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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Walking into the Coterie Theatre for the world premiere of U: BUG: ME at Crown Center was like walking into a wild dance party. Vibrantly dressed young actors bopped around with the excited kids who nestled next to the stage on the floor. A conga line weaved through the house while the resident rock band wandered through the crowd laying down their funky groove. The atmosphere screamed "FUN!" 

There is a kind of genius to warming up the audience with a pre-performance dance party. With actors running around in character, the audience unconsciously discovers who they are. We find out who is funny, mischievous, silly or sweet. We became friends.

And the plot revolved around friendship. Esteban (Shea Coffman), the brainy earwig, and Pico (KC Comeaux), the lovably but loopy blue fly, are working on an experiment to create the winning soil sample for the Great Crabgrass Festival. Unfortunately, Pico isn't highly reliable, and when he lets Esteban down, he is replaced by the bully horsefly, Packo, who steals the sample and submits it as his own. 

What play is complete without a love interest? Pico really "like-likes" the helium-voiced caterpillar girl, Isabelle (Katie Karel), but they aren't of the same species and she thinks people won't approve.  The anxious Isabelle tries to explain that her metamorphosis is coming, and with all of the changes, she isn't sure she is ready to be his "first best friend" -- a line that had me giggling for days. The persuasive Pico allays her fears, and they buzz merrily on their way. 

But when Pico accidentally spills the soil sample in an ingenious slo-mo scene, Esteban gets angry and Pico runs away. In a scene reminiscent of The Lion King, a couple of charming cockroaches, played to perfection by Francisco Javier Villegas and Areli Gil, find Pico, befriend him and help him solve his problem. 

The artistic concept of U: BUG: ME was perfect for the Hallmark-owned Coterie Theatre, fitting in with the whole Kaleidoscope feeling. The show's set was inspired by the molded glassworks of Dale Chihuly, and the stylish, layered costumes had a distinctively hip edge. I particularly loved the way Megan Turek used goggles as buggy eyes and that the Queen Bee, in her black and yellow power suit, was more Michelle Obama than Queen Elizabeth. 

The Ant Hill band (Matthew Jayson Weiss, Evan White and Sam Wisman)rocked the house, led by the centipede Keno (Brodie Rush). Their sparkly antennae bobbed to the beat as they provided the rhythmic energy that drove the play. They variously functioned as pieces of the set, as backup singers a la Motown, as sound effects, and even as the Greek chorus reflecting on the action. My only complaint was that the microphones were too loud for young ears -- the singers had the vocal power to project without that much amplification. Nevertheless, the Ant Hill band was tight, talented and in tune. 

But talent wasn't in short supply: The cast was full of it. These Coterie veterans understood the young audience. They knew what would get the laugh and how to deliver it. They were charming and attentive, but beyond their theatrical skills, they sang, they danced, and they all played instruments. It was heartwarming during the ballad Not Alone to see the punk bully Pack played by Keenan Ramos pick up a violin and play a lovely duet with the multicast Jennie Greenberry on her cello. 

Better than Saturday morning cartoons, better than Disney, Nickelodeon and PBSKids, U: BUG: ME is an educational morality tale masked in rock music and wrapped in wings with antennae on top. The book, music, lyrics and arrangements were the brainchild of the insanely talented 26 year old Jeremiah Clay Neal. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

 U: BUG: ME sends a jolt of joy through one's body.  I even picked up an acoustic version of the soundtrack sung by the composer to play in my car. If you're feeling old and cranky, go see this show. It's like taking a dip in the fountain of youth. Oh yeah, the kids will like it, too. 

REVIEW:
U: BUG: ME
June 23-Aug. 2
The Coterie Theatre
Level One, Crown Center Shops

By Megan Browne Helm

Classical, Vocal and Theatre Contributor

Megan Browne Helm grew up singing, dancing and acting.  Inspired by Emma Kirkby as a high school student in St. Louis she went on to study voice and sing with the Collegium Musicum at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio where she also had a radio show of contemporary classical music on WOBC.  At the University of Kansas she had the pleasure of working with former Kings’ Singer, Simon Carrington in his Collegium Musicum and Oread consort. Years later, she was a choral fellow at the Yale School of Music’s  Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.  She is currently singing with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus under the direction of Charles Bruffy. 

 As a freelance music and culture writer her work can be found on KCMetropolis.org, presentmagazine.com, the Lawrence Journal World, Shawnee Magazine, Leawood Lifestyle Magazine and KC Parent.  She was one of 26 journalists in the country chosen as a NEA Institute Fellow for Classical Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. 

Her current interest is how classical music remains relevant through active collaborations with artists in different fields, including science.  She also sees a connection between classical music, travel and food as a way to engage all of the senses in a 360 degree cultural experience.  She blogs at raworganum.wordpress.com.