Loudly, Clearly, Beautifully is not only the title of Elena Glass’ new show about her father and their relationship but also the advice he always gave her before she sang. She informs us this is what she tells herself before she performs. That is as simple and true an illustration of the impact of fathers that you could ask for. Years later, even after they are long gone, we hear their words coming out of our own mouths. Glass who wrote and performs the show shares the details of her relationship with her father before and after his diagnosis Multiple Sclerosis. We get glimpses into the the love and honesty with which he parented and the struggles of dealing with such a diagnosis. Yes, there are some tears spilt, but there’s also a lot of laughs, and some fantastic singing. This isn’t a show about the tragedy of a man’s life unfairly cut short by disease. It’s a celebration of that man’s life and his impact on his daughter’s life in so many ways, as a cheerleader, an information distributor (sex talk yikes!!), and as a role model.
Glass lays herself out in a performance that touches the audience with it’s vulnerability. She finds humor in the stories she relates, but what is most important is she finds truth. She doesn’t simply raise her father up on a pedestal and show herself as the courageous daughter in the face of tragedy, always there with patience and selfless sacrifice. No, she acknowledges the moments when she and her father were not at their best, she points out the realities of living day in and day out with this cruel disease. It can make people angry, and impatient, and to pretend that isn’t so would be a betrayal to everyone who has gone through it. It’s important to acknowledge those realities and it’s so amazing of Glass to share that with us. Nearly everyone in the audience for this show will at some point go through something like this, whether it’s MS or another disease, either themselves, a parent, a child, or a partner. They will reflect back on this show and not judge themselves harshly for a momentary loss of patience or a flash of anger. Glass effectively and quite emotionally reassures us that’s part of the journey, part of our humanity, and that is the gift of the artist, to communicate that truth to their audience.
Wesley Frye is the Music Director and Pianist for the show, but also interacts with Glass in welcomed moments of humor and song. Frequently that role is to disappear into the background and provide the music as if out of the ether. The choice to include Frye more directly is a choice that pays off big time. Frye has a wonderful give and take with Glass and a wonderful singing voice, it’s an added gift that we didn’t anticipate, but are grateful for. The show is Directed by The Stages of MN favorite Allison Vincent who tackled similar ground in last summer’s The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award Winning Minnesota Fringe show, Daddy Issues, about her own relationship with her father. Vincent was the perfect choice to direct this show having recently tackled her own father/daughter relationship. Also contributing to the show is Leslie Vincent and Emily Dussault whose original song “Who I’ve Always Been” is a beautiful note on which to end the show.
Loudly, Clearly, Beautifully runs at the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers 2024 Award Winner for Favorite Theater Venue, The Hive Collaborative in St Paul, for five more performances through 1/31/25. For more information at to purchase your tickets go to https://www.thehivecollaborativemn.com/events/loudly-clearly-beautifully If you haven’t been before check out all the upcoming programming at The Hive Collaborative and support this wonderful intimate venue!
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