Eugene weekly., March 13, 2008, Page 53, Image 53

theater
BY ANNA GRACE
Gracie (Erica Jean) and
Jerry (Don Kelly)
ACTORS CABARET OF EUGENE
a character as passionate, sweet, beautiful,
thoughtful and creative as Gracie wants to
spend her life cheerleading for a 34-year-old
tube-sock-wearing man who still lives with
his mother and builds model airplanes. Not
that nerdy men with strong sock elastic don’t
rate the support of beautiful women, but the
relationship seemed a little improbable. But
wait … we’re speaking of a play about a man
who launches a lawn chair with 400 helium
balloons. One can only suspend disbelief.
There are certain ACE hallmarks in this
show. First among them is a tight ensemble
with members who look like they’re having
a fantastic time. Colin Gray and Rebecca
Teran stand out as a cocky airplane pilot
and goofy fl ight attendant. Their energy
is boundless, and they play off each other
perfectly. The music is respectable but
canned. There are limitations on a small
theater; a full orchastra in such a tiny space
would be as inadvisable as aviation via
pressed aluminum and party decorations.
Don Kelly, who doubles as musical director,
had no choice but to use the synthesizer, but
at the end of the day, the cast members are
still singing to canned music.
This show at the Cabaret seems to
have punched up the set and costumes a
notch. Director Joe Zingo carefully sets
the audience up in a colorful world of two
dimensions for the fi rst act and then veers
off into a world of imagination as Gorman
takes fl ight in act two. Gray and Teran play
in an inspired airplane. Puffy clouds top the
set, and more cumuli occasionally fl oat in
and join the action on stage.
Flight of Fancy
Actors Cabaret defi es gravity, convention
R
each for your dreams, no matter
how silly, at Actors Cabaret of
Eugene this month.
ACE’s new show, The Flight of the
Lawnchair Man, is based on the real events
of 1982 when, in a quest for fl ight, Larry
Walters attached 42 weather balloons to his
lawn chair, soaring to a height of 16,000
feet. One might ask why produce, or even
write, a musical about such a bizarre yet not
terribly complex theme. ACE might answer,
“Why not?”
Zany is what you’ll get for the price of
your ticket. The audience is treated to a
clever stream of jokes about Wal-Mart and
the FFA, an even-artsier reinterpretation of
The Red Balloon and mystical visitations
from Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh
and Leonardo da Vinci (who, for the record,
was a quitter). You will be laughing.
Aside from the levitating lawnchair,
Lawnchair Man is somewhat stock. It has the
usual Broadway rotation of jazzy numbers,
moving solos and inspiring duets. Just as
the Little Mermaid wants to walk on land,
Jerry Gorman wants to fl y in the air. While
reaching for dreams is good, I had trouble
feeling passionate about a man’s desire to
fl oat over New Jersey in patio furniture. I did
have a great time watching him try, though.
Golden-voiced Don Kelly as Jerry
Gorman is suitably dumpy and downtrodden.
Erica Jean is delightful as Gracie; she’s funny
and gorgeous with a stellar voice. She gives
a real punch to the Jersey toll collector she
plays. One does have to wonder, though, why
The Flight of the Lawnchair Man is a
fun and wacky two hours. In a sweet way,
Jerry Gorman’s act can almost be seen as
a metaphor for ACE itself. Small, quirky,
fun, following dreams of questionable
practicality but following through with them
none the less. Don’t ask why; just sit back
and enjoy the ride.
ew
The Flight of the Lawnchair Man continues March
7-8, 14-15, 21-22 & 28- 29. Tix available at www.
actorscabaret.org or 683-4368.
The Busy World Is Hushed
Opens at the Lord Leebrick
Theatre Friday, March 14.
Thing about the actual busy
world is that there’s rarely a hush.
Sometimes — with great love, great
devotion, great anguish — a kind of
stillness falls over one’s life, at least
for a time. In Busy World, playwright
Keith Bunin deals with nothing more
nor less than yearning: Characters long
for each other, long for acceptance
and forgiveness, long for religion to
mean something, long for unconditional
love. But that’s not the way of humans,
and the three-character play, in which
characters grapple with each other’s
limitations and longing, promises to be
another strong play in the Leebrick’s
solid season. Show dates are March
14-15, 20-22 and 27-30 & April 3-6. Tix
at www.lordleebrick.com or 465-1506.
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EUGENE WEEKLY MARCH 13, 2008 37