“When the Daffodil Blooms” by Joel Walley is an ambitious musical retelling of the Narcissus and Echo myth with complex compositions reminiscent of Sondheim. The use of dissonance, offbeat rhythms, and unexpected melody lines gave the cast a difficult row to hoe as they navigated the score. It was clear this group worked hard to master the complicated music and I was pleased that the actors were mic’d so we could hear that hard work, though it occasionally presented blocking issues due to them being handheld. It may be that so much attention was given to perfecting the music that not enough time was given to character work.
While the story of Narcissus and Echo is Greek in origin, Walley chose to use Roman names for the gods that bring tragedy to the duo in this modern take on the tale, and it was never quite clear if Juno (aka Hera) really was a goddess in this version, or just the owner of the bar where Narcissus worked. This and the use of three company members as several named and unnamed characters, occasionally switching without warning to portray reflections of Narcissus may lead to some confusion regarding the plot. However, with such a strong score, I believe that with further development this new musical has great potential.
Check out “When the Daffodil Blooms” to enjoy some engaging original songs. I recommend sitting higher up in the theater or on the ends of rows as there are often actors blocking sightlines for front row center.
