'Nine' Wants It to All Add Up

When asked about his upcoming production of “Nine,” a Broadway musical written by Maury Yeston and inspired by Frederico Fellini’s semi-autobiographical film 8 1/2, director Joey R. Longstreet ’16 speaks with palpable enthusiasm. “We’re not promising to completely revolutionize the show, but we have thought a lot about bringing out the personalities of individual characters. I think [the show] has taken on a life of its own as a work,” he says. A constellation of characters—one man and 14 of the women in his life—and their interactions promise to stand at the fore of “Nine,” which runs Nov. 6-14 on the Loeb Mainstage.

The show revolves around the romantic exploits and creative aspirations of Guido, played by David A. Sheynberg ’16. During a period of extreme writer’s block, the dual challenges of love and art push him to the brink; Guido’s relationships with his wife and his mistresses fall apart as he descends into fantastical, self-absorbed artistic visions. While the skewed gender demographics of the cast reflect a traditional male-centric narrative, the producers hope to depart from a patriarchal reading of the show by highlighting the dimensionality of each member of the female chorus. Working toward this goal, they have focused a portion of rehearsals on formulating each character’s background beyond her relationship with Guido. “We want to convey the idea that all the women on stage are fully-formed, important, vital people—women with lives outside of some male,” Longstreet says.

The lone male member of the cast embraces its unusual makeup: “It’s very different from traditional all-male or male-heavy casts,” Sheynberg says. “But it’s refreshing and just delightful to be surrounded by so many amazing women.” Just as the female characters in the original play span a variety of ages and stations in life, Longstreet’s cast ranges from freshmen to seniors and encompasses a wide range of backgrounds.

A female-focused dynamic is not the only unique element “Nine” seeks to bring to the stage. “We’re including a kickline with 14 women—yes, it’s possible,” Longstreet says. In all aspects, “Nine” is simply massive: It includes 25 musicians, with 16 in the pit and 5 rehearsal pianists; 16 cast members; and 42 non-musical staff members. In order to accommodate the ensemble, which overflows the orchestra pit, several musicians—including a timpanist—are placed onstage behind large props.

Given that “Nine” is among the largest student productions this semester, rehearsals have proven a particular challenge, especially since the show features music and choreography in addition to acting. “There are so many different parts that it’s rare to practice with everybody together all at once,” Longstreet says. “It’s been a real challenge to get 16 people in the room rehearsing at the same time—it’s normally hard enough to do that with just 5 or 6.” Yet he feels the cast and crew have risen to the challenge posed by the production’s large scope. “We’ve all been working—not just me, but our production manager [Julia S. Schnall ’16], music director [Josh W. Bean ’16], the entire cast, and everyone else involved has dedicated hours and hours every day to the show.”

The cast of “Nine” hopes to leave an impression beyond its ambitious technical execution: They want audiences to feel the same emotional depth they see in the show. “We want audiences to come out of the show willing to look thoughtfully at the sorts of things that may be holding them down from living their own best life and come to peace with those limitations,” Sheynberg says. As a work of art that grapples with the creative process, “Nine” also holds special resonance for its cast.

Other cast members are equally invested in the artistic themes of “Nine.” Asia T. Stewart ’18, who plays Italian film star Claudia Nardi, sees the show as a commentary on the relationship between art and human connection. “In Claudia and Guido’s relationship, we see an on-screen romance disconnecting from a real-life relationship,” she says. “We see that line between reality and imagination getting blurred, and we see people getting lost in themselves and how dangerous that can be.” Stewart believes this emotional aspect will serve as a point of connection for many Harvard students. “You sometimes forget if you’re falling into a false image of yourself or if you’re actually genuinely constructing your own sense of identity,” she says. She and other members of “Nine” hope that the show reminds students to look both at and beyond themselves.

The cast agrees that the many aspects that make the show so difficult to master—dance choreography, musical scoring, singing, and acting—could potentially set “Nine” apart from other student productions recently to appear on the Loeb Mainstage. Although rehearsals so far have often been divided between the orchestra and the cast, members of “Nine” are excited to integrate the two. “[There’s a] false dichotomy of acting with and without music,” Sheynberg says. “Scenes are enriched by music. Sure, you keep certain things compartmentalized for practice, but it’s when you bring it all together that you feel the separate components of the show coalescing.”

Through the combination of these elements, this iteration of “Nine” seeks to challenge the traditional gender perspectives of the show while staying true to the story of one man’s romantic and creative pursuits. The cast hopes the end result will be humorous, inspiring, and surprisingly relatable. As Longstreet says, “We don’t all have 15 lovers or creative torment, but we hope the show inspires audiences to look outside of themselves creatively and interpersonally and recognize others as fully formed people.”