thoughts on THE AMERICAN PILOT and SPRING AWAKENING

Both reviews will contain "spoliers", so read at your own risk.

THE AMERICAN PILOT


I know Isherwood of the Times didn't really care for this play, but I found it to be strong, moving, and an extremely worthwhile endeavour.

THE AMERICAN PILOT is (basically) about an American Pilot that crash lands in "a country which has been mired in civil war and conflict for many years." There are obvious cultural differences here, mainly that of language. The American pilot is being taken care of by a farmer, his daughter Evie, and his wife Sarah. Not one of them knows what to make of this mess, or how to go about resolving it. The captain and his translator come into town, and begin to stir things up. The captain behaves like a monster, and immediately begins ruffing up the wounded pilot simply because he is frustrated by the language boundaries, despite the fact that his translator is alongside him. At this point, the audience is still not sure of what will become of the pilot, or if these men mean him harm. They don't seem to be threatening, but just as we assume this the translator purposely mis-translates an entire passage, further enraging the captain.

Meanwhile, Evie (the farmer's daughter) takes a strange, intense liking to the pilot. She knows only a few words in English, yet is still able to connect with him. To make this shorter, what ends up happening by the end of Act I is that the captain agrees that they will murder the pilot and sell his head to terrorists. He insists that he, himself, is not a terrorist - but that a million dollars could do wonders for him and the country.

Act II begins with the translator setting up a video camera, ready to document the murder of the pilot. Evie comes to the rescue, and insists that this man means them no harm. She tells them that if they kill the American, it will bring nothing but war on their country. She also insists that America wishes to help them, but that can never be if they murder him. In a moving and brilliantly performed monologue, Evie makes a believer of the captain and even reminds him of a woman he once loved. He then uses her as a Joan of Arc-like character and they arrange for the departure of the pilot.

Just as all seems to be at peace, a helicopter descends on the village. Small bombs are dropped, and American soldiers storm the area. As they hook the pilot to the helicopter, the soldiers shoot everyone else dead - even those who did nothing but try to help the pilot. The one that remains alive is Evie, whom the pilot rescues and lifts her in the air to safety.

The reason I provided a brief (if ill-written) synopsis is because I don't think many people know what this show is about, and I seem to recall someone asking a couple days ago.

I found David Greig's play to be inspiring, devastating, thought-provoking, and illuminating. It is a strong work that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats the entire time. I give it my highest recommendation, and I urge you all to go see this.

Anjali Bhimani (as Evie) is the standout, and delivers an absolutely brilliant performance. Waleed F. Zuaiter (as the captain) is also sensational. The rest of the cast falls somewhere between suitable and great, though the two standouts are above.

Lynne Meadow's direction is clear and solid here. She has done and impeccable job. Positive notices must also go out to Derek McLane (sets) and Christopher Akerlind (lighting.)

I apologize in advance for the poorly written synopsis and the un-inspired "review", but I saw the show a week ago and some things are fuzzy.

Basically, go see the show. I think it's absolutely fantastic.

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Thanks for the review. What happened to the Spring Awakening review?

So in The American Pilot do the characters speak another language? How does it work?

SPRING AWAKENING


I have been a fan of Duncan Sheik's work for a long time, and was absolutely thrilled at the prospect of him writing music for the Broadway stage. With that said, his work here is equally as interesting and equally as brilliant.

Obviously based on the infamous play by Frank Wedekind, SPRING AWAKENING is about just that: a group of teenagers coming of age, discovering themselves, and dealing with the norms of society perpetuated by both their elders and the church.

If the mean age of Broadway theatregoers were eighteen, perhaps SPRING AWAKENING would have nothing to worry about. I mean, you can never underestimate a rabid teen fanbase, but I'm hard pressed to believe that adults will take a liking to this show as great as their children (or their children's children.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this show. Loved it, even. But it has certain and defined faults. At this point, I'm not certain how fatal they are. Had I seen the show off-Broadway, I would be able to better judge the rate at which the faults are being improved, but unfortunately, I cannot.

The story is basic, simple, and underdeveloped. There is one main plot line, and it is limp and uniteresting. There are several other sub-plots that emerge now and then, but none of them are ever fully explored or followed through with.

Despite the plot issues, more in-depth character development would have helped the audience care about what's happening. We really don't get to know any of the characters so, in turn, we care nothing for them or for what happens to them. They all are attractive and they all have pretty voices, but I don't know anything about THEM. The only actor that succeeds in finding a solid character despite limited material is the excellent John Gallagher, Jr.

This is clearly a musical that focuses more on music and overall concept than on characters and plot. At moments it succeeds gloriously, and at other moments it falls dead.

Duncan Sheik's music is breathtaking, brilliant, solid, and a breath of fresh air. It is the greatest rock music composed for the stage since, dare I say, HAIR. The lyrics are problematic, but generally appealing (when they are audible.) There have been issues taken up with transcending time periods, but it does nothing but add to the charm of this show. It's the style, and it works well. The lyrics are sometimes pedestrian, but often poetic and beautiful. I found nothing wrong with the "blah blah blah" refrains, or any of the other coloquialisms.

The cast is uniformly talented, if slightly green. The females are all decent, with Lea Michele (can you believe that's the original "little girl" from RAGTIME?!) delivering a gorgeous, vocally charming performance. Her character is underwritten and underdeveloped, but she does the very best with what she is given. Jonathan Groff is positively sexy and strong. He delivers (along with Gallagher) the only other semi-fully realized performance. A gorgeous voice, and some serious acting chops. What a treat. Jonathan B. Wright is fine, if a little one-note. John Gallagher, Jr. is absolutely fantastic. I love his role, I love his look, I love his voice, and I love his performance. What an absolute find. The two adults were fine in their respective roles, but are rarely given the opportunity to truly make an impression.

At some points, it's almost as if Mayer is trying to shock us just to shock us. Is it really necessary to have Jonathan B. Wright masturbate to the beat of the music? The whole "woe is me"/teenage angst thing just seems tired to me. We've seen it done a million times before, and generally a lot more effectively. What ultimately make me absolutely adore this show was the score. It is brilliant. The entire look of the show is stunning, and, despite the flaws, it's like a breath of fresh air on Broadway.

But still, despite my strong (positive) feelings on this show, I can't help but remain unmoved. I just let the show play out before me for entertainment value, as I never found myself once invested in what was actually going on. Sure, I felt bad for some of them, but I never cried like I was hoping to, and I didn't leave the theatre hurting like I hoped I would. It's all been done before. BARE did if more effectively. I will see this show again. And again. And I will be among the first to purchase the CD, but I really hope - for their sake - that things are tightened up. I think this show can find an audience. I just hope Ben Brantley doesn't dig an early grave for this show.

Go see it, tell me what you think. I think I will have to see it again before I can really let it sink in.

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Munk, we tend to agree a lot.
(Maybe it's the shared non-hatred of "Cats")

I felt the same way about "Spring Awakening" Off-Broadway. It had a talented ensemble and brilliant moments, but ultimately left me unmoved.

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