Acacia Theatre Company Living Psalm LIVING PSALMS is an interesting theater piece with a talented ensemble of singers and actors. However, as is frequently the case with new theatrical works, LIVING PSALMS needs seasoning. One would expect the psalms to stand by themselves since these powerful and prayerful songs have survived many generations and many translations. Certainly the sundry settings of the psalms in this work are captivating. However, I am not convinced that at the end of a two hour production the audience was anxious to enjoy four versions of psalm 23. The Child of God motif which is used as the scaffold for LIVING PSALMS is rather generic and does not always serve to framework the psalms in a meaningful and effective manner. This critic would have preferred a frame that suggested a more scripture based understanding of the psalms rather than the life cycle of an every person character. I found the device naïve and slightly childish. Needless to say, one's reactions to the psalms are very personal and inescapably unique. The ensemble work was very effective and frequently touching as well as spirited. Some of the voices while very musical were a trifle weak for the performing space. It might have been useful to mike these voices so that we could hear them all without periodic strain. This would also keep Jodi Vasser's spirited piano accompaniment from dominating some of the psalm. In most of the numbers, the piano was most graciously supportive of the performers. Indeed, from the performers perspective, I assume it was supportive in every instance. In the interest of critical detachment (a myth all critics are firmly attached to), I must note that Elizabeth Doll who wrote the settings for three of the psalms and is a member of the ensemble is my daughter). I was obviously familiar with her psalm settings and found them as impressive as did the rest of the audience. At intervals, I found her acting performance a tad more energetic than was warranted by the material. Punching thin material doesn't make it more robust. With roughly fifty psalms included in this production, I confess to getting slightly confused as to which members of the ensemble performed what. I do remember Jessica Katorski's singing of Palm 23 as wonderfully simple, direct, and unaffected. Yvonne Sonsthagen has a considerable presence in a very slight but attractive form. She has a lively presence that makes a considerable contribution to the ensemble. Carol J. Larsen is an experienced performer who helps to anchor the ensemble She did an impressive job of recovering miraculously from a mortal illness. Colette MacDonald could serve as a model for ensemble performers. When she came front and center, she took control of the stage and the audience. But when she was out of the spotlight, she practically disappeared unless required to make a less spectacular contribution. Last, but by no means least, Stephanie Smith is a radiant performer whose smile has an almost spiritual ambiance. I would quibble with elements of the frame especially the use of game show parodies but I suspect that may be a generational thing. Clearly my reaction to LIVING PSALMS is mixed. In general, Janet Bouman Peterson staged the work with a good sense of design and with enough variety to keep the audience amused. I found the set design by Alan Williams adequate to the task but thought the execution of that design to be the poorest work that I have seen in Acacia's recent history. Similarly, I cannot fathom what Jodi William's contribution to the costume design might have been. The clothes worn by the ensemble were adequate but showed no clear sense of ensemble design. Neil Kristian Scharnick is to be credited with managing the stage effectively. Randy M. Peterson, as usual, got the most out of Acacia's electrical hardware. For all its faults, LIVING PSALMS is a spirited production which is worth catching, especially during the summer theatrical hiatus. It is a rough cut gem which could be greatly enhanced by further polishing. DMD