'Soon' Off-Broadway review — when the end of life meets the beginning of love

Read our review of Soon off Broadway, a new musical written by Nick Blaemire and directed by Will Blum, in the St. Luke's Theatre loft through November 8.

Summary

• Soon follows a young woman who shuts herself in her apartment to avoid facing the end of the world
• The show has some moving musical moments but is overall jumbled in storytelling and tone
• The show is recommended for fans of writer Nick Blaemire's other musicals and other shows like Maybe Happy Ending

Nick Blaemire’s Soon is a small musical that asks a big question: “What do you do when you know you just have a few months to live?” Charlie (Ava Delaney) chooses to hide herself away like a hermit.

She won’t budge from the East Village apartment she shares with gay bestie Steven (Mike Millan). Not even for deliveryman Jonah (Oliver Richman), who falls for her on sight (sure, right, you just have to go with it). Her mom, Adrienne (Mylinda Hull), is no help whatsoever.

“When the World Ends,” a doom-themed ditty reprised three times, sets things in motion. From the jump and throughout this Out of the Box Theatrics production, we’re in high-stakes, life-and-death territory. That’s a heavy dramatic lift, one that requires a deft and delicate touch to nail a balance.

When all is said and sung, Blaemire (Glory Days, Space Dogs), who wrote the book, music, and lyrics, has created a mixed bag of a musical. There are moments of open-hearted beauty in his pop-flavored score, which is bolstered by lovely harmonies. The reflective “Bohemia Paradiso” and the wistful, guitar-driven “Waiting” are two prime musical numbers that pull you in.

But Soon trips up due to an irksome bent for being offbeat and too cute. Like when Charlie belts “Peanut Butter,” a Sesame Street-style ode to her beloved spread. The show’s construction is another issue. It’s built on a red herring — or, perhaps a green one, since it’s all about the environment — intended to misdirect.

We’re led to believe that an imminent, world-ending climate-change catastrophe prompted Charlie’s self-imposed seclusion. While the idea is surely topical — even more than when Blaemire began working on the show in 2010 — it never quite squares. Is Charlie an unreliable narrator? Agoraphobic? Disturbed? Out of it from eating too much Jif?

Blaemire hasn’t drawn these characters with much depth. They basically get one trait apiece: There’s anxious Charlie, sincere Jonah, over-the-top Steven, and self-obsessed Adrienne. Director Will Blum’s fine quartet makes the most of the musical material, and Delaney’s voice is an ideal showcase for Blaemire’s music.

Two-thirds of the way in, what’s actually immobilized Charlie finally emerges. The apocalypse is apocryphal, and the crisis is tied to her personal family history. It’s a subject worth exploring, and tackling the topic head-on might have made a more lasting impression. As is, Soon leaves your mind before you know it.

Soon summary

Nick Blaemire’s chamber musical concerns Charlie, a 20something New Yorker facing the end of the world as she knows it by sealing herself off in her apartment. Unexpectedly, a sweet deliveryman named Jonah drops off what she needs to face her reality — and to walk out her front door.

This production at The Loft as St. Luke’s Theatre is the musical’s Off-Broadway debut, following a 2025 New York debut at the East Village Basement and its 2015 world premiere at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia.

What to expect at Soon

Theatregoers are seated on two sides of Sean Frank’s set, which evokes an East Village apartment decorated with colorful area rugs and collage of record jackets — Fleetwood Mac, Bette Midler, and Joni Mitchell, among them. Gina Ruiz's contemporary street clothes fit the characters, and Paige Seber’s lighting lends depth and shadow.

Soon runs 90 minutes without an intermission, and it explores themes of medical diagnosis and mental illness.

What audiences are saying about Soon

Theatregoers at early performances expressed mixed reactions to the show on online forums like Mezzanine and Show-Score.

• “I left crying. Beautiful show. Cool immersive space. Oliver Richman is so quirky and charming as Jonah. Ava [Delaney] is a star.” - Mezzanine user Carly
• “A charming all original living room musical that also tackles some tough issues.” - Mezzanine user Bob Stone
• “Depressing. Bad. [...] The sequence of songs doesn’t make sense – you can’t sing a song about climate change, then immediately follow up with a song about peanut butter.” - Mezzanine user kat c
• "I was a little hesitant to see this show because it sounded like doom and gloom, but then I listened to the recording on Spotify and immediately got tickets. It has such a beautiful emotional arc to it -- it has a huge heart, catchy songs, lots of comedic relief, and even a surprise I wasn't expecting that made the show work SO much better than I would have expected." - Show-Score user Lisa T

Read more audience reviews of Soon on Show-Score.

Who should see Soon

• Theatregoers who’ve appreciated Blaemire's previous works including Glory Days, Space Dogs, and Safety Not Guaranteed will be keen to see this Off Broadway premiere. (He's also acting on Broadway this fall in A Few Good Men.)
• Fans of chamber musicals will appreciate how just three terrific musicians — on keyboard and strings — can create such a rich sound.
• Theatregoers who’ve embraced HwaBoon, the houseplant in Maybe Happy Ending, are apt to enjoy Herschel, a pivotal pet who gets his own song: “Bar Mitzvah for the First Jewish Fish.”

Learn more about Soon off Broadway

In short order, Soon gives its talented cast chances to shine in spite of murky storytelling and a jumbled tone.

Learn more and get Soon tickets on New York Theatre Guide. Soon is at St. Luke's Theatre through November 8.

Photo credit: Soon off Broadway. (Photos by Valerie Terranova)