Have you ever had an experience that was so insightful that it changed your preconceived notions and even your belief system? If not, then you probably have not seen Mary of the Avenue, a two act musical which details situations of loss, homelessness, and belonging on the streets of New York City. Being a Los Angeles native, I had never known how detrimental being homeless during the New York winter could be. The musical helped put a sense of humanity and hopefulness on the problem of homelessness. Through its plot development and catchy soundtrack I learned that the old cliché rings true, home is essentially where the heart is.
The storyline follows the optimistic Carrie, a Nebraskan young woman who journeys to New York in search of her long-departed mother. Though many consider Carrie’s goal unattainable and lofty, she believes that she can find her mother among the thousands of homeless women living in New York City. With help and incentives from several media outlets and homeless friends, Carrie finds Mary, the woman she believes to be her mother. Mary, an offbeat but good-hearted woman is stubborn and unchanging in her belief system. It takes a lot for Carrie to convince her that Mary is indeed her mother. Through persistence and love, Carrie helps Mary remember what her life was like pre-homelessness. However, Mary’s initial apprehension about leaving her life on the streets teaches Carrie a lot as well. Both Carrie and the audience learn a lot about the looseness of the term family, by examining Mary’s closeness and sacrifices for her friends on the street. We learn about belonging and vocation, through Mary’s love of gardening. Most importantly, we learn that the things we often value most, money and shelter, are all relative. While important to me, Mary and her friends on the street learned to live in solidarity with each other and love despite their conditions.
These ideals and lessons were all intertwined and presented through original music, written by Greg Wood and Neil Scanlan, and played by Doug Livinston on Keyboard, Bill Severance on Drums and Percussion, and Jeffrey Takiguchi on Bass. One of the most memorable pieces was “Five Minutes of Sunshine,” a tune that relayed Mary’s optimism despite her deplorable conditions. It reinforced the theme that things we take for granted, like a long sunny day in Los Angeles, are highly appreciated by people on the opposite side of the country. Songs like, “Five Minutes of Sunshine,” helped the audience relate to our fellow American citizens out in New York. To me, the most significant part of the play, was that it easily put a lot of life into perspective. As the playbook describes it, “Mary of the Avenue is timeless and filled with a range of emotions, not the least of which is the realization that lunch from a dumpster ma be the best thing that ever happened to you!” While I would still stray away from any type of food retrieved from a trash can, I did learn to open myself to appreciate more about life.
The play, directed by Donna Scaranitno, was performed at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood during the weekends of April 20-21st to April 27th-28th.