Review: 'The Glob'
New musical oozes into Blackbird Theatre
What's a horny, small-town teenager to do in uptight America of the early 1960s: Should Steve remain faithful to the beautiful, but virtuous girl he claims to love? Or should he score with the high school floozy who professes her love for him?
But first, shouldn't he stop dancing and save the world from the slimy, green mass of goo that threatens to wipe out BOTH opportunities?
Welcome to the goofy world of "The Glob," an original musical now playing at Ann Arbor's Blackbird Theatre that spoofs not only the cheap, laughable science fiction films of the 1950s and 60s, but also pretty much everything else author/lyricist/director Barton Bund crams into this often funny, spirited and entertaining, but not always on-the-mark production.
It's a typical day in Springwood when teenagers Becky and Mikey discover oozing, green spots on their bodies. It could be a sexually transmitted disease, they think – sex education was a joke in 1962 – but when a government diagnostic team suddenly shows up and quarantines the town, it becomes obvious that something much more horrific is going on.
Led to believe it's an alien invasion, the citizens panic as giant green globs wander through town devouring everyone they encounter. But when Steve discovers the truth, will the knowledge help him save the world? Or kill him?
It's an ambitious project that the multi-talented Bund first conceived a decade ago, but his anger towards the Iraq war and his concern for what it is doing to America drove him to finally complete it. (The desire to stage a musical this season also helped.)
The result is a parody and political satire that owes its existence not only to "The Blob," but also to "American Graffiti," "West Side Story" and every crappy sex-ed movie ever made. While much of the script is inspired lunacy – you'll never look at a hot dog and a bun quite the same way again – certain plot points are just plain silly, unclear or they ultimately don't pay off. (Steve's immunity to the glob, for example. And his guitar.)
Then there's the hippies. Although Allen Ginsberg makes a brief appearance – Bund again – the flower-power, pot-smoking free-lovers he inspired weren't around in 1962. (The beatniks were in their final throes of ruling America's counterculture then.)
Director Bund does a generally fine job moving his 16 actors about a very confined space. However, some of the action is lost during crowd scenes, and what takes place on the floor can't be clearly seen by those sitting beyond the first row.
But it's the joyful exuberance exhibited by his actors that especially shines in this production. Although some are only adequate singers and a few can't be heard above the excellent band, Paul's Big Radio, everyone gives everything they've got. And it shows!
"The Glob" runs Thu.-Sat. at the Blackbird Theatre, 1600 Pauline, Ann Arbor, through June 24. Tickets: $18. For information: 734-332-3848 or http://www.blackbirdtheatre.net.
The Bottom Line: You'll laugh, you'll groan – and may be even be offended – but isn't that what makes America great?
Preview: Michigan Theatre Festival 2006
It's curtains for area's 'big five' critics
If there isn't already one, there should be an axiom that goes something like this: Theater critics should be neither seen nor heard. (Nor read, if some thespians had their way.)
But since there isn't, southeast Michigan's "big five" theater critics – Martin F. Kohn (Detroit Free Press), Judith Cookis Rubens (Oakland Press), Jenn McKee (Ann Arbor News), Robert Delaney (The Monitor) and a certain baldheaded guy from the weekly gay paper – are throwing caution to the wind and proving why we are writers and not actors by appearing in a staged reading of an original short play written and directed by former Oakland Press theater critic John Sousanis, "If A Tree."
The play is part of the second annual Michigan Theatre Festival that takes place June 21-25 on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester. The event, hosted by Meadow Brook Theatre, features 18 staged readings of new plays, talk-back sessions and a nightly wrap party. Participating theaters include The Abreact (Detroit), Blackbird Theatre (Ann Arbor), Heartlande Theatre Company (Birmingham), Jewish Ensemble Theatre Company (West Bloomfield), Performance Network Theatre (Ann Arbor), Planet Ant Theatre (Hamtramck), Plowshares Theatre Company (Detroit) and Williamston Theatre (Williamston).
Also a part of the festival is the tenth annual Heartlande Theatre Play-by-Play Marathon on Saturday, June 24.
"Rochester will be literally teeming with actors, directors, playwrights and staff from theaters around the state for that whole week," said HTC's Mary Rychlewski. "It's a great opportunity for audiences to gain a real appreciation for the riches of the Michigan theater community as a whole."
It's the breadth and diversity of the programming that has HTC's Jan Radcliffe looking forward to the event. "There's a strong representation of Michigan work which I think is very exciting," she said.
This year's keynote speaker is Allan Knee, who wrote the book for the Broadway musical "Little Women" and whose play "The Man Who Was Peter Pan" was adapted for the film "Finding Neverland." He is scheduled to speak Friday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m., which will be immediately followed by a staged reading of his newest work, "The Jazz Age." "We are incredibly excited to be work-shopping Allan Knee's newest play," said MBT's Managing Director John Manfredi. "It is a major accomplishment for our company and an acknowledgement of our work to be trusted with the work of such a significant playwright."
Afterwards – at 10 p.m. – the "Big Five" will hit the stage for the first – and final – time, offering a role reversal and fresh perspective that comes from the other side of the footlights. "What fun to have everyone get in on the act – not just for the artists and the critics, but for the general theater-going public, too," noted Radcliffe.
The Michigan Theatre Festival 2006 takes place June 21-25 at Meadow Brook Theatre, Varner Hall Studio Theatre and Varner Hall Lab Theatre on the campus of Oakland University, Rochester. A Festival Pass (which admits the bearer to all MFT readings, wrap parties and panel discussions) is $35; admittance to each individual play and wrap party is $5. The Heartlande Theatre Company's Play-by-Play Marathon runs concurrently on Sat., June 24 from noon to midnight on the Meadow Brook stage. Tickets are $5 per hour, with special half and full day passes. For tickets or complete information, call MBT at 248-377-3300 or log on to http://www.heartlande.com.
