. Make time for this show. You will leave with a smile and a lot of hope for the next generation of performers.

Death! But Fun!!

A delightful musical—I wish I could listen to the songs on Spotify (and put them on repeat)! The performers are so talented, and it hit all the beats of a good musical. As other reviewers mentioned, it was occasionally hard to hear the performers. It’s impressive that they put it together in a week! The staging could have taken better advantage of the space (often action was concentrated on the bottom third of the stage)—an opportunity for future performances. Excellent work!

What will Gabriel Shen be doing in 5 years?

This show had a thought provoking story to tell. The structure was 7 challenges. Think labors of Hercules or trials in The Magic Flute. What was impressive was the creativity by young people in making this happen. Having seen what Gabriel did as a 7th-grader, what will be produced as a high school senior? Highly recommend this show. Other reviews mentioned balance between singers and orchestra. I found the same thing, which is why this gets 4.5 kitties. I couldn't always hear the singers.

A well put together original middle school musical

From an objective standpoint, the story is there, and it’s obvious that a lot of heart and effort went into this production. Both the cast and the live orchestra, made up of kids, deserve major credit for pulling off a show at this scale, the quality of work is genuinely impressive (considering the ages of the creative team). The script had some great comedic moments, and the choreography (which at one point even included a tap number) was well executed. That being said, the sound balance between the orchestra and the vocals made it difficult at times hear clearly and be able to follow the story (this could just be a first day opening, but the orchestra was way to loud). Some scene transitions also felt a bit slow (with two adults seeming to handle this portion) and might benefit from more cast involvement to keep the pacing sharp.

Original and Funny!

Mortality isn’t a typical theme for a youth-led theater production, but then again, 12-year-old Gabrielle Shen isn’t your typical first-time director. With "Death! A Musical," Shen leads a cast of young actors and musicians in a charming, offbeat play that wrestles with one of life’s biggest questions: Do we need death to give life meaning? The script—written by Shen and his father—balances existential inquiry with genuine humor. What emerges is a vibrant, thoughtful work of art. Shen is clearly a promising young director with a fresh vision and voice. "Death! a Musical" may be about the end of life— but I left the theater singing its songs and feeling hopeful. This production is full of creativity and heart. It’s absolutely worth the trip!

Incredible Opportunity for Growth Ahead!

If this is what you're starting from, then Gabriel Shen has a very bright future. The acting left a lot to be desired, though there were some decent moments it wasn't consistent. I definitely expected more from the topic at hand, but was greeted with a much cheerier look at things in a very camp musical style. My favorite scene was when the main character witnesses her own funeral, I think that bit hit closer to home for the tone I thought we'd see. Still very impressive overall, especially the number of individuals in the pit really killed it.

A well done play by young performers

This was written and rehearsed in a week; as such there are some rough edges, but these young performers did a great job. I want to particularly commend them on dealing with an accident on stage: they showed maturity and flexibility in the face of adversity. May your other shows be less stressful!

Wonderful

We walked out believing we had just seen the best of the Fringe. What a production! Amazing how much original music was packed into that hour. Annd a live orchestra! Infectious melodies and clever lyrics worked perfectly with the thoughtful and frequently comic storytelling. This was an amazing accomplishment for anyone, high-schooler or adult. I'm so glad got to experience this musical. When will the soundtrack be available?

Cute but hard to hear

The author and kids and grown-ups involved should be proud, it was a cool show considering their ages. Still, I had a hard time hearing many lines, even when the on-stage orchestra was not overpowering them. The scene changes were slow, too. Keep at it, though, I think this team is learning and has a promising future.

Pulled through despite pause!!

Amazingly talented crew!

Fantastic music and singing and a funny take on an imprtant topic. Loved it!

Incredible!

Death! A Musical was fun, incredibly funny, and full of heart. The talented young performers were clearly having lots of fun onstage, and they brought so much energy and joy to this hilarious and thoughtful story of life after death. The show was impressively written by 12-year-old Gabriel Shen and had an important and uplifting message. The cast and crew of this show should be very proud of their performance. We need more musicals like this!

Creativity shines throughout "Death!"

This is a fantastic production, and the incredible creativity of all the young cast and crew should be heralded. The music is phenomenal, and the live score with musicians playing adds so much to the sheer joy of observing a show that centers on a dark theme. The humor is jovial, clever, and delivered with perfection to captivate the audience at every turn! My favorite bit was the Abraham Lincoln song and dance. It was so random, yet somehow so central to the plot as well. This show is a must-see! The fact that these wonderfully enterprising middle school students created it and put it together with aplomb is just a testament to their dedication to their craft.