Elena Glass Photo courtesy of The Hive Collaborative

It is fitting, then, that Glass chose that phrase as the title of her new show, which tells the story, through words, music, and photo projections, of her life with her father, from her earliest childhood memories, through the pangs of adolescence, and his fourteen-year-long struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. Gene Glass died of MS when Elena was thirty years old. Loudly, Clearly, Beautifully is both a tender tribute to her father and a memoir of her years as his daughter when he was a physically active and vibrant force in her life, and then to the years of adapting to a caregiver role, even as she was still formulating the foundation of her own life.

In the show, Glass relates her efforts to build a life working in musical theatre amidst the highly competitive New York scene. She realized, after landing a role in the Ordway's production of The Sound of Music (as a nun but also understudy to the lead role of Maria) that there are a host of opportunities in the Twin Cities' rich theatre community, and that returning here would allow her to be close to Gene as his body continued to lose its battle against the disease.

Since then, based in Minnesota, Glass has appeared on a variety of our stages, including a few more appearances at the Ordway (among them Annie and Mamma Mia!) and several at History Theatre, where she took on the roles of Judy Garland in Beyond the Rainbow and Patti Andrews in Christmas of Swing. She has a lilting soprano that can deliver a powerful belt, is a crackerjack comedienne, and radiates charisma on stage. All of these assets are on view in Loudly, Clearly, Beautifully.

That said, this is a very small and very personal show. It conveys the feeling of having been invited into Ms. Glass' living room (the pocket-sized Hive Collaborative where the show is ensconced isn't much bigger than some living rooms), where she shares with us, as she might with a gathering of friends, moments in childhood when her dad was her hero, the times he embarrassed or humiliated her, as do all fathers during the early teens, and the ways in which he was always her champion.

She punctuates these moments by singing pertinent songs drawn from the collection of her musically inclined father's favorites, with first-rate piano accompaniment by Wesley Frye. Occasionally, Frye injects a wee bit of commentary or offers vocal harmony while he tickles the keys, which adds a soupçon of pizazz to this small-scale show. The songs display Gene Glass' affection for folk rock and pop music from the late 1960s through early '80s, with a John Denver, a Pat Benatar, and several Carole King classics. A beautifully phrased rendition of Hair's "Easy to Be Hard" is a highlight.

In a detour from the focus on her father, Glass gives an account of her time in New York City, earning a degree in Musical Theatre at NYU and then a couple of years breaking into the business. For this she makes splendid use of "NYC" from Annie; it proves to be a much better choice than what might have been the more obvious "New York, New York." Another detour from the thrust of the show is what amounts to a stand-up routine in which Glass depicts the challenges of the dating scene, with examples from her own experience. She does tie this back to the core of Loudly, Clearly, Beautifully by attributing her frustration to the high standards she acquired seeing the depth of commitment her parents had to one another, one that didn't waver through their difficult final years together.

A quite beautiful song written by Leslie Vincent and Emily Dussault (who call their musical partnership The Champagne Drops) for Glass to close the show is called "Who I've Always Been." It provides a perfect summation of Glass' presentation, and an affirmation of where she now finds herself. Her delivery couldn't be lovelier. The song deserves a life beyond its place in this show.

Loudly, Clearly, Beautifully has been ably directed by Allison Vincent, clearly guiding Glass to find a fine balance between intimacy, sentimentality and schtick. It is now five years after her father's death, but still, at times, Glass becomes somewhat overcome with emotion. Even so, she never loses her grip on the material, and the show always continues its gentle motion forward.

There is no stage set other than a shelf unit from which Glass draws artifacts from her life and a continuous series of projected photos of Glass, her father, other family members, and settings. Some of these enhance our understanding of her narrative, others add a touch of humor, while others merely express the warmth and authenticity pouring forth from our hostess' heart. Eric Morris and Allison Vincent have designed the lighting that enhances the show throughout.

While the reality of any person suffering through a degenerative disease, leading to an early death, is hardly a cheery topic, Glass draws on her natural warmth, positivity, the genuine love she conveys for her father and other family members, and her chops as a performer to make Loudly, Clearly, Beautifully a lovely experience. It is a gently moving, sweetly entertaining, and inspiring work of theatre.

Loudly, Clearly, Beautifully runs through January 31, 2025, at The Hive Collaborative (formerly Dreamland Arts Theatre), Hamline Ave. N., St. Paul MN. For tickets and information, please visit thehivecollaborativemn.com.

Playwright: Elena Glass; Director: Allison Vincent; Music Director: Wesley Frye; Songs: Carole King, John Denver, Pat Benatar, Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and Jerome Ragni, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, Leslie Vincent and Emily Dussault (The Champagne Drops); Lighting Design: Eric Morris and Allison Vincent; Artistic Collaborator: Nikkie Swoboda Theisen; Stage Manager: Luke Peterson.

Cast: Wesley Frye (pianist), Elena Glass (Elena).