By the time the coronavirus reached the United States, the country was already battling another public health crisis — the opioid epidemic. And there’s evidence the COVID-19 pandemic is making the opioid overdose crisis even worse.
For Mariah Reed, who teaches acting and voice at Broward College, the fight is personal — in 2017, she lost her father to an accidental opioid overdose.
“It was devastating,” said Reed.
Not long after her father’s death, she said she started hearing from people she knew about similar experiences in their own families. Eventually, Reed took her strong feelings on the issue and set them down as the book and lyrics to a new musical, which she also directed. It makes its online premiere this week.
The show, titled ‘A Deadly Deception,’ follows a Kafkaesque premise: a wealthy executive for a major corporation which produces and distributes the vast majority of opioids in the United States finds himself standing trial for murder. In the dock, he’s forced to face victims of the opioid epidemic.
WLRN is committed to providing South Florida with trusted news and information. In these uncertain times, our mission is more vital than ever. Your support makes it possible. Please donate today. Thank you.
Reed’s account of what happened to her father is a story that's become grimly familiar as the U.S. grapples with opioid-related deaths. He was already well into his golden years when he was prescribed opioids for back pain.
He accidentally overdosed, but the drugs were too potent for an antidote to take effect in time. Reed says her dad lingered in a coma for 10 days before he was taken off life support, as dictated by his living will.
“I chose the title ‘A Deadly Deception’ because in my research, I discovered that major drug corporations are deceiving us,” says Reed. “They’re deceiving the people about the strength of their drugs, how addictive they are. And I felt it was time to expose them.”
Through theater contacts in South Florida, Reed met New York-based composer David Lancelle, who wrote the score.
The performers in the online production are Broward College theater students. Since coronavirus social distancing restrictions made in-person rehearsals impossible, the show was rehearsed via Zoom.
But the platform doesn’t make singing in unison easy — so Reed and her cast used another music recording app to make sure the vocals were in sync.
Reed says it was natural for her to take an issue as serious as the opioid epidemic and set it to music.
“It just came to me that way. I just felt like: ‘How do I express how strongly I feel about this?’ Words just aren’t enough.”
-----------------------
IF YOU GO (ONLINE):
“A Deadly Deception”
Book and Lyrics by Mariah Reed
Music by David Lancelle
Directed by Mariah Reed
Show times are:
Thursday, Aug. 27, 8 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 28, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 29, 8 p.m.
For more information about how to watch online, please click here.
----------------------
This interview is part of “Intermission,” WLRN’s series looking at how South Florida’s arts community is coping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you’ve got a story for us, please send an email to talktous@wlrnnews.org, with the word “Intermission” in the subject line.
