Arts & Society

Gary Tischler • August 10, 2012

Ever wonder why Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and artistic director Howard Schalwitz refuse to lose their edge, get stale, play safe, stay full of surprises that pop out consistently out of their burlap sack that they call theater?

Go see “Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play,” by the astonishingly gifted playwright Ann Washburn and wonder no more. Washburn induces a state of wonder, provokes, makes you squirm and laugh, and think about tomorrow, if you’ve stopped doing that.

To be fair, “Mr. Burns” won’t be everyone’s cup of gizmo tea, but then nothing at Woolly ever is. I watched what seemed to be the beginnings of quite a lengthy argument between a couple who saw the action before them on the stage quite differently, the kind of thing that can only happen at a theater, a political debate, a demonstration or a football game.

Washburn accomplishes this by imagining a post-apocalyptic world—to climax Woolly’s apocalyptic-themed season—inhabited by a rabbity group of survivors in an America where the grid has broken down, nuclear generators have erupted, and the population has been reduced to an unforgivingly small number. How would people—any sort of people—react to this, what would they choose to remember, cherish, reject? What cultural artifacts would remain within them just waiting to be retold?

How about “The Simpsons”?

That’s right, “The Simpsons,” the hugely popular adultish cartoon sitcom which created a host of fans, some of them fanatics on the Star Trek order, with a large volume of shows to embrace and clutch dearly to their hearts, like talking teddy bears. That’s what a group of disparate but not yet desperate survivors more or less thrown together in a woody Northwest area begin to do, at first starting to grapple with their shared memory of “The Simpsons,” then slowly focusing on a particularly cherished and legendary episode, a parody of the Martin Scorcese’s remake of “Cape Fear,” starring Robert DeNiro, called “Cape Feare.”

You don’t have to (although it must surely help) be a “Simpsons” fan—I have never watched a full episode but have friends who had a Bart Simpson puppet in their window—to get what’s happening or even join in. It’s people—frightened, tentative, afraid to let go of the past which has just been essentially destroyed—trying to recreate it, as civilizations always have. By remembering the sleekly villainous Sideshow Bob or Bart cowering in a movie theatre in front of him because of death threats, they remember moments. More than that, these people, these characters take it further, in later years, as they form a traveling performing company—reminiscent of traveling carnivals, mystery plays, circus and amateur theater groups of yore—trading in memories of “Simpsons” scripts, trying at the same time to rebuild a culture.

It sounds odd—and it is creepy weird and touching—but it’s also amid all the outrageousness, a portrait of something important, an illustration of how ordinary folks embrace a culture of sorts. It may be that, as a society, we might not remember high culture, but some form of culture broadly shared, not Ophelia necessarily and not Homer’s Illiad but Homer Simpson.

As a group, the characters are hard to remember as named individuals, but impossible to forget as people. Initially, they carry with them guns, booklets with lists of names of people—relatives, friends, lovers, the local mechanic, who might have survived. We don’t know who they are exactly, what they did, where they specifically lived, what or who they lost. They sear themselves into our own dreams by the way they behave and that’s a function of the gifts of the actors.

There is, for instance, the magnificently-voiced Gibson, played with awesome affect by Chris Genebach—he’s tall, bald, gleaming almost, with a way of speaking that echoes manly singing, with the added plus that he can do Gilbert and Sullivan. There’s the thin, bounding Maria, played movingly, like some wounded Jackie-in-the-Box windup ballerina by Jenna Sokolowski, and the affecting, singular and insistent Matt, played by Steve Rose, and Jenny, hesitant, pushy, kind of daffy and sexy, and mysteriously affecting as played by Kimberly Gilbert, a Woolly regular who keeps getting better and better every year.

Much of this is very funny—the attempts to reproduce commercials of the period, to wit — and profoundly funny-sad. Consider a moment when one of the characters insists that Homer and Bart be authentic and real. “They’re cartoons for God’s sake,” another insists. “You can’t hurt them.” It’s a big issue: what we invest, how much of our hearts and souls, in our culture.

The test of the play is the last part in which we see the real thing, or as close as it gets: Mr. Burns (the people-hating, sleazy and greedy nuclear plant owner in the TV series) revealed as the villain, and the Simpsons in horrible peril. Is it real, or is it memories?

How we respond as individuals and members of a group—we, the audience—is what decides the fate of the play, of course, which is the first step toward renewal in a post-apocalyptic world—or in a world that is changing faster than the speed of sight.

“Mr. Burns” runs at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre at 641 D Street, N.W., through July 1. [gallery ids="100838,126124" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

The Georgetown Inn threw a 50th birthday with old and young admirers, greeted by new owner Nayan Patel of Your DC Hotels. After writing about the hotel’s history in the previous Georgetowner, Mary Bird, wife of legendary manager and owner Collins Bird, was there with some of the veterans like Morgan Dodd who worked at the front desk in the mid-1970s. All could tell a few tales, whether about astronauts, Redskins, Andy Warhol, actors, Doc Dalinsky or Playboy photo shoots.

