Cheap Seats Aftermath

Welcome to Cheap Seats, where every Thursday we’ll talk to folks behind the scenes of the stage events opening around town, in order to give you a flavor of the productions that won’t be found in any of the promo materials.

Aftermath at Signal Ensemble Theater (Starts Nov. 6)

Promo pull quote: “Spanning the years 1966-1969, Aftermath, a drama with the actors playing live music, maps the rise and fall of a troubled genius whose legacy was overshadowed by the very band he created.”

What it’s really about:  The influence of The Rolling Stones founding member Brian Jones is explored in Signal Ensemble Theater’s jukebox musical Aftermath, which traces his relationship with the rest of the band as it begins to break into the rock ’n’ roll scene. As his womanizing and drug abuse begin to take their toll on the group, Jones finds himself pushed out of the band he helped create, and the play traces the figure’s demise as the Stones’ fame grows. “Aftermath is about the Brian Jones years of The Rolling Stones,” writer-director Ronan Marra says. “It starts directly at the time when the Stones album Aftermath was being made and released. It focuses on Brian’s contributions to the band, primarily as a multi-instrumentalist, and his relationship with Mick and Keith as they started to become famous as a songwriting pair. All five members of the Stones are depicted in the play, and they play live.”

Fun fact: Aftermath debuted earlier this year at the Raven Theatre, and Signal Ensemble is remounting the acclaimed production in their new space, but not without having to make a few adjustments. “It’s been interesting remounting it and physically fitting the show in the new space,” Marra says. “It has to be a little bit different set-wise and lighting-wise, and I had to replace the original actor who played Bill Wyman, so it’s been an interesting task redoing the show in a new space. Our space is not as tall or wide as the Raven, and we saved the set from the original run, so we literally had to cut the sides off it and adjust for less throw room with the lighting. The space itself is more of a club atmosphere, and we’ll be able to do more things aesthetically because it’s our own.”

Best reason to try it: Aftermath is a jukebox musical that concerns itself less with crowd-pleasing reenactments of the songs and more with creating a true-to-life portrait of one of rock ’n’ roll’s tragic figures. Marra’s knowledge and love of The Rolling Stones make this the perfect show for fans of the seminal group, yet the broader themes of addiction and alienation in the wake of success make the play appeal to a demographic beyond hardcore fans. “This cast is incredible, and the guys playing The Rolling Stones do a remarkable job playing them.” Ronan says. “They don’t imitate them; they take the words on the page and create their own characterizations of these guys that everybody knows, and I think that’s the coolest thing about the show. You feel like you’re watching The Rolling Stones, but without imitation.”