Photo by Noa Friedman
As a teenager in high school drama at Clearwater High, “Stephen Sondheim” evoked images of Merrily We Roll Along and Sweeney Todd, but after seeing Road Show, playing through March 16 at freeFall Theatre, my mind will forever link Stephen Sondheim with… South Florida?
Yup.
I’ll save you a protracted book report, but tell you this much: Road Show tells the story of the Mizner brothers: the sweet-natured mama’s boy, Addison (played by Joey Panek), and the devilishly attractive con man, Wilson, and their journey from Alaska to Florida. And, as with so many land-boom-era Florida stories, this one’s filled with hopes, dreams, and schemes. The Florida historian in me saw this and thought, wow, how much better would Florida’s early 20th-century land boom have been with a bouncy Sondheim score?
Thankfully, no one needs to fight black clouds of mosquitoes, destroy the lower part of the historic Everglades, or lose their fortunes to learn the (mostly) true tale one such land boom scheme gone awry. All you need to do is buy a ticket for Road Show at freeFall.
Road Show: The Players
In the early iterations of Road Show, the musical had many names, one of which was Wise Guys. For one month, it ran with Nathan Lane as Addison. While Nathan Lane certainly packs pounds, as mentioned in “Waste” (“Could have lost weight”), and Joey Panek does not, this doesn’t detract from Panek’s earnest, endearing performance as the doting son with a head full of dreams.
Not so much endearing as enchanting is Wilson, played by Robert Teasdale. Here’s the thing about Teasdale’s portrayal of Wilson: We know he’s a con man. The opening number essentially lets us know he’s the downfall of his brother’s dreams. We realize he’s not good for Wilson — or, honestly, anyone. But Teasdale’s performance is seductive; for the entire first act and part of the second, you may know he’s going to con you, but somehow, it seems OK. More than OK, really.
Photo by Noa Friedman
Road Show: The Music
What can you say for the score itself except, well, it’s Sondheim and of course you’d have to have zero appreciation for musicals to not appreciate it. However, the voices for this show are incredible. Drew H. Wells as Hollis Bessemer has a face that belies the power of his voice, in addition to turning out a performance that breaks your heart in the end.
Indeed, everyone — Greg Austin (Papa Mizner/Ensemble), Sara DelBeato (Mama Mizner/Ensemble), James Putnam (Stanley Ketchel/Ensemble), and Julia Rifino (Mrs. Myra Yerkes/Ensemble) — delivers a not-to-be-missed performance.
Road Show: The Show
While the plot of Road Show revolves around two brothers hitting the road to make their fortunes, Tom Hansen’s scenic design reinforces the “on the road” theme. He’s crafted a masterful set with stunning projections, minimal set pieces (all moved by the cast as needed), and a movable main set piece. That main piece serves as a deathbed, train car, and freighter, and glides across the stage, powered by the cast.
While the program doesn’t credit him for it, Eric Davis’ costume design deserves a mention; we loved the costumes as much as the Florida theme, the music, and the acting. Honestly, the hats alone deserve an award.
“It’s the best play I’ve seen in quite some time,” my husband said as we left the theater.
I couldn’t agree more.
See Road Show
Road Show freeFall Theatre, 6099 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Through March 16: Wed.-Sat., 7 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 2 p.m.; no show Feb. 27. $25-$55. freeFallTheatre.com; 727-498-5205.
Arts All Around!
The Gabber Newspaper covers live theater and art across South Pinellas. And, when we find something worth the drive, we cover art in the Tampa Bay and Sarasota areas.