Mindful of its old world charms, Patel has plans to renovate the hotel with the help of his Your DC Hotels team, which includes director of operations Chetan Patel, general manager Kelly Curry, director of marketing Heidi Bitar and David McDermott. Also at the jazzy party, supplied with scallops, crab cakes, roast beef and other goodies from the Daily Grill, were Bob and Martha Vicas, Karen Feld (with Campari, of course), Richard Bernstein, Hiba Hakki, Vinoda Basnayake, Kate Michael, Natasha Barrett, Kris Van Cleave, Jummy Olabanji, Kunal Shah and Pamela Sorensen as well as Linda Greenan, Charles DeSantis, Mary Anne Mahin and Marjorie Boursiquot, all of Georgetown University, among others.
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Mary Bird •

The Four Seasons Hotel invited friends on May 29 to the first of an ongoing “Windows On A Journey” initiative. South African singer, songwriter and composer Jonathan Butler inaugurated the series. The multi Grammy Awards artist presented a musical journey through his compelling life story. The cabaret setting enhanced his program. He is the first black artist to play on a white radio station in South Africa and said, “My weapon was love.”
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Mary Bird •

DC’s premiere black-tie event with four-footers as featured elegantly attired guests filled the Washington Hilton June 2. Megan Hilty, the star of NBC’s musical drama “Smash,” attended with an adoptable dog escort. Anissa Grossman and Beth Viola co-chaired the 2012 Bark Ball committee. ABC7 News senior political reporter Scott Thurman emceed at the dinner program with a live auction followed by dancing. The evening raised record funds to support WHS critical programs and services that benefit thousands of homeless, lost and abused animals. [gallery ids="100849,126604,126596,126588,126619,126580,126624,126572,126629,126636,126610" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Innocents at Risk’s founder Deborah Sigmund offered yet another wonderful idea for the sixth annual “Evening To Benefit Innocents at Risk” at Arena Stage June 8 as guests enjoyed receptions before and after the enchanting “Music Man.” Sigmund called the evening’s honoree Septime Webre, artistic director of the Washington Ballet, our very own “music man” with his outreach to the community through DanceDC programs and THEARC. Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) was honorary chair, and the emcee was Pamela Brown of ABC7/WJLA-TV and News Channel 8, who has championed the organization’s efforts to combat human trafficking. [gallery ids="100850,126649,126665,126641,126672,126633,126679,126625,126686,126657" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

While London was toasting Queen Elizabeth II at her Diamond Jubilee, Washington celebrated as well. On June 2, Princess Selene Obolensky welcomed friends and four generations of the honoree’s family to toast Countess Gertrude d’Amecourt, who at 102 years continues to exude her well-known charm. The elegant doyenne was serenaded at the piano by John Gardecki and surrounded by admirers. [gallery ids="102457,121011,121019,121024,121029" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Some little girls living with cancer got the VIP Pink treatment June 2 in the garden at the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, where they had a chance to escape reality for a few hours. The girls have a parent who is fighting cancer. They were deservedly pampered with music, manicures, make-up, a delicious candy bar, photos and even a photo shoot with Miss D.C., Sarah Elizabeth Hillware. Charity Chicks U.S. and We Will Survive Cancer co-hosted the uplifting event. [gallery ids="100851,126708,126700,126723,126692,126728,126683,126734,126673,126742,126716" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

The weather was perfect as supporters of Dress for Success D.C. gathered at the Martini Sky Bar of the Beacon Hotel June 5. The organization partners with more than 200 referral agencies in our area to prepare women to succeed in the workforce. “We help the woman from the inside and the outside,” said executive director Megan Goffney. A professional women’s group mentors clients after they find employment. “We help you arrive as good as you look,” Goffney added. Since 2002, more than 10,000 women have been “suited” for work. [gallery ids="102458,121004,120980,121009,121022,120988,120996,121015" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

International Student House (ISH), along with Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki of Japan and the National Cherry Blossom Festival (NCBF), celebrated dual centennials of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to Washington June 1 and the 100th anniversary of ISH’s historic main building at Dupont Circle.  Not deterred by the torrential downpour, guests gathered in the mansion’s great hall for Japanese food and music performed by members of the Washington Toho Koto Society.  NCBF donated a cherry tree for ISH’s garden commemorating the friendship between the U.S. and Japan and ongoing educational exchanges.  ISH welcomes graduate-level students from around the world.
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Gary Tischler •

You got trouble, right here in River City, Harold Hill, Marian the Librarian Paroo and 76 trombones.
Sound familiar?

You guessed it. It’s “The Music Man,” an American musical classic, and just the kind of show, set in small-town America, populist and popular, made for endless summer stock and dinner theater seasons — and the kind of show critics looking for songs from the dark side love to sneer at.

