Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
April 29, 1997

TRP's 'Quilt' an impressive, powerful work
Carolyn Petrie

At first, it might be tough to figure out how an inanimate object - a quilt, of all things - might inspire a moving piece of musical theater. The inspiration becomes much clearer if the quilt in question turns out to be the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. As the four New Yorkers who collaborated to create "Quilt" knew, the grief, loss, joy and hope that lie between the fabric in its sewn commemorative panels hold all the dramatic potential a musical needs.

Now receiving an impressive, heartfelt staging at Theatre in the Round, "Quilt," like the community arts project that inspired it, is a mammoth undertaking. Director Dann Peterson and musical director Kyle Nelson had to wrangle a talented 30-member cast - and they did. They also eked out some standout performances by Aaron K. Leichter, Suzy Wagner, Dean Kephart and Togba Norris.

Between bookend ensemble numbers, 30 stories are told in scene and song, each with a common element: that the panel at its center has been sewn to honor a victim of AIDS. The stories are told by lovers, family and friends, many of whom bear witness for those ignored in the fight against AIDS. It's evident from the scope of the stories that playwrights Jim Morgan, Merle Hubbard, John Schak and Michael Stockler are well aware that too many Americans feel that AIDS victims somehow deserve their fate.

In making its point that every victim is innocent, 'Quilt" shares a few surprising tales: one, of a mentally "slow" boy from the Deep South who, unaware of his HIV infection, requests that his body be donated to science. In the next song, we see a mother mourning the death of her child, who had received an HIV-infected liver transplant.

In another segment, a conservative man whose estranged brother died of AIDS decides to become a volunteer companion to an HIV-positive youth. He balks when he meets his assigned "friend," a 26-year-old former intravenous drug user, but the two men connect through their love of photography and forge a genuine bond.

"Quilt" also allows to be heard the stories of gay men struck down by the virus; they are told by loving coworkers, devastated parents and even homophobic relatives. Jim Morgan's lyrics are genuinely moving, filled with humanity and humor, unafraid to address people's fears in a way that's politically contemporary and musically catchy.

In a disappointing, overlong second act, however, "Quilt" almost falls apart at the seams. What began as a refreshingly intelligent interweaving of attitudes devolves into in-your-face melodrama. So many of the singers fall to their knees in crippling grief that the device becomes a bit numbing; an angry, ensemble-driven "Silence Equals Death" number also does damage by alienating its friendly audience.

Of course, a musical about the tragedy of AIDS needs to address the devastation and rage that the disease has wrought, but "Quilt" accomplishes that goal and much more in its first two hours. By the time the production has clocked three hours, much of its power has been diffused by overkill.

Still, the company at Theatre in the Round does admirably sensitive work with the script; this production ranks among the theater's best work. In spite of the authors' long-windedness, much of the first act provides a powerful reminder that we're all in this together.

- Writer Carolyn Petrie is arts editor of Skyway News.