Starting college is a massive life change, as students face new relationships and responsibilities. It’s no surprise, then, that mental health struggles are a growing concern amongst college students; the National Alliance for Mental Illness reports one in four 18-24 year olds have a diagnosable mental illness, but 40% never seek help, largely because of the stigma. At this year’s New York International Fringe Festival, a group of Yale undergraduates is taking on this difficult issue in Under: A New Musical, an admirable but slightly unfocused musical rumination on mental illness and university life.
Written by Monica Hannush and directed by Alex Cadena, Under centers on Serena Lazarre, a Yale student who gets placed in their psychiatry ward following a suicidal episode. The musical is split up into two timelines, focusing partially on Serena’s time in the psych ward and friendship with fellow patient Billy, and partially on flashback scenes of her Yale experience.
Fittingly, real-life Yale students tell the story, and all bring emotional depth and an engaging conviction to their performances; Michaela Murphy as Serena is a particular standout. Young composer Julian Drucker’s musical score is also a highlight, featuring genuinely impressive orchestrations performed by talented onstage musicians. Unfortunately, the production’s spotty sound design often resulted in these orchestrations overwhelming the vocals. One song that was happily able to be heard, however, was “I’ll Be Here,” a duet split between Serena and Charlie, her friend that had Serena institutionalized, which beautifully explores friendship when mental illness is involved.
The flashback structure is an effective way to share Serena’s experience and the effects of her college struggles. But the larger themes get a bit lost in the shuffle, and the piece suffers from not having a focused enough point of view. The musical raises a lot of compelling topics, such as the identity crisis that happens when standout teens are suddenly surrounded by fellow high achievers at a competitive school. This theme ties into Serena’s journey (her desire to stand out and ‘find her narrative’ seemingly instigates her mental turmoil), but it still felt under-explored and didn’t result in any large insights, ultimately getting broken up and lost within the ever-shifting timelines.
The details of Serena’s college friendships are also slightly confusing and underdeveloped, due to the nature of being presented in short vignettes where situations are alluded to but not fleshed out. What mostly hurts the piece, though, are its frequent and long breaks between scenes. Though many are accompanied by more of Drucker’s extremely enjoyable live orchestrations, others feature recorded music (or, in one case, pure silence), and all go on for long enough to damage the show’s pacing. Nevertheless, the piece is enjoyable, and it’s important that these students are taking on the issue from their distinctly relevant perspective. Under doesn't offer many conclusions about student mental health struggles, but the awareness it raises about this difficult topic paves the way for a necessary dialogue to begin.
