Heather Christian made a name for herself with Oratorio for Living Things, a singular concert-cum-theater piece that won numerous awards after its 2022 premiere. Now Signature Theatre is mounting an earlier Christian composition, Animal Wisdom, in a production that is liable to enchant and confound audiences in equal measure. Christian, who sang and played piano when the show was first staged in 2017 at The Bushwick Starr, tells the very personal story of the composer’s upbringing in Natchez, Mississippi, in a family full of mediums and clairvoyants and ghosts who still make their presence known to her. Yes, ghosts. Skeptics beware.
As in her Oratorio, Christian summons these ancestral spirits in musically sophisticated songs that draw on a wide range of styles, from choral to American roots music to hints of hip-hop. The remarkable Kenita R. Miller serves as our spirit guide, carefully explaining at the top that she is merely channeling Christian’s story, backed by a six-piece band who also provides backup harmonies. (Emma Duncan assumes the role of “H” at several performances each week.)
Director Keenan Tyler Oliphant leans into the woo-woo aspects of the material, starting with the physical design at the Pershing Square Signature Center. The audience is seated facing each other, surrounded by shelves full of tchotchkes, candles and ephemera from an old Southern home, with fishnets and birdcages dangling from the ceiling and homely rugs overlapping on the stage in the center. (Scenic design by Emmie Finckel.) The shelves include metronomes that start on their own, while lamps and candles occasionally flicker and flash (lighting by Masha Tsimring), all to reinforce the idea that we’ve been gathered for an event that unfolds like a seance with a soundtrack.
Animal Wisdom works better as cabaret than as either seance or traditional musical theater piece. It’s hard to connect to the cosmology of Christian’s storytelling, or to follow the many figures from the spirit world that are summoned over the course of a show that runs a langorous two hours-plus, without intermission. There are two grandmothers, Ella and Heloise; a granddaddy who’s settled in her car, a playboy godfather named Myles who appeared as a swarm of cicadas at her wedding; 19th-century ghost who’s a bit of a mischief-maker; and a girl ghost named Johanna who could actually just be an imaginary friend from childhood. There’s also a bewigged piano teacher whose mentorship seems to haunt Christian in ways that feel more grounded in reality.
It’s a lot — especially since Christian’s lyrics tend toward the metaphoric and the grandiose. When Miller does step back to explain things, she can go overboard. I don’t think we needed posters on how some combination of kudzu and catfish and climate change are eroding the riverbeds of her hometown on the Mississippi River, or some of the other digressions and detours along this musical journey through marshy Southern waters. Christian is on more secure ground when she’s exploring her ancestors’ unique blend of Roman Catholic traditions and supernaturalism — even passing out cups of Coca-Cola like communion wine ahead of a stirring final requiem that’s performed with an 18-member chorus in almost complete darkness.
Miller is terrific, gently leading both her fellow musicians and the audience through some tricky pathways — and delivering powerful vocals with soulful runs and an easy command of many musical traditions. There’s a muchness to Animal Wisdom that is both admirable and daunting. ★★★☆☆
ANIMAL WISDOM
Signature Theatre, Off Broadway
Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (no intermission)
Tickets on sale through June 14 for $49 to $182