Elmhurst University Students perform “The Theory of Relativity” on the Mill Theatre stage

Photo by — Ryan Windle

“We have missed much. We have missed live theater events. We have missed the enthusiasm of crowds. More importantly, we have surely learned much about ourselves in missing each other,” said Janice Pohl in the director’s welcome.

The most recent musical to be presented by Elmhurst University’s department of theater and dance, “The Theory of Relativity,” was performed on March 31 through April 3, with performances the following weekend on April 7 through 9.

“It felt nice to finally be working on a live musical again after the pandemic,” said EU sophomore Amelia McNeil, who played Mira in the production. “We had virtual cabarets last year, but it really wasn’t the same.”

This one-act musical contains a variation of songs and monologues of various different characters that are connected to each other. The music and lyrics were composed by Neil Bartram and the book was written by Bryan Hill.

There are a wide variety of musical selections, with a typical musical theater style in the songs “End of the Line” and “Julie’s Song”; some jazzy numbers such as the song “Me and Ricky”; and more stripped-back songs such as “Promise Me This” and “Footprint.”

A question of this musical, posed by Janice Pohl in the same director’s welcome, states “What happens when a theory about the relationships of light, mass, and energy intersects with a song cycle?” As the musical progresses, the question slowly begins to answer itself.

The next performance set to be on the Mill Theater stage is their One Acts, which will be held on May 7 and 8.