The Knobs from the bluegrass musical: "That Other Woman's Child," playing at Chattanooga State Humanities Theatre. Click to enlarge.
photo by Bill Shipley
On one level, That Other Woman’s Child, the new musical that has opened at Chattanooga State, could do for the Bluegrass State what Oklahoma did for the territories or Riverdance did for the Emerald Isle. It infuses the music and indigenous culture of a community off the beaten track into a compelling story that could give that community a newfound sense of identity and even prominence.
Oddly enough the development of the show itself follows the path of the central character named Dawn Hanover, whose father emigrated from the Kentucky hills to the “golden coast” of California in pursuit of the fleeting dreams of riches and the “other woman” who enticed him away from his wife and family. Dawn has maintained a half-interest in the family farm homestead, which has been become imperiled by the auction hammer. There seems to be a small problem about some unpaid taxes and a few missing mortgage installments.
The show’s co-creator Sherry Landrum (working with George Clinton) hails originally from “these parts” and moved to California to follow her own show biz dream. She has now been back here a few years to creating her own theatrical cauldron using her collected skills. Child was first created as a workshop production in California in 1982 and generated a small buzz. It has now been given a fuller production back in its native habitat. Just as “California Dreamin’” has turned out to be a bust for many people, sort of like a gold mine running very dry, many folks are looking for the next horizon in the American experiment. Since the “westward, ho!” advancement has been significantly impeded by a small thing called the Pacific Ocean, they have had to look back to the once overlooked and forsaken interior – places like Appalachia – where the grass still has some green left and there is enough water to drink. Dreams can be just as real and exert just as much power staring at the Blue Ridge as they can staring at the Malibu coastline.
The exciting part of the production is that the Chattanooga State Repertory Theatre, under the tutelage of Landrum and cohort Rex Knowles, has assembled an obviously talented crew of folks to perform, design, and produce Child, which is their most ambitious production to date. In fact, I don’t remember this much talent evident on one stage of a locally produced show.
Besides being a veritable “who’s who” of local talent, including Allan Ledford, Lindsay Fussell, R.E. Hobgood, and several members of the Chattanooga State Repertory Theatre resident company, the cast contains seven Equity actors, which means that they are getting paid for their services, and that the production has attracted some financial backing. Presumably, this means that there is hope that the show might continue to have life down the road.
There is clearly a need to reverse the historical trend of Southern culture: the artists and the material they generate have to emigrate elsewhere in order to succeed. Skills cannot be acquired and recognition cannot be afforded here. The South, despite being the source for an inordinate amount of American art, does not have the reputation for being arts friendly. The doors are only beginning to open. Change on any level is routinely resisted here. But you only have to look as far as the fact that the last four American Idol finalists have been from North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, and they still had to go to Hollywood for someone to notice. Something has been cooking in Southern kitchens for decades. When do we eat?
The South has been giving away its best talent for years. Of its own accord, it has continued the capital decimation (human and financial) that was brought about by the Civil War. Today, it is hard to believe that Mississippi, now last in virtually every human and financial infrastructure measure, was once one of the richest states in the country. The rest of the South is not far ahead in bringing up the rear. The continued migration of talent capital has just furthered the destruction.
Maybe the question should be framed this way: putting aside the personal torture and humiliation that you often have to go through considering your artistic sentiment and interest, and the nearly complete lack of artistic economic opportunity here, where would you really rather live, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or the South?
The opening night audience at That Other Woman’s Child seemed completely engaged in following Dawn, played by Rebecca George, as she encounters the vestiges of her “red neck” roots. One of the more entertaining scenes is a family religious service led by current patriarch Matthew Mark (everybody for miles around is named for books of the Bible), played by Allan Ledford, who confronts and exposes the Seven Deadly Sins housed in different people with a divining fire poker. Dawn’s being from L.A., the latter day Sodom and Gomorrah rolled into one, is inspiration for his chosen topic.
The production as a whole right now both shines and dims throughout. Individual performances, like that of tongues-speaking Granny Loomis, played with admirably confused energy by Karen Keith, are highlights, while the overall structure and execution are probably going to be headed back to the drawing board. There are too many times when the show seems torn between being a downbeat play with music or a downright upbeat musical with dialogue. It succeeds best as the latter. It is then that the somewhat stereotyped characters and fractured set and scene composition work best. In fact, the most rousing numbers are the ensemble opening “She’s Comin’” and closing “The Wedding.” Numerous Brownie points are earned by beginning and ending well. The finale also goes for a matrimonial record, as no less than five couples tie or re-tie the knot.
With all these “feel good” doings in the air, it is puzzling why at times the show feels like Henrik Ibsen is paying a visit to Butcher Hollow. If Child is going to succeed in the long run as a musical, then the music itself has to be examined. While the numbers are clever and effective, there is not one among them that is a “killer.” Oklahoma and The Music Man, another great Americana musical, both have one memorable hit after another. Great musicals need great songs. They also need great singers. That was the cast’s short suit. Their dancing of Mark Knowles’ choreography was barrels of fun, but who was providing the vocal oomph?
Also, the standard explanation for why songs “work” in a musical, when singing is in itself an artificial means of communication, is that the situation has reached a point where only a song can communicate what is going on for the character inside. Mere spoken words won’t do. People rarely sing to each other in real life, except for mothers to their babies and “Happy Birthday” gatherings. (Perhaps the human race would benefit in general if we looked for more opportunities.) Too frequently, for individual characters, the songs in Child seem to just start arbitrarily, thereby calling attention to the artifice and not satisfying an emotional need. This is why opera, at its best, can be so powerful. Things are at such a constant emotional pitch that the characters have to sing throughout. (If they never reach that pitch, then opera can be a miserable experience.)
While Child contains an homage to Kentucky bluegrass and country music in general, it never really approaches both the power and virtuosity of the real McCoy. I think right away of Bill Monroe, Ricky Skaggs, and Loretta Lynn (in her prime). She was not called the “Queen of Country Music” for nothing. The success of the opening clogging number and the closing square dance number ought to serve as a key to how it is possible to Broadway-ize a traditional art form and make it work in the context of a regional story with universal ambitions. It’s been done before.
I should single out two performances that were of particularly pre-eminent quality among many good ones. One was that of Tina Marie Casamento as the much neglected and highly abused Aurora, the original “left behind” child/half-sister in the story. In a plot centering so much on the issue of family, she is the backbone that gives this family a fighting chance for survival in the first place. Everyone else is very focussed on private concerns and could have easily gone their separate ways. Also, R.E. Hobgood, mostly known for his technical work on various area stages for years, showed that he has been pursuing work on the wrong side of the footlights. His performance as Double Bob, the avuncular family elder is filled with such monumental good will and enthusiasm that it makes you wish you had several relatives just like him. He truly made the absolute most of his role. There seemed to be no separation between the actor and the character.
That Other Woman’s Child continues at Chattanooga State through June 27.
Left to right: Allan Ledford (Matthew Mark), Heather Cole Moses (The Knobs), Rex Knowles (The Ky. Knob Band). Click to enlarge.
photo by Bill Shipley