JANGLED JAM SESSION

This coming-of-age ensemble
never quite finds its rhythm

Gianna DiGregorio Rivera, Naomi Latta, Hillary Fisher & Yeena Sung.

In an age where most pre-teens and teens have the world in the palm of their hand via their smartphone, growing up happens faster than ever.

Such speed may have benefited ||: Girls :||: Chance :||: Music :|| at the Vineyard Theatre, which tells the coming-of-age story of four teenage girls studying music in Berkeley. A singer, a pianist, a drummer, and a woodwind player come together for teenage shenanigans and self-discovery as they tune up and grow up together.

Commissioned by the Vineyard Theatre through the Roth-Vogel Commission, playwright Eisa Davis weaves together the story of four young women who largely go nameless throughout the play, presented intentionally as an ensemble. Together they’ll navigate music, teenage angst, romance, and more.

Gianna DiGregorio Rivera & Hillary Fisher

Hillary Fisher, our singer, rigidly sticks to the music, struggling to improvise both in and out of it. Percussionist Naomi Latta processes life’s impacts through her drum kit. Piano savant Yeena Sung bangs out classics on the ivories, encouraged (forced?) into practice by strict parenting while searching for purpose beyond learning by rote. Rounding out the ensemble—and feeling a bit underused—is Gianna DiGregorio Rivera on flute and saxophone.

Some predictable teenage antics, such as basketball with a couple of two-liter sodas, spilling food in an emotional tantrum, and kissing and cuddling, humanize our heroines. It’s clear the actresses are having a good time, and that energy sometimes distracts from Davis’s script, which meanders quite a bit. ||: Girls :||: Chance :||: Music :|| fails to generate much drama because its characters lack clear motivations and because it never truly shows the transition into adulthood. Once the story ends, we get an exposition-heavy monologue explaining each character’s fate, robbing the audience of the key moment in any coming-of-age story: the actual coming of age. (“Show, don’t tell” remains a basic storytelling rule of theater and film.)

Naomi Latta & Hillary Fisher

Also featured onstage is improvised music. Audience members are invited to place stickers on a representation of piano keys outside the theater before the performance, establishing a foundational tune that the performers later improvise upon. No two performances of ||: Girls :||: Chance :||: Music :|| will be alike.

Pam MacKinnon‘s direction leaves much to be desired, as the actresses often play their roles on one note (pun intended). The silence between lines becomes palpable, and the lack of energy rarely builds momentum. Even an earthquake onstage, realized by scenic designer Nina Ball, passes with surprisingly little weight or significance.

Yeena Sung, Hillary Fisher & Naomi Latta

Costumes by Mel Ng evoke the youthfulness of these music students without relying on specific brands or trends, helping keep the story modern yet timeless. Ball’s set centers on a piano, drums, and other instruments that slide forward and back on their respective platforms.

While performed by actresses with admirable rapport, ||: Girls :||: Chance :||: Music :|| is out of tune. Musical gimmicks and girlhood camaraderie are not enough to sustain this plodding two-plus-hour affair without an intermission. Audiences may have a better night throwing on a favorite jazz record and flipping through old photos than sitting in on this jam session.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

photos by Carol Rosegg

||: Girls :||: Chance :||: Music :||
Vineyard Theatre
a co-production with American Conservatory Theater
108 E. 15th St. in New York City
2 hours, no intermission
ends on June 21, 2026
for tickets, call 212.353.0303 or visit Vineyard Theatre

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