When Time Becomes Music: Heather Christian’s
Oratorio for Living Things Transcends the Human Scale

When the live performance of an artistic work is greater in vision and scope than anything you’ve ever beheld, it’s no surprise that you’re in awe, you’re overwhelmed… and you’re humbled.

Barrie Lobo McLain

That was my response in watching Oratorio for Living Things, Heather Christian’s mind-blowing, multi-disciplinary work now playing at Signature Theatre in New York. Originally premiered by Ars Nova, it has arrived here at the top of a new theatre season that is tackling huge issues – like the human mind (This Much I Know at 59e59 Theaters), existentialism and salvation (Waiting for Godot on Broadway), and God Himself/Herself (Oh Happy Day! at the Public Theatre). It’s as if the theatre is seeking to escape from the current world in turmoil – showing us that our crises are miniscule in the greater scheme of things.

Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Ben Moss

Oratorio is not a play, like the above-mentioned works. Rather, it’s a unique choral work (as per its title), staged as if it were a dramatic presentation, performed by twelve superb singers and six musicians under the direction of Lee Sunday Evans. And if you think the workings of the mind, human behavior, and The Almighty are big topics, wait until you encounter Heather Christian’s work. It’s about Time (capitalized intentionally), the most mind-boggling and infinite topic of all – one that is far beyond our human capacity to comprehend.

Ãngel Lozada

That’s why Heather Christian’s effort is so courageous (and ambitious, to say the least!). When you hear the title of each of the three sections of this visionary work, you might be intimidated, as I was. Part I, “Time at the Quantum Scale,†deals with the origins of life (the basic elements of existence, like light and water, or “The Creation†as some classical composers have called it over the centuries). Part II, “Time at the Human Scale,†presents experiences in life as we know it in the present, including everyday events and personal memories. Part III, “Time at the Cosmic Scale,†forecasts the upheaval that awaits us in the future, with violent cosmic collisions in infinite Time and space.  In other words, it’s the projection of a continuing, evolving eternity…

Divya Maus, Fraser Campbell, Ashley Perez Flanagan

Does it sound like an overwhelming experience? It is. Let me encourage you to take the script available in the lobby with you into the theatre and follow it during the performance if you can – it will help (especially since the opening of Part I is presented in Latin). I wish there had been supertitles in the Romulus Linney Theatre that we could follow, but the tiny space has been renovated expressly for Oratorio and it’s in-the-round, with stadium style seating, a narrow stage, and steep aisles which these performers navigate, singing Heather Christian’s free-flowing poetic narrative (versed in e. e. cummings style). They perform primarily as a chorus, interspersed with solos and duets. Our attention is riveted on them, and they return our gaze. By the end, we’ve bonded with them all.

Dito van Reigersberg, Jonathan Christopher, Jonny-James Kajoba, Ben Moss

The singers move fluidly through the space without a break for ninety minutes, mesmerizing us, transporting us far beyond the worldly present to a transcendent state from which we can view Time as far back as its origins and into the future. As the chorus tells us in the final minutes of this awe-inspiring journey: if all of Time could be put in “one calendar year,†human existence would only begin in the last few seconds of December 31. But life as we know it is not over, they assure us.  “We’re in the middle,†they explain. What a thought…

The Company

The names of these superb singers – sweeping through the aisles and on the narrow stage floor – all deserve recognition: Kirstyn Cae Ballard, Jonathan Christopher, Carla Duren, Ashley Perez Flanagan, Brian Flores, Jonny-James Kajoba, Angel Lozada, Divya Maus, Barrie Lobo McLain, Ben Moss, Onyie Nwachukwu, Dito van Reigersburg. They represent a chorus of otherworldly voices, shepherding us through Time, gazing into each of our faces as they move through us, guiding us on the journey. The modern music they sing is an exotic blend of blues, gospel, and jazz.  They’re all miked (sound design by Nick Kourtides), and their rich, mellifluous sound fills the tiny theatre.

Carla Duren

Meanwhile, the only scenic element is a huge globe that hangs in the center of the theatre, covered with soft satin-like cloth (designed by Krit Robinson, lit in different vibrant colors by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew). Staring at it, with the music washing over us, the effect is hypnotic.

Kirstyn Cae Ballard

At the end, we’re all invited to stand at this “middle†moment. I admit I didn’t fully comprehend the enormity of this wondrous ninety-minute spiritual journey over Time, but I shall always remember it. Oratorio opens our eyes, broadens our focus, and transports us far beyond the everyday – at a moment when it is crucial to see the bigger picture, and move on, together.

Divya Maus

We owe this journey to the courageous Heather Christian, who has gone “where angels fear to tread.†She has the wings, she has the vision, and she’s flying onward, leading the way.

Dito van Reigersberg, Divya Maus, Carla Duren, Ben Moss, Kirstyn Cae Ballard,
Barrie Lobo McLain, Ãngel Lozada, Ashley Pérez Flanagan,
Onyie Nwachukwu, Jonathan Christopher, Jonny-James Kajoba, Brian Flores

photos by Ben Arons

Oratorio for Living Things
Signature Theatre
ends on November 16, 2025
for tickets, visit Signature