Medford Resident "Lost in the Waves" of Homemade Fusion: A Musical

The Opposite of People (TOP) presents the Boston Premiere of Homemade Fusion opening June 10-12 at UFORGE Gallery in Jamaica Plain and touring to the StoveFactory Gallery in Charlestown June 16-18.

From the imaginations of Michael Kooman (music) and Christopher Dimond (lyrics), comes a series of musical snapshots that tell distinct stories - being true to oneself, misinterpreting signals, how we connect with others. At once dangerously cynical, desperately romantic, and alarmingly humorous - it is a tale of love, loss, and candy bars.

A production conceived to adapt to the venue and audience - TOP is partnering with two local art galleries to bring an intimate and interactive evening of theater. Audiences are invited to join in the fun early or stay late, mingle with the cast, and enjoy an open bar.

Homemade Fusion features eleven local performers from the Boston area including Medford's Eric Rehm, who performs the solo "Lost in the Waves" - a song of loss based on the true account of Christopher Dimond.

Aside from working with some familiar faces, Rehm was drawn to the show because of the music. "I love doing work that doesn't get a lot of play in the area or is new," says Rehm, "so I looked up a few versions of the songs on Youtube and listened over and over and over and over. The music is beautiful."

Homemade Fusion takes the trials and jubilations of everyday life and expresses them through song - which is what Rehm finds so relevant today. "They're the songs inside our heads that we would sing aloud if that was socially acceptable and wouldn't get us kicked out of Starbucks again," he explains, "Where a lot of musical theatre has big concepts with big scenarios, the music of Homemade Fusion is about the real moments that shape our modern life."

No stranger to the theatre, Rehm has performed in numerous productions. He recently played Officer Lockstock in the Longwood Players' Urinetown! (he played Bobby Strong in college) and Enjolras for Les Miserables In Concert with the Amherst Symphony Orchestra. Favorite roles include shows where he gets power ballads: Frederic in Pirates of Penzance, Anthony in Sweeny Todd, Cinderellas Prince/The Wolf (Into the Woods), Che (Evita), The Emcee (Cabaret) and Stine (City of Angels).

Outside of theatre, Rehm is an artist and educator. By day, he's the Assistant Site Director for an after school program. " It's pretty great because I get to use my job as an excuse to modge-podge and play four square to my heart's content," Rhem kids.

He also writes and draws; his doodles can be seen on his website, http://www.awkwardwaffles.com.

The Opposite of People (TOP) is a newly established theater company that is dedicated to bringing accessible, unconventional theater and little known shows to the Boston-area community.

Tickets are available for all performances through Event Brite: https://tinyurl.com/hfmusical or on TOP's website http://theoppositeofpeople.org