The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘Little Death Song’ comes to life on Halloween
The pandemic is hanging on like a too-long horror movie, but you can still enjoy a Halloween night diversion — a dark comedy called “Little Death Song: A Rock ’n’ Roll Ghost Story.”
“Sherman Playhouse shut down all its shows,” said Robin Frome, who wrote and directs “Little Death Song.” “This is the first production since last December. ... We were in hibernation because of the pandemic.”
The haunting tale about a rock star and her biggest fan will be presented Saturday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m., on the venue’s Facebook Live page.
Frome, former Sherman Playhouse president, said the play was inspired by his love for the music of Siouxsie Sioux, an English singer known for her band, Siouxsie and the Banshees.
“When she was performing, she was incredibly provocative; she had magnetism and was committed to her art,” he said. “When you listened to her speak, she sounded like a punk.”
The rocker in “Little Death Song” is English, too; her stage name is Loulu. “She was what you’d call a goth girl, but she’s aged,” he said. “She’s pretty popular as she grows older, and keeps making albums.”
Although the story takes place in the now, with Loulu in her 50s, it started when she was in her teens. The thing is, her biggest fan, Sonia, committed suicide because of a tune she wrote, called “Little Death Song.”
Danbury actor Kimberly Marcus plays Loulu, while Gloria Antonios, of Middlebury, plays Sonia. “She (Sonia) felt the song was written for her to do it — like it was a message.”
“Little Death Song,” for which Frome wrote the words and lyrics, is “very gothic and Halloween” and will be sung in the show.
“What happens is every Halloween Loulu has a big concert. This time it’s at a sort of large venue in New Haven, and she’s staying on Chapel Street,” said Frome, who lives in New Milford and used to frequent Toad’s Place in New Haven. “I’m calling it The Frogger; it’s a haunt of hers, with a cavernous kind of bat cave look to it.
“Her Halloween show changes from place to place but Sonia went to Yale, so that’s a connection, as well. As Loulu is getting ready for her con
cert, putting makeup on and looking for pills and wine and all her partying stuff, she’s haunted by Sonia. It’s happened every year, for years.”
Loulu feels the haunting is her punishment, because of the suicide. Since she knows it’s coming, she prepares by getting holy water and other things she’s heard may keep ghosts away.
“From the play, we glean these two need to have a conversation,” he said. Perhaps if they do, Loulu will find out the real truth behind what Sonia did.
“If there was a movie poster for this, it would say, ‘Little Death Song’ — This time it’s different.’”
Steve Stott, president of Sherman Playhouse, is producing the show. Frome said there’s lots of Zoom productions that don’t work, but he feels this does because it’s between two people and they’re both looking through the mirror, that is the camera.
“It’s also timely because Loulu’s getting ready for a Halloween concert. This girl comes in and screws up her day. There’s humor in it, too. They look like they’re in a horror film.”
Frome said you expect someone who looks like Loulu to yell at you, “but she has this sassy Cockney accent like Tracey Ullman. The accent breaks that stereotype.”
One of the play’s themes is: Does Loulu have any responsibility to her fans when she writes music? It’s a question from real life, too. (Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest were taken to court after fans committed suicide.)
But really, he said, it’s about a multi-layered relationship. “Loulu is Sonia’s mother figure ... but they’re friends. It’s also fan to icon, and teacher to student. Those relationships are pretty fleshed out in the course of the play.”
“Little Death Song,” which includes strong language and drug references, will be recorded. This way, even if you’re out doing your own haunting when the live event takes place, you can still catch it later.
“Little Death Song” will be presented Saturday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m., broadcast through Sherman Playhouse’s Facebook Live page. You can find the link at shermanplayers.org. There’s no fee but donations are welcome. For further details, email Frome@snet.net.