In other words, like a fast ball over the plate for Babe Ruth, it’s perfect for artistic director Molly Smith and Arena Stage. They hit Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma” out of the park in Arena’s pressure-filled inaugural offering at its expensive new digs in Mead Center for American Theater by making the venerable musical feel as fresh and as good as a dream dreamed last night.

It’s also perfect for Broadway musical stars Kate Baldwin (as Marian the very same librarian), and Burke Moses as Harold Hill, that sly salesman-con man brimming with enthusiasm and rascally charm as he tries to sell the folks of River City on the idea of a full-blown boys band complete with bright uniforms. Hence, the 76 trombones’ song.

Baldwin and Moses in a conference call just before a scheduled mid-day rehearsal revealed themselves to be American musicals enthusiasts and veterans, who see the form as fresh and challenging, a boon for audiences.

“It’s an American classic, and I’ve been dying to play Marian, because there’s so much to the role,” Baldwin said. “She’s a complicated woman, she’s a librarian and a music teacher. So, for this small town, she’s sort of the keeper of the cultural flame.”

“It’s one of those musicals you grow up with–that and “West Side Story,” which came out around the same time,” Moses said.

“The Music Man” by Meredith Wilson made its debut in 1957 and won out over the then-somewhat revolutionary “West Side Story” for the Tony Award for best musical. It starred Robert Preston, brimming with confidence and energy as Harold Hill, and newcomer Barbara Cook as Marian. Coincidentally, Cook will be appearing at the Kennedy Center in June.

Both Baldwin and Moses bridled at the idea that reprises and revivals of shows like “The Music Man” are somehow old fashioned. “They get done because they’re great shows,” said Baldwin, who dazzled on Broadway in “Finian’s Rainbow” and regionally in “My Fair Lady.” Baldwin, who has worked with Molly Smith before at Arena Stage when Smith reprised what was then a rarely done revival of “South Pacific,” said, “I think she [Smith] has a genius for making shows like this fresh and meaningful for contemporary audiences.”

“Let’s look at it this way,” Moses said. “What kind of opera season would you have if you did only new operas? If you stopped doing ‘Butterfly’ or ‘Aida’ because they’re old fashioned? Well, it’s the same for revival of classic musicals like ‘The Music Man.’ “

Smith has found a way to make her vision of “The Music Man” resonate for today’s audiences by setting it not in turn-of-the-century America circa the early 1900s but in Depression-era Iowa. The town is hurting, colorless and here comes this man with this energy and all this color. It shows the possibility that Hill, a con man, will run off with the money he’s raising for school band uniforms, a real disaster for a small town. On the other hand, it asks: what could raise the spirits of a struggling small town more than the prospect of band music and colorful uniforms?

“I know what it’s like to be a salesman,” Moses said. “And what it’s like to be Hill. In college, I sold quasi-encylopedias and children’s books, door to door. I can’t say I was very good at it. I did Harold Hill in summer stock when I was somewhat younger. Back then, you didn’t know quite what I was doing. I really love the part now. You embrace that energy.”

Hill is the con man who cautions the River City folks about the dangers of pool and sells them on the exuberant joyful noise of music in “76 Trombones” and, in his way, courts the shy but also eager Marian.

“What I’ve learned to do in preparing for this is to do what Kate tells me to do,” he said. “It’s easier that way. Naw, I love Kate. She just sort of sweeps you up.”

So, what about Marian, the librarian, and how do you prepare for that? “Well, I read a lot,” Baldwin quipped. “It’s such a cliche. She’s complex, she’s brave, she’s this cultural figure in town. But Hill kind of surprises here: he makes her broaden her horizons and think of new ideas.”

“Hill is an outsider,” Moses said. “Although she’s very much a part of the town, she’s also an outsider. He’s the guy who jazzes things up.”

Musically, “it’s a joy to sing the songs in this show,” said Baldwin, who has a highly-praised soprano voice. “I’m like this frog horn, next to this beautiful voice,” Moses added. That’s probably being a little modest since he originated the role of Gaston in the Disney-Broadway production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

“What I really would like to do, in terms of a bucket-list item, is “Sweeney Todd,” Moses said. “Hill and Sweeney … like light to dark.”

Talking with them, as the actors bantered, seems after a while like you’re in the room, waiting for rehearsal, waiting, even eager, for showtime. “Well, actually, I’m a little sleep deprived,” Baldwin said. “Colin, my one-year-old whom I have with me here, woke me up at 6:30 this morning.”

(“The Music Man” runs at Arena’ s Fichandler Theatre through July 22. Directed by Molly Smith, with choreography by Parker Ease and musical direction by Lawrence Goldberg, the cast also includes Will Burton, Juliane Godfrey, Nehal Joshi, John Lescault, Barbara Tirrell, Lawrence Redmond and others as well as five D.C.-area youths–Ian Berlin, Heidi Kaplan, Jaimie Goodson, Colin James Cech and Mia Goodman–chosen from an all-day casting call.) [gallery ids="102453,121098,121103" nav="thumbs"]