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Southern-Fried Justice
by Edward Karam
The People vs. Mona reviewed July 14, 2007
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| From left: Mariand Torres as Mona, Jason Chimonides as Mike McGnat, and Ritt Henn as Mack McGnat |
| Photo Credit: Sam Rudy Media Relations |
| Advocates of musicals as a serious art form may well gnash their teeth over The People vs. Mona, which bills itself as "a musical mystery screwball comedy." Though that label suggests a daring, genre-busting piece, the show is no more than well-crafted, enticingly performed fluff with a score by the creator of Pump Boys and Dinettes, Jim Wann, and a book by him and Patricia Miller. As the stage directions indicate, "High energy, fast-paced. Laughter and applause are certainly high among the goals." If you want vengeful barbers, French barricades, and weighty issues, look elsewhere.
"Why did Mona Mae Katt kill her husband C.C. only 10 hours after they were married?" is the question pressing on the residents of Tippo, Ga., and particularly on the court convened in the Frog Pad, the local juke joint, superbly designed by Travis McHale. Vinyl records and album covers dot the walls of the stage and auditorium; there's a jukebox in one corner; and various indicators of the sultry climate—a fly swatter, a "Honk If You Love Jesus" sticker—are interspersed among them.
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| From top: David Jon Wilson as Officer Bell, Marcie Henderson as Tish Thomas, and Omri Schein as Bailiff |
| Photo Credit: Sam Rudy Media Relations |
| Mona's lawyer is Jim Summerford, a blandly pleasant attorney (though energetically played by Richard Binder) who resembles a cross between Jon Lovett and Ken Berry, the blandly pleasant actor who starred in Mayberry R.F.D. The prosecutor is Summerford's starchy, suited fiancée, Mavis Frye (Karen Culp), who has either beaten him or plea-bargained all their legal encounters.
As the trial progresses, the plot encompasses the future of the Frog Pad, the oldest juke joint in Georgia. Developers in town want to tear it down and clear the waterway for riverboat gambling, and Mavis may be in league with them. But would she go so far as to put Mona behind bars to help developers get hold of the property? And is something blossoming between the defendant and her attorney?
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| From left: Omri Schein as the bailiff and Ritt Henn as the clerk |
| Photo Credit: Sam Rudy Media Relations |
| The witnesses include musical-theater aficionado Officer Bell, who's given the square-jawed dimness of Dudley Do-Right by strapping actor David Jon Wilson; Blind Willy (Marcie Henderson), a street person whose nose for the scents wafting by the crime scene rivals the finest sommelier's; and Euple R. Pugh, a 96-year-old lecher and the town's leading citizen. (The bizarre name is a drawback, however: a hymn to him sounds as if the singers are garbling the lyrics.) Pugh is played by Omri Schein, a bantam actor who appears to have Bilbo Baggins's DNA and takes on multiple roles—he's also a touchy dentist and a smooth-tempered Indian immigrant—with comic relish.
Mariand Torres as Mona (née Ramona) is a sensational singer and brings a lot of likability to the part of the Latina defendant. (Nonetheless, occasional dialogue in Spanish is still distracting, even though it's a crucial point of Wann's story that he's talking about the New South—multicultural and forward-looking.) But she and Binder don't have much romantic chemistry.
Wann's music encompasses folk, twanging country, blues, and even a school song. The score is almost a musical résumé. The songs are tuneful and the lyrics pretty smart, and they're played with outstanding musicianship by the McGnats, the joint's resident band (Ritt Henn, Jason Chimonides, and Dan Bailey). Each of the performers gets a chance—some more than one—to shine in the numbers, which include "Lockdown Blues" (with a yodel) and "You Done Forgot Your Bible," a gospel number that shakes the rafters, thanks to Natalie Douglas.
Director Kate Middleton moves everything along briskly, and choreographer Jill Gorrie makes the most of the limited space, particularly in "A Real Defense," a late number in which the suspects echo their earlier words in flashback to sort out the guilty parties. Fluff this may be, but it's of such a high caliber that it easily meets the goal of sending the audience out with a sunny disposition.
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Abingdon Theater Mainstage
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Category: Musical
Written by: Jim Wann & Patricia Miller
Directed by: Kate Middleton
Produced by: Ground UP Productions
Opened: July 12, 2007
Closed: August 4, 2007
Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes, with intermission
Theater: Abingdon Theater Mainstage
Address: 312 West 36th Street, First Floor
New York, NY 10018
Yahoo! Maps Directions
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Tickets: $20.00
Students/Seniors: $18
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Creative Team
Book by: Patricia Miller and Jim Wann
Music and Lyrics by: Jim Wann
Directed by: Kate Middleton
Musical Director: Robert K. Mikulski
Scene and Lighting Designer: Travis McHale
Sound Designer: Duane McKee
Costume Designer: Elisa R. Richards
Choreographer: Jill Gorrie
Assistant Musical Director: Ritt Henn
Produced by: Ground Up Productions
Cast
Richard Binder as Jim Summerford
Mariand Torres as "Mona Mae" Katt
Karen Culp as Mavis Frye
Natalie Douglas as Judge Ella Jordan/the Rev. Rose Purify
Omri Schein as Dr. Bloodweather/Euple R. Pugh/Patel/Bailiff
David Jon Wilson as Officer Bell
Marcie Henderson as Tish Thomas/Blind Willy
Ritt Henn as Clerk/Mack McGnat on Bass
Jason Chimondies as Court Recorder/MickMcGnat on Guitar
Dan Bailey as Court Reporter/Nat McGnat on Keys
Crew
Stage Manager: Devan Hibbard
Assistant Stage Manager: Elizabeth Doyle
Technical Directors: Jeff Besselman and Dan Wheeless
Sound Board Operator: Marcus Caristed
Sound Consultant: Randy Morrison
Production Electrician: Becky Morris
Publicity: Sam Rudy Media Relations, Lanie Zipoy
Casting: Amy Heidt, Guy Olivieri
Graphic Designer, Illustrator: Wade Dansby 3
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