October, 2010
The Human Comedy @ The Young Vic, London
by PJ Cobham
“California calls you” is the welcoming salutation on an omnipresent billboard inhabiting a small non-descript town in rural America during World War II.
Based on a story by William Saroyan with Libretto by William Dumaresq and scored by the co-creator of the phenomenal 70’s musical ‘Hair’, this is, in essence, a story of despair, hope and community spirit.
The telegraph office is the hub of activity, news comes in, life stories go out and “Beautiful Music” (the voice of X-factor’s Brenda Edwards ) fills the air. The action centres on The McCauley family, led by Ma McCauley (Helen Hobson) a grieving widow with one soldier son (Tom Robertson) fighting an unforgiving war. There's a daughter (Kate Marlais) struggling against the constraints of being a woman in the 1940’s and youngest child Ulysses (Jordi Fray,) too young to fully understand his desperate life, asking questions everyone is afraid to answer. Homer, the McCauley’s 14 year old middle child (engagingly played by Jos Slovick) i,s as the town’s telegraph messenge and therefore the bearer of good and bad news, the lynchpin to the voice of this community.
John Fulljame’s stunning direction (and delightful staging by Jon Bausor, Bruno Poet and Fergus O’Hare), gives the production an eerily, accurate and authentic feel. In addition, the eight-piece orchestra sets the tone and instigate moments of sheer delight in the form of a sixty-strong ‘chorus’, a kaleidoscope of talented individuals young and old from taken from the local community. Their sublime voices are a wonderfully rich and soulful accompaniment to the action being played out, purposely adding authenticity to the ravages of war.
Stand out and poignant moments include the billboard opening up to reveal a boxcar filled with singing servicemen, and a scene where the townsfolk each hold a box which slowly turns into coffins of soldiers repatriated home. Visually stunning and evoking real sentiment about the casualties of war, which sadly is very topical today.
But with all the strengths this production has, The Human Comedy still felt quite clinical. The story lacked a depth of richness and at times the juxtaposition of the different musical styles gave an uneven feel. For me the real gem of the evening was the choir all of whom truly shone.
3 out of 5