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Most of us encounter numerous strangers each day. Some become more than just strangers, while others simply pass by unnoticed. But each one has a story to tell. And in the musical Stuck, a bunch of strangers on a train get a chance to tell their stories in song.
Stuck ends up locked in a New York City subway car with a group of strangers. The passengers come from all different backgrounds—different races, different cultures—and each one is dealing with hopes and fears and uncertainties. As they continue to wait for the train to start moving, to send them back to the regular routine of their lives, they become frustrated. And in their frustration, the dancer, the aspiring artist, the homeless man, the working dad, and the others bicker, accuse, and sing about their lives.
Based on the stage musical by Riley Thomas, Stuck spends most of its time trapped in the train with six anxious passengers who just want to get moving and get on with their lives. Life in the Big Apple has taught them not to connect with the strangers around them: don’t make eye contact, and definitely don’t strike up a conversation. But joyfully unstable Lloyd (Giancarlo Esposito) breaks the ice, encouraging the passengers to tell their stories in their own style.
Of course, it’s not as simple as a bunch of people getting up to dance while singing about their hopes and dreams. This isn’t just a gathering of like-minded people. The strangers on this train struggle with their assumptions about one another, and their prejudices and their past experiences lead them to bicker and battle and judge each other. But, one by one, they open up about their lives—and while some of their musical numbers are more playful and quirky (like the young artist’s over-the-top number about his beloved comic superhero), others will bring you to tears.
In the end, after these characters have shared their stories, their parting does, admittedly, feel somewhat anticlimactic. But, really, it’s just as it should be. And through their time stuck on the train, they might make you think a little more about the strangers around you and the stories they may have to tell.
It may take place under the streets of New York, but Stuck has a song to sing for all of us. The production may not be blockbuster-level, but it has a lot to say about the people we encounter and the lives we can touch every day.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
