Estimated read time: 9-10 minutes
PLEASANT GROVE — Sixteen-year-old Kjersti Long has been writing music for years as a way of journaling and working through her depression.
"They've got all kinds of pieces of my life meshed into them," she said.
When she was 12 years old, she sang one of her songs for her parents, and her father, Jeremy Long, was blown away by the song. He was also concerned about his daughter's mental well-being.
He immediately rushed to help her, talked to her about what she was going through and got her into therapy. Kjersti's music was her way of communicating with her parents the struggles she was having.
Four years later, that song Kjersti wrote is part of the climax of a new musical debuting in Pleasant Grove for two weekends before it vies for a spot on Broadway.
"Relative Space: An Atypical Musical" is a rock concert mixed with a theatrical drama that showcases mental health and generational trauma on the stage. The musical will be performed six times at the Liahona Theater for the Community in Pleasant Grove on June 22-24 and June 29 through July 1.
All of the music for "Relative Space" was written by Kjersti and her father over several years, but none of the songs were written with the intent to use them in a musical.
Some of Kjersti's other songs made the cut for her pop music that's available on streaming services as part of her contract with Warner Records. Some songs weren't selected by the label, but she and her father felt they were still worthy of being heard.
The Longs connected with Broadway Records President Van Dean, who they knew from when they lived in New Jersey, and he told them the music could easily be the making of a musical.
"Because this music had come from so many times in our lives, we had never listened to it all the way through to realize it told a story. After (Dean) said that, we kind of had a little light bulb moment," Kjersti said.
Dean told the Longs they had to find someone to write the musical, because they couldn't let the music die.
Creating a 'different' musical
So, Long decided to develop a musical; and even though he had lots of connections with people in New York City, he wanted the musical to showcase Utah talent.
"I've been around the talent in Utah and it's insane. I knew we had great talent here, and I had a work opportunity back here (in Utah), so I said we're gonna do this in Utah," said Long, who became the producer for the musical.
With the help of his brothers, who are involved in Utah theater, Long reached out to playwright Melissa Leilani Larson, who Long describes as the "best playwright in Utah." Larson worked closely with Long to develop a story out of Kjersti's music that could work on the stage.
"What she has done to this show is just really special," Long said about Larson's writing. "The show is structured different than any other show that's ever been done on Broadway. Think of it more like a play and a rock concert happening at the same time."
Kjersti is fronting the rock band and singing her songs, but there's also "fantastic theater" going on simultaneously that she is not a part of, Long said.
The lead actors in the show are Liz Golden and Chase Grant, who are both well-known in the Utah theater community. The show also features other musicians, supporting actors and "movers" — or dancers — who are all very talented, Long said.
"Relative Space" features a twist, but Larson and Long didn't share any more details, as they want it to be a surprise for the audience.
"People are going to have to come see it. I think it's going to be really cool. I've been to so many shows; it's not like anything I've ever done or seen before," Larson said.
As the show was first being developed, Long didn't want it to all be focused on Kjersti, so they held auditions to find the perfect person for the lead singer. But the directors all agreed that Kjersti sang the music better because of her connection to the lyrics and the story.
"They came to me and said, 'We want you to sing it because you wrote it and we feel like you can express the emotion behind it.' And I was very excited," she said. "Emotions are a very hard thing, in our day and age, to grasp and to understand, and I hope that by listening to my music, (the audience) will gain some emotion they can feel and work through."
Kjersti said she is so happy she gets to perform her music live and share it in "such a creative and artsy way."
"I've never been surrounded by this many incredibly talented people. They're all so artistic and so cool, and it's a very growing environment," she said.
Long and Larson said most musicals have one or two songs that stand out among the soundtrack, and the music is typically developed after or simultaneously with the written story.
But since Kjersti's music was the inception of "Relative Space," the 10 songs all differentiate themselves and each is powerful in its own right, Long said.
"They're all bangers," Larson said.
Mental health and generational trauma
The music being developed first isn't the only thing that sets "Relative Space" apart. Other musicals such as "Next to Normal" and "Dear Evan Hansen" have touched on mental health, but this show gives an upfront, close and personal view of generational trauma and how mental illness affects families, Long said.
The musical follows a mother with depression and a daughter with anxiety who are floating through life separately, not talking to each other about their struggles. Throughout the show, they deal with the wall that has been built between them, and learn how events in the past are affecting both of their futures.
Kjersti's music is weaved into the story and details her own struggles of depression and mental health.
"Those threads are in the songs that this girl wrote when she was 12 and 13. She was very aware; I think of her as an old soul. She is thinking about these things in a much more adult way than most 13 year olds are thinking about them," Larson said. "The music lends itself really well to this mother-daughter dynamic, which I think is really relatable and that audiences are going to both enjoy and see themselves reflected in."
Rates of mental health issues in young girls have been increasing, Long said. As a father and husband, Long experienced it firsthand within his family and said it was hard on him seeing how it affected his daughter.
He said he has looked into research that shows certain people can be genetically predisposed to mental health issues.
"The only thing everybody has a consensus on, of a way to deal with this, is to have open, candid communication with people that love you," Long said. "And so that's what our show is about. I think we're gonna bring that out into the open."
Long said he didn't pull any punches with the musical, and pushed hard for the show to be as open and honest about mental health issues as possible.
He hopes it spurs conversation, and that family members who see the show will look at each other after and know it's OK to discuss and be more open about their challenges with each other.
"It's gonna be a tough thing for some to watch, but it's gonna be real," Long said. "I hope that people walk away from this show realizing that the safest place to talk about this stuff is with their loved ones. No matter how disconnected the generations seem at some time, there is still that love that is just there — and for the most part, you can have those conversations, and that's the safest place to do it."
Larson said she thinks some people who see the show will realize they are not alone in dealing with mental health challenges. She hopes the show will touch people and that they'll get what they need out of it on a "very personal and individual level."
"Mothers and daughters who might not have mental health issues but might not the best relationship, and they just need to learn to communicate. It's a family drama aside from everything we are dealing with," Larson said. "There are a lot of ways the music will speak to people, and there are moments, scenes that are going to speak to people."
Red carpet event
"Relative Space" started out as a fun side project that Long planned on filming and sending to New York. He didn't have high hopes, as most times shows developed in New York City with New York City talent take precedence over productions created elsewhere. Very few shows ever even begin the reading process to make it on Broadway, he said.
In mid-May, the music was leaked to some Broadway contacts Long knew, and the show blew up with buzz.
"It went all over. We started getting contacted by multi-Tony and Grammy award-winning producers left and right trying to get on board," Long said. "All of a sudden it went from we're just doing this fun thing, to 'Oh, crap, this is a big deal.'"
The show has already been scheduled for an industry reading in New York City in October, the first step to becoming a Broadway show. The crew is hosting a VIP Red Carpet Night on June 22 for opening night and Long said several Tony and Grammy award winners are planning on flying out to attend.
Long is excited that this show that has been completely developed in Utah with only Utah talent has the potential to make it big on Broadway.
"Everybody wants to be a part of something to say, 'I was there when that first came out, before it even went to New York,'" he said. "And in two years from now, it's on Broadway, they're gonna be like, 'I was there.' And that's a really cool thing."
Red carpet events rarely happen in Utah, so Long said the crew is "doing it the right way," by throwing a classy premiere with everyone "dressed up to the nines."
