The cast of ‘Hundred Days’ by Circle Theatre. (Photos by TayStan Photography)
Circle Theatre in Fort Worth opened Hundred Days back on June 6 by musicians Shaun and Abigail Bengson. The husband-and-wife team wrote the musical about their own courtship and whirlwind marriage three weeks later. The drama of this show and their story though relied on a dream Abigail had that her husband had 100 days to live so now they must live each day like a year or at least live the most of each day. Because, you know, she had that dream.
Hundred Days was less a musical and more a concert with an impressive cast/band led by also real life couple Aubrey and Ian Ferguson as the Bengsons and aptly directed by Evan Michael Woods. Rounding out the rest of the “family band” was Cherish Love Robinson, Sebastian Archibald, Emma Gervasi, Silas Robles and Jarrod Wells. They all meshed well as if they were a longtime band with banter and familiarity. Archibald and Gervasi also served as the younger Bengsons often through movement and added dialogue. Gervasi delivered some wonderfully expressive dance in those performative moments.
Along with playing keys, Robinson stepped in as Max, the former roommate-to-be and longtime friend to Shaun who ditched Max after a cross-country drive to live with Abigail. In her vocal moments, Robinson doesn’t play and belted out her songs with full power.
The focus though was on the Fergusons and both were strong in vocals and musicality. Ian Ferguson is a versatile force of acting in area theater, but when he adds music to the mix (as he did in Circle’s The Other Josh Cohen and Casa Manana’s Once), he’s unstoppable. Even with a guitar in his hands, his depth delivered a resonant performance of emotion and uncertainty while also serving romantic lead. Acting across his wife probably helped. He also served as music director.
On par with her spouse, Aubrey Ferguson delivered a powerful gravitas to her role as Abigail and in many ways, the show’s narrator. In the more conversational exchanges, the two were easy and charming. The program did a side by side of both the Bengsons and the Fergusons stating their similarities and thus, the Ferguson fit into the roles well.
Woods’ direction though was swift and efficient in this 90 minute show with no intermission. The story itself was sometimes confusing, but Woods and the cast pushed the show forward at all times without a lagging moment. Leah Mazur’s scenic design was effective in a minimalist way and Aaron Johansen’s lighting was masterful.
With the massive talents all onstage delivering an engaging setlist of music and songs, the story just felt self-indulgent with no real stakes at risk. She had a dream and he had fears and somehow this birthed a musical. The couple declare their love but push aside previous relationships, so are they even good people to begin with. We were subjected to some self-imposed tumult that only led to “but look at us now.” The message – if that – of living life to the fullest wasn’t further extended by this photo album story and instead more of a platitude no one asked for.
The musical runs through July 6.
–Rich Lopez