Playwright: Barry Kleinbort,
Joseph Thalken
At: Barber Theatre, Northwestern U. ( Evanston )
Phone: ( 847 ) 491-7282; $10-$25
Runs through: Nov,13
In its debut effort, the American Music Theatre Project ( AMTP ) at Northwestern University offers a striking work of sophistication, achievement and serious purpose, Was, adapted from the novel by Geoff Ryman. The AMTP focuses on works in advanced development by senior creative collaborators, and places at their disposal Northwestern's considerable talents and material resources.
The AMTP exceeds expectations. The maturity and style of the mostly student performers belie their true ages, and several have great pipes as well ( especially lead Dan Kohler and supporting player Emily Thompson ) . The orchestra excels in rich strings and delicate brasses under musical director Ryan Nelson, playing composer Joseph Thalken's refined orchestrations. Collette Pollard's spare, practical scenic design provides a vast wall for John Boesche's exquisite projections that enfold the audience yet isolate the characters within a beautiful but uninvolved universe.
Reading between my lines, you may understand that Was is not a musical comedy except in form. To be blunt, it's two death trips intertwined through two centuries ( spanning 1878-1989 ) , told against the iconography of The Wizard of Oz.
Was posits that Dorothy Gael, the heroine of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, was a real person who crossed paths with Baum just long enough to inspire him. Baum notwithstanding, Dorothy's unhappy life is one of catastrophe, abuse and insanity. The parallel story is that of Jonathan Wood, contemporary slasher film star and a good gay boy enthralled by The Wizard of Oz since he was a tiny tot. Afflicted with AIDS and sweating his life away, he leaves his lover of 14 years on a compulsive quest to discover if Dorothy Gael actually lived.
He says he doesn't know why he's on the quest, and I don't either. Despite Jonathan's likeability ( as played by Kohler and as written ) , the cause-and-effect link between him and Dorothy isn't perfected in Barry Kleinbort's intelligent book and lyrics. The show spends musical energy ( the worthy love song, 'Lucky Day' ) establishing Jonathan and his lover, who then becomes nearly a cipher. Their argument over Jonathan's infection is cliche-standard and unconvincing, so we're not making the emotional leap-of-faith with Jonathan when he walks out.
Technical structure is easier to address. The opening number, for instance, doesn't hook the audience. It works hard as an expository, establishing number but it lacks theatrical pizazz. The second number piqued my interest in the characters, but not the opener. Also, Act I runs a standard 90 minutes but feels much longer, not because it's slow but because of its huge burden of story and character. Can the burden be lightened by cutting scenes or songs, or by adding humor or dance?
Even when problems are solved, the question remains as to whether the public will want another dark take on Oz mythology, with Wicked already a Broadway smash ( and a big song-and-dance show, which Was never will be ) . Ignoring Broadway, is there a potential market for Was? For now, the AMTP makes Was as good as it can be, meaning very good indeed.
