She won\u2019t budge from the East Village apartment she shares with gay bestie Steven (Mike Millan). Not even for deliveryman Jonah (Oliver Richman), who falls for her on sight (sure, right, you just have to go with it). Her mom, Adrienne (Mylinda Hull), is no help whatsoever.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the World Ends,\u201d a doom-themed ditty reprised three times, sets things in motion. From the jump and throughout this Out of the Box Theatrics production, we\u2019re in high-stakes, life-and-death territory. That\u2019s a heavy dramatic lift, one that requires a deft and delicate touch to nail a balance.<\/p>\n
When all is said and sung, Blaemire (Glory Days, Space Dogs), who wrote the book, music, and lyrics, has created a mixed bag of a musical. There are moments of open-hearted beauty in his pop-flavored score, which is bolstered by lovely harmonies. The reflective \u201cBohemia Paradiso\u201d and the wistful, guitar-driven \u201cWaiting\u201d are two prime musical numbers that pull you in.<\/p>\n
But Soon trips up due to an irksome bent for being offbeat and too cute. Like when Charlie belts \u201cPeanut Butter,\u201d a Sesame Street-style ode to her beloved spread. The show\u2019s construction is another issue. It\u2019s built on a red herring \u2014 or, perhaps a green one, since it\u2019s all about the environment \u2014 intended to misdirect.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re led to believe that an imminent, world-ending climate-change catastrophe prompted Charlie\u2019s self-imposed seclusion. While the idea is surely topical \u2014 even more than when Blaemire began working on the show in 2010 \u2014 it never quite squares. Is Charlie an unreliable narrator? Agoraphobic? Disturbed? Out of it from eating too much Jif?<\/p>\n
Blaemire hasn\u2019t drawn these characters with much depth. They basically get one trait apiece: There\u2019s anxious Charlie, sincere Jonah, over-the-top Steven, and self-obsessed Adrienne. Director Will Blum\u2019s fine quartet makes the most of the musical material, and Delaney\u2019s voice is an ideal showcase for Blaemire\u2019s music.<\/p>\n
Two-thirds of the way in, what\u2019s actually immobilized Charlie finally emerges. The apocalypse is apocryphal, and the crisis is tied to her personal family history. It\u2019s a subject worth exploring, and tackling the topic head-on might have made a more lasting impression. As is, Soon leaves your mind before you know it.<\/p>\n
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Soon summary<\/p>\n
Nick Blaemire\u2019s chamber musical concerns Charlie, a 20something New Yorker facing the end of the world as she knows it by sealing herself off in her apartment. Unexpectedly, a sweet deliveryman named Jonah drops off what she needs to face her reality \u2014 and to walk out her front door.<\/p>\n
This production at The Loft as St. Luke\u2019s Theatre is the musical\u2019s Off-Broadway debut, following a 2025 New York debut at the East Village Basement and its 2015 world premiere at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia.<\/p>\n
What to expect at Soon<\/p>\n
Theatregoers are seated on two sides of Sean Frank\u2019s set, which evokes an East Village apartment decorated with colorful area rugs and collage of record jackets \u2014 Fleetwood Mac, Bette Midler, and Joni Mitchell, among them. Gina Ruiz’s contemporary street clothes fit the characters, and Paige Seber\u2019s lighting lends depth and shadow.<\/p>\n
Soon runs 90 minutes without an intermission, and it explores themes of medical diagnosis and mental illness.<\/p>\n
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What audiences are saying about Soon<\/p>\n
Theatregoers at early performances expressed mixed reactions to the show on online forums like Mezzanine and Show-Score.<\/p>\n
\u201cI left crying. Beautiful show. Cool immersive space. Oliver Richman is so quirky and charming as Jonah. Ava [Delaney] is a star.\u201d – Mezzanine user Carly
\n\u201cA charming all original living room musical that also tackles some tough issues.\u201d – Mezzanine user Bob Stone
\n\u201cDepressing. Bad. […] The sequence of songs doesn\u2019t make sense \u2013 you can\u2019t sing a song about climate change, then immediately follow up with a song about peanut butter.\u201d – Mezzanine user kat c
\n“I was a little hesitant to see this show because it sounded like doom and gloom, but then I listened to the recording on Spotify and immediately got tickets. It has such a beautiful emotional arc to it — it has a huge heart, catchy songs, lots of comedic relief, and even a surprise I wasn’t expecting that made the show work SO much better than I would have expected.” – Show-Score user Lisa T<\/p>\n
Read more audience reviews of Soon on Show-Score.<\/a><\/p>\n Who should see Soon<\/p>\n Theatregoers who\u2019ve appreciated Blaemire’s previous works including Glory Days, Space Dogs, and Safety Not Guaranteed will be keen to see this Off Broadway premiere. (He’s also acting on Broadway this fall in A Few Good Men.) Learn more about Soon off Broadway<\/p>\n In short order, Soon gives its talented cast chances to shine in spite of murky storytelling and a jumbled tone.<\/p>\n
\nFans of chamber musicals will appreciate how just three terrific musicians \u2014 on keyboard and strings \u2014 can create such a rich sound.
\nTheatregoers who\u2019ve embraced HwaBoon, the houseplant in Maybe Happy Ending<\/a>, are apt to enjoy Herschel, a pivotal pet who gets his own song: \u201cBar Mitzvah for the First Jewish Fish.\u201d<\/p>\n