THE HANGOVER REPORT – John Cameron Mitchell’s singular, sprawling ANTHEM: HOMUNCULUS defies expectations, with familiarity

John Cameron Mitchell and Bryan Weller's podcast musical "Anthem: Homunculus", available via Luminary.

Artwork for John Cameron Mitchell and Bryan Weller’s podcast musical “Anthem: Homunculus”, available via Luminary.

Last night, I completed listening to John Cameron Mitchell’s latest concoction, Anthem: Homunculus. Given the current unprecedented time of uncertainty for the performing arts (and all things in life, really), it seemed ripe time to dive into the surreal, expansive world Mr. Mitchell has created. The audio experience is unique in its use of a podcast subscription service (Luminary) as the platform for its storytelling. Aside from this adventurous format, the work is also notable for its ambitious scope – collectively, Anthem: Homunculus offers listeners approximately six hours of content spread across ten installments. Set in Junction City, Kansas (just like the piece’s notable predecessor), the podcast musical tells the story of one Ceann Mackay, a queer man approaching middle age who establishes a “tumor telethon” to help fundraise for the financing of his brain cancer treatment. During these loosely-planned telethon broadcasts, Ceann existentially recounts the life events and relationships that have shaped and led him to the current moment.

The “musical” is Mr. Mitchell’s anticipated follow-up to his 1998 rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Taking its cue from that seminal earlier work – which straddles musical theater, cabaret, monologue, and rock concert – Anthem: Homunculus is an equally wild ride that similarly embraces a multi-disciplinary approach. In essence, it’s a trailblazing, textured hybrid between theater, radio play, pop album, confessional monologue, and film. Despite not having the aid of a visual vocabulary, the piece is the unmistakable work of the same creator, particularly as it relates to its exquisitely wry worldview and sense of humor. Indeed, Hedwig fans will find a familiarity in Anthem: Homunculus that will feel like a nostalgic homecoming of sorts. Upon final assessment, the installment-based presentation turns out to be both a blessing and a curse. On the up side, it allows characters to reveal themselves organically, a luxury not often afforded by the logistical constraints of live theater. The sprawling layout also lends itself to playful self-indulgence, which I mostly didn’t mind. Nevertheless, there were times when I missed Hedwig‘s tight, elegant structure. That being said, there’s a different sort of satisfaction to be had with the podcast’s gloriously fussy and gratuitous construction, complete with hallucinatory flashbacks, audacious fantasy sequences, and loopy internal musings, all of which are overlaid on top of that most subjective of states, reality.

Anthem: Homunculus has also been directed by Mr. Mitchell, who does a fabulous job of creating a vivid world within the mind’s eye. It’s gutsy work that’s both ravishing and unsettling. Thanks in large part to some brilliant sound design and editing work, Ceann’s devolving sense of the boundary between reality and the subconscious is one of the moist disorienting sensations I’ve encountered in recent memory, in any medium. The eclectic score – featuring more than 30 original songs (averaging about two or three per episode) by Mr. Mitchell and Bryan Weller – is generally excellent. If the collection isn’t quite the instant set of cult classics that Hedwig‘s was, only time will tell whether any of the pungent compositions ultimately graduate into the continuously evolving musical theater songbook. As the central character Ceann, Mr. Mitchell – completing an exhaustive and exhausting list of assignments – lives and breathes the role. In many ways, Ceann is a sort of a soul sister to Hedwig in demeanor and life trajectory, so it would only make sense that the fearless actor would originate both roles. Additionally, each show captures their queer, world-weary protagonist at a time of painful evolution. Mr. Mitchell is joined by a constellation of indisputable stars of stage and screen – including such iconic performers as Cynthia Erivo, Glenn Close, Nakhane, Patti LuPone, Laurie Anderson, Marion Cotillard, and Denis O’Hare – who play key people in Ceann’s life. Suffice to say, they’re all rich, welcome, and geek-worthy components of this singular musical.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

ANTHEM: HOMUNCULUS
Podcast, Musical
Available via Luminary (at https://luminarypodcasts.com)
Approximately 6 hours in 10 episodes

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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