By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker
The theme for Broadway Rose’s 23d season is “Brass ‘n’ Sass”
– and their current production of Band
Geeks is a perfect way to start the music. This captivating new show is
having its West Coast premiere at the New Stage in Tigard, and authors Tommy
Newman, Gordon Greenberg, Gary Alter, and Mark Allen must be thoroughly jazzed
about the quality of the production.
Band Geeks draws
upon themes familiar to anyone who ever had the misfortune of attending an
American high school – as Director Isaac Lamb says, “high school is proof that
God has a wicked sense of humor.” While the material is certainly accessible to
young people, the show’s appeal is by no means limited to this audience. We
each find our own geeky way through adolescence, be it marching band, yearbook,
drama, choir, debate, or 4H. The relationships we forge during these crucial
years not only help us to survive the slings and arrows of a popularity-based
social structure, they guide us toward the people we’ll become as adults.
The story is loaded with familiar elements – Elliott, the
chubby and awkward tuba player who falls for the beautiful baton twirler (Nicole);
Laura, the girl next door who is everybody’s buddy, but nobody’s prom date;
Jake, the angry jock; Natalia, the out-of-touch foreign exchange student;
Molly, the alienated Goth girl; Alvin, the cheerily snarky gay guy, and more.
The story is familiar – beefy football players bullying the band geeks, lots of
unrequited passion, underfunded arts programs saved at the last minute by
inclusion in regional competitions, the one cool teacher (Mr. Hornsby) who
understands and supports his crew of drifting hormones, Stewart, the pathetic
mama’s boy, and Ms. Dixon, the mama who made him that way.
All in all, it is a simplistic, formulaic show that somehow
kept the entire audience (including us) enthusiastic and engaged, with a
heartfelt and sincere standing ovation at the end. The songs are plentiful and
rarely memorable, but they serve the show well – as with all Broadway Rose
productions, the arrangements and vocal ensemble lend a concert-like air to the
evening. There are no weak performances, but a few of the players particularly
sparkle. Zach Cossman (Jake) does
“anger” convincingly – but it is through his prowess on the drums that he
really finds his rhythm. Ryan Andrews (Elliott) manages to remain loveable despite
the character’s nerdy neediness – he brings a naïve enthusiasm that tempers his
self-absorption. The biggest laugh of the evening (it literally stopped the
show) was a throwaway line delivered by David Swadis (Alvin), whose comic
timing and delivery are impeccable. From her first moment on stage, the
audience knows that Danielle Purdy (Laura) is the real star despite her
unassuming affect. She quietly hovers in the background, ensuring that things
go (relatively) well, until finally Elliott gives her the credit she deserves
by giving her the position of bandleader. Her marvelous voice easily sells her
solos, and provides an anchor for the ensemble numbers.
The two “adults” in the cast, Amy Jo Halliday (Ms. Dixon)
and Joe Thiessen (Mr. Hornsby) play very different roles in the production.
While Thiessen is given a meaty part with some real depth (and a great song,
“If I Had a Stage”), Halliday’s character is little more than a cartoon, and
her spectacular voice is wasted on her big number, the formulaic “For the
Greater Good.”
An unexpected high point comes at the curtain call, when the
real band geeks (the band, led by musical director Mont Chris Hubbard)
join the cast at the front of the stage. Their appearance played no small part
in motivating the opening night standing ovation.
While Band Geeks is
in many ways classic Broadway Rose fare, it is exciting to see this venerable
group tackling a completely new show (this is only its third professional
production). We saw lots of fresh faces on both sides of the curtain – seven of
twelve of the actors are new to Broadway Rose, and a lot of the audience looked
like they were new to the New Stage (and will be coming back for more!).
Band Geeks runs
through March 2 at the Broadway Rose New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Avenue, Tigard.
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