 |
| Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer shows Colin Stephen Kane, Danielle Valentine, Paul Wrona, Joe Thiessen, and Malia Tippets |
It is said that certain moments in your life are indelibly
etched in memory – could be first love, or first car, or (depending on your
age) the Kennedy assassination(s) or 9/11. For me, add in the first time I saw
The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Young
Frankenstein, Little Shop of Horrors,
Sugar, Minnie’s Boys, and now
Broadway Rose’s production of Up and
Away. Yes, it is that funny. The show had its world premiere in Pittsburgh
last year, and (after some revision by the authors) is enjoying its West Coast
premiere right here in Tigard. The book and lyrics by Kevin Hammonds are
tightly scripted, witty, and thoroughly wacky, and Kristin Bair’s music fits
perfectly with the show’s, shall we say eccentric, ambience. Dan Murphy’s
direction and choreography should be permanently embedded as definitive for
future productions – the exuberant, unapologetic silliness left me breathless.
The story (at least a bland, spoiler-free version suitable
for reviewing) is this: like many other royal parents of fiction, a pair of
anxious aliens on a Pluto-adjacent planet exile their helpless infant to save
him from certain death (in this case, at the hands of rebel assassins). The
terrified pair sends their baby out into space in a metallic, egg-shaped cocoon
(Star Wars? Superman? Greatest American Hero?). Years later on an isolated farm
in Farmtown, USA, brothers Joe and Jerry Jessup are digging the hole for a new
outhouse when they uncover the mysterious object. Despite warnings from his
cautious brother, the impetuous Joe opens the “egg,” tries on the red gloves
within, and quickly discovers that he now has the power to see 5 seconds into
the future. Joe has always longed to see the outside world; ignoring the pleas
of Mother Jessup and Jerry, he heads for Big City where he encounters intrepid,
aspiring girl reporter Susie Dare, mega-wealthy Ronak Fairchild, and a host of absurd
comic-book villains (shades of Batman and Spiderman) who are wreaking havoc on
the local citizenry. Donning the requisite red long-johns and now able to fly
(poorly), Joe becomes crime fighter Super Saver, falls for Susie, and gets the
on-air reporter job she wanted at the radio station. When brother Jerry arrives
to check up on Joe, he meets Susie and sparks fly. I dare go no further…
The three men and two women who populate the stage have to
be among the hardest-working people in show business – perhaps out done only by
the Broadway Rose crew who have to
manage the lightning quick costume and scene changes that magically turn five
actors into countless (I lost track around 20) characters while paying homage to
almost as many iconic musicals, comic books, and television shows. While Paul
Wrona (Joe), Colin Stephen Kane (Jerry), and Malia Tippets (Susie) primarily
play themselves, only occasionally changing into villains by donning a pumpkin
head, habit, or beekeeper’s mask, Danielle Valentine and Joe Theissen assume a
dizzying array of roles. The playwrights
pay open homage to Annie with station
WBC’s singing trio, adding pink fascinators to turn Tippets, Theissen, and
Valentine’s “Dapper Cracker Sisters” into Big City’s own version of the Lovely
Boylan Sisters. In another cheerfully derivative moment, Theissen’s big
entrance as Fairchild evokes an even glitzier take on Carol Channing descending
the staircase in Hello Dolly. Wrona’s
low-tech flying is hilarious – definitely drawn from the era of George Reeve,
not Christopher Reeves.
Up and Away is, of
course, a musical, and Broadway Rose provides the perfect West Coast launchpad.
Music director/conductor James Pick does
a masterful job with the John Williams-esque introductory themes, and the 23
songs give the actors ample opportunity to showcase their vocal talents. One of the first clues that Jerry may be more than
meets the eye comes from Kane’s singing – his powerful vocals belie the
character’s timid affect. By contrast, Wrona’s bigger, stronger Joe has a
pleasant voice, more than up to the task of delivering the songs but somehow
inconsistent with his heroic persona – suggesting that Super Saver may not be
the key to Big City’s salvation. Theissen’s vocal tour de force comes from the
decadent Ronak’s “Join Me, Won’t You,” and he simply sparkles in his guise as a
Dapper Cracker Sister. In her role as Susie, Tippets sweetly nails her two key
duets with Jerry in addition to her vocals with the full ensemble and as a
Dapper Cracker. While Valentine’s ensemble work is fine, she shines brightest
in character roles as Mother Jessup, the drunken secretary, and Ronak’s
sidekick/butler.
It’s tough to differentiate between the choreography and the
overall staging – the comedy is intrinsic to both, and characters move
(sometimes fluidly and sometimes frantically) from one moment to the next with
the help of amazingly creative props and some of the funniest and cleverest
choreography I’ve ever seen. Costumes (based on the original Pittsburgh designs
by Leon Dobrowski) range from suitably hackneyed (e.g., Farmville hick and
Susie’s conservative reporter attire) to utterly outrageous – perfectly in
keeping with the tone of the show.
It’s sometimes hard to attract an audience for a new show,
but word seems to have gotten out, and many of the best seats are long gone on
the Broadway Rose ticket site. Best bet? Unless you have zero tolerance for
unrestrained fun, buy tickets now and treat yourself to a spectacular couple of
hours. One warning – despite the comic book ambience, the show does contain
some mature language and may not be appropriate for your kiddos.
Up
and Away is
playing at Broadway Rose’s New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Avenue, Tigard through
Sunday, February 23.
No comments:
Post a Comment