Reviewed by Judy Richter
TheatreWorks is celebrating the start of its
40th anniversary season with a world premiere musical, "Tinyard Hill." Although it's a brand new
show, in some ways it symbolizes the history of this respected regional theater
company. TheatreWorks' first show, "Popcorn," also was a world premiere
musical, it took place during the Vietnam War, and it was directed by founder Robert
Kelley.
Likewise, "Tinyard Hill" takes place during the Vietnam War, and it's
directed by founder/artistic director Kelley. With Kelley at the helm,
TheatreWorks has continually grown in stature, but it has retained one of its
primary commitments, which is to develop and stage new works. In fact,
"Tinyard Hill" is the centerpiece of the company's New Works
Festival.
Created
by Tommy Newman and
Mark Allen,
"Tinyard Hill" is set in a small town in rural Georgia in 1964.
That's where Russell Kingsley (James Moye) and his 18-year-old son, David (Chris
Critelli), own
and operate a blacksmith shop that has been in the family for several
generations. Russell wants to keep doing things just as they've been doing
them, but David has bigger dreams. He wants Russell to use his mechanical
talents to expand into an auto repair shop.
In
the meantime, their next-door neighbor, May Bell Whitehead (Allison Briner) welcomes her 18-year-old niece,
Aileen Garrett (Melissa WolfKlain), from New York City. Aileen is there so that May Bell
can alter the dress for Aileen's marriage to a 30-year-old psychiatrist.
Inevitably Aileen and David are attracted to each other. It also turns out that
Russell and May Bell were once in love, but their romance was interrupted by
Russell's being drafted into the Army during World War II. Likewise, a draft
notice arrives in the mail for David as the war in Vietnam begins to heat up.
The
country- and rock-style music is easy on the ears, especially since all four
actors sing well. The script has some really funny lines, many of them coming
from the earthy May Bell. The book does a good job with the dilemma over the
draft: Should David go? Should he run? If he runs, will Aileen go with him? It
also does well with the relationship between May Bell and Russell. However, one
has to wonder what motivated Aileen to become engaged to a man 12 years her
senior. Clearly they started dating when she was in high school. That's a huge
age difference for her. On the other hand, David and she are the same age, but
their life experiences and cultural backgrounds are vastly different. Yes,
they're young and foolish, but they don't give much consideration to their
differences. Finally, it's a bit curious that although Vietnam is just
beginning to move onto the front page, there's no mention of the civil rights
movement, which was far more prominent at the time.
The
show is well structured, but "The Dooly County Fair," the final scene of Act 1,
needs more clarity. Until then, May Bell and Russell haven't told David about
the draft notice, nor have they told him about their efforts to buy him a
deferment. And with the song ending with each person expressing different
thoughts in ensemble, things get muddy. They're clarified in Act 2, but for now
the Act 1 finale unsettles the audience as it heads into intermission.
As
usual, TheatreWorks endows the show with high artistic values. Set designer Tom
Langguth and
lighting designer Pamila Gray help to set the scene as the audience enters the theater
and sees moss-laden trees silhouetted against a dark blue sky. Costumes by Cathleen
Edwards are
right-on for the time, and Cliff Caruthers' sound design adds to the ambience. Musical
director William Liberatore conducts four fellow musicians from the keyboards.
"Tinyard
Hill" has lots of entertainment value, but it might need some further
tweaking. It would be interesting to have a sequel set two years later when
David gets out of the Army after presumably serving in Vietnam, especially
given that today's audiences know that too many of the survivors were
physically or mentally damaged by their experiences.
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