So I got into NYC a bit early this past weekend, and decided to take in a Friday-night show. At first I couldn't think of anything I hadn't already seen, but then I recalled reading something about The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island, or the Friends of Dr. Rushower. I figured any show with a ballsy title like that might just have something interesting in its mind. I also knew that the show featured Bobby Steggert, whom I enjoyed greatly in the recent Roundabout revival of 110 in the Shade.
I haven't been having much luck lately with Off-Broadway musicals. Among my recent jaunts beyond the Rialto have been Next to Normal, Frankenstein, and Evil Dead. Not an auspicious bunch. I also saw In the Heights when it was at the 37 Arts,
and wasn't a fan, although I've heard that the changes the production staff
have made for the Broadway version have been significant. I hope to
catch the show again to see if those changes have been effective.
Slug Bearers is based on the cartoon work of illustrator Ben Katchor, who also supplies the libretto. The production bears a significant resemblance to the current Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George in that both shows rely heavily on animated projections, to similarly spectacular effect. Katchor's vision, as presented in Slug Bearers, is quirky, to say the least. It took a while for the various disparate threads of the plot to conjoin, but once they did it was a very satisfying, if not overwhelming, experience.
How's this for a plot? A twenty-something woman becomes obsessed with the plight of the slug bearers of Kayrol Island: migrant workers who physically transport the lead slugs that are used to give substantive weight to consumer electronics such as telephones and electric toothbrushes. The woman's father is obsessed with finding her a suitor, and attempts to do so by dropping dessert remnants off his penthouse balcony so he can invite the passersby up to dry-clean their clothes and meet his daughter. These numerous men become the titular "friends" of Dr. Rushower. Meanwhile, her latest suitor is a man obsessed with the "poetry" of consumer-product instruction manuals. The couple decide to embark on a mission to rescue the slug bearers from their misery. I know, but somehow it all makes sense on the context of the show.
After the mild confusion subsides, the show becomes charming yet subversive, smart but not
overly intellectual, an ambitious attempt to stretch the form with quirky but admirably restrained storytelling. Exciting? No, but very engaging and never predictable, despite moments of, shall we say, deliberate pacing (i.e. slow). There's not a lot in the show that's laugh-out-loud funny: most of the humor is of the "hmph" rather than the "ha" variety. Slug Bearers is not a show to fall in love with, but one to appreciate for its ambition and execution.
Mark Mulcahy's music appears to have a variety of influences, including the requisite calypso beat for the island setting. But in hearing the score, I was continually reminded of a melodic Phillip Glass or an accessible Laurie Anderson: the show employs significant, apparently intentional, repetition in both its music and text. Director Bob McGrath gives the show an arch style, but he and his performers show great restraint with what could have been camp material. Bobby Steggert proves once again the he is definitely a performer worth keeping an eye on. Peter Friedman, the original Tateh in Ragtime, is wonderfully understated as Dr. Rushower. Jody Flador was quite appealing as GinGin, Rushower's daughter. And newcomer Matt Pearson is simply smoldering as Samson, one of the slug bearers, and one crucial to the show's denouement.
The show ends its run at the Vineyard Theater this weekend, and I'm not aware of any plans to bring the show back for a commercial run, or to record the score. It would be great if both could happen: Slug Bearers is one of those Off-Broadway shows that should probably never move to Broadway, but that also deserves a healthy run, and a shot at posterity.
Hey Chris,
I totally agree with you about Bobby Steggert. I saw "110 in the Shade" mostly for Audra McDonald, and a little bit for John Cullum, and while they were great, I loved Bobby Steggert. I didn't know anything about Steggert, but he made an impression as Audra's kid brother. He took a character and really made it his own. I'm looking forward to seeing him in another role someday.
Posted by: Esther | March 10, 2008 at 09:27 PM