Play's writer/performer drew on friend's suicide

The new multimedia show "Face the City" isn't about suicide as much as it's a response to suicide - a musical, theatrical affirmation of life.

"It really goes into the heart of being human," says writer and performer Jesse Wilson.

"It's about the human condition; you can run or you can face it," he says. "It's about inspiration, redemption and the recapturing of our innocence. We hope people who see it will walk away with a new appreciation for life."

"It is just all-encompassing theater. It is the best of everything," Wilson says.

The show is based on events from Wilson's life. It centers around him and a group of close friends who grew up together in California. By their early 20s, each was a success by most standards. But one friend, a brilliant composer, committed suicide.

"It was the single most pivotal, defining moment of my life," Wilson says. "My friend tragically ended his life because of unhealthy expectations of who he was supposed to be based on other people's ideas. ‘Face the City' confronts this confusion of adolescence and early adulthood using total honesty and humor," he says.

Wilson, a Juilliard theater graduate, began writing his solo productions while living in New York City. He has produced and performed his shows all across the country. His productions "Ultimate Blonds," "Knights of La Canada" and "Going Vinyl" have received rave reviews.

In much of his writing, Wilson focuses on self-discovery and rejecting unhealthy, false images that we may have of ourselves.

A meeting last summer between Wilson and local musician Mad Francis (aka Eric Long) sparked a special artistic chemistry.

"Our artistic visions were so parallel it was uncanny. I'm not a huge believer in coincidence, but this show was just meant to be."

Mad Francis is a self-taught composer and performer who grew up in Colorado Springs.

He produced the Daniel Johnston project "The Electric Ghosts" and the song "Rowboats" for the Johnston tribute "I Killed the Monster." Most of the songs from "Face the City" are from his soon-to-be released CD "Restless Mind Syndrome."

Francis says working with Wilson has been inspiring. "Jesse, as a performer, is just brilliant. This performance would be taxing on any actor, and after watching him, I realize more and more just how brilliant he really is."

Wilson and Francis are currently working on a show for younger audiences called the "The Night the Moon Ate My Room," sponsored by the Imagination Celebration and the Pikes Peak Library District. It touches on some of the same themes as in "Face the City," such as embracing your individuality and being true to yourself but, Wilson says, it does it in a fun, nonpreachy way that kids will love.

 
DETAILS
Face the City

When: 7 p.m. today
Where: Lon Chaney Theatre, inside the City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa St.
Tickets: $10; 385-5969.