Dessa Rose
Book and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
Richard Christiansen Thtr, 2433 N. Lincoln (map)
thru April 5 | tickets: $40 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
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A nearly-forgotten musical given new and vibrant life
Bailiwick Chicago presents
Dessa Rose
Review by John Olson
One of the great things about living in a city with some 1500 professional theatre productions each year is the chance to see shows that are infrequently produced elsewhere. If a theater fan is so inclined, they can delve into the work of a particular writer or writing team. In Chicago, it’s not hard to catch a lesser Tennessee Williams, see all ten of August Wilson’s “Pittsburgh Cycle” plays or even catch one of Stephen Sondheim’s biggest flops. Call it obsessive completism to try to see everything on stage a particular writer ever wrote, but if it’s someone whose work you admire then you’ll usually find something to enjoy in these gems. Now consider the very special case of the writing team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, possibly the best and most prolific writers to have such a low batting average of producing hits. Though their greatest success, 1998’s Ragtime, ran two years on Broadway, their next-longest
The story, based on a novel by Sherley Anne Williams, is a good one. The title character is a pregnant teenage slave in 1847 who gets into big trouble after attacking the master who killed the fellow slave who was her lover and father of her unborn child. She’s sold and sent away on a chain gang from which she escapes after foiling her attempted rape by the chain gang master. Pregnant, she moves too slowly to get away and is arrested and sentenced to be executed as soon as her child is born. Dessa outwits a journalist who is interviewing her for a book and she escapes again – eventually joining the slaves with whom she revolted against the chain gang master. They find their way to a remote farm managed by Ruth Elizabeth, a young former Charleston belle whose errant husband has left her alone on the farm to her own devices. Ruth Elizabeth takes in the runaway slaves, ultimately developing an unlikely romance with one (Jayson “J.C.” Brooks); and, with difficulty, forging a friendship with Dessa Rose.
It’s a lot of plot, right? Although it’s a detailed, picaresque story, Dessa Rose still manages to create vivid and fresh characters of Dessa and Ruth Elizabeth, and the two are brought to life fully by Sydney Charles (Dessa) and Harmony France (Ruth). Dessa is tough and smart – defiant and determined to defend herself and her loved ones at any price. She’s neither quaint nor sweet and, despite her young age, she’s very tough cookie. Ruth Elizabeth – probably not much older than Dessa, and a recent debutante who fell for the wrong man – is quickly losing her naiveté regarding the harshness of the world for women on their own. Off in this isolated section of Alabama, Ruth makes her own rules and finds resourcefulness in herself that matches the cunning of the slaves she’s harboring. It’s a great story, but so detailed you wonder if it might have worked better as a film or mini-series. True, setting it to music gives it an almost epic poem quality – and Flaherty has included apt pastiches of minstrel show songs and spirituals that evoke the time and place of the story. Flaherty deserves credit for mostly eschewing the power ballads for which he and Ahrens have become known (especially in Ragtime), and though his voice is evident is some of the songs, the composer chose to support the material rather than provide a showcase for his own compositional style. Still, the piece’s many musicalized scenes (the first act is mostly all through-sung) mostly serve to advance plot, and Dessa Rose ‘s score fails to achieve the sorts of visceral emotions we get from some of the most classic musicals.
Ahrens’ book can also be faulted for a certain lack of narrative clarity. The piece itself is a flashback of sorts – bookended by a cast in modern dress announcing “We Are Descendants” of the slaves and their owners. Then Dessa’s tale begins, only to be interrupted by a flash forward, then a flash back to where it was left off. There are narrations alternately by Ruth, Dessa, and the journalist. It takes a while to figure out this device; that the story is being told from a variety of viewpoints. Also adding to the confusion is the double-casting of the same actor (David Schlumpf) as the reporter Adam Nehemiah and as Ruth’s husband. In the midst of this heavy plot, it’s treacherous to have a major character (Nehemiah) and a prominent secondary character played by the same actor, especially so early in the show when we’re sorting out all the many characters.
 
 
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That particular case of double-casting, together with a sound design that made it sometimes hard to understand the dense, southern-accents are the only faults I can find with Lili-Anne Brown’s production. France and Charles sing and act spectacularly throughout, and they’re matched and then some by Jasondra Johnson in a variety of roles and Chicago rock star and musical theater actor Jayson Brooks as Nathan, the slave who romances Ruth. The whole company amazes, singing with the help of musical director James Morehead’s period-perfect little band, moving with absolute confidence and precision in a show that requires them to work their rears off. The action takes place on a fairly neutral single set by Megan Truscott that effectively suggests a variety of locales in the rural south, and Samantha Jones’ costumes complete the picture of life some 170 years ago.
So if the joys of Chicago theater-going include the chance to see such meritorious work as this that’s been mostly overlooked in New York, it is satisfying to see that such pieces are given their full due by Chicago’s supremely talented musical theater artists. Bailiwick Chicago has now developed quite a track record in not only bringing worthy, but lesser-known musicals to local stages, but bringing them back in grand style.
Rating: ★★★½
Dessa Rose continues through April 5th at Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln (map), with performances Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays 2pm and 8pm, Sundays 2pm. Tickets are $40, and are available by phone (773-871-3000) or online through VictoryGardens.org (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at BailiwickChicago.com. (Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes, includes an intermission)
Photos by Michael Brosilow
artists
cast
Sydney Charles (Dessa Rose) Harmony France (Ruth) Jayson “JC” Brooks (Nathan), Brigitte Ditmars (Ruth’s Mother), Gilbert Domally (Philip), Jasondra Johnson (Dorcas), Jaymes Osborne (Kaine), Steven Perkins (Harker), Pavi Proczko (Mr. Steele), David Schlumpf (Nehemiah), Sasha Smith (Anabelle), Eunice Woods (Rose).
behind the scenes
Lili-Anne Brown (director), James Morehead (music director), Megan Truscott (scenic designer), Samantha Jones (costume designer), Brian Hoehne (lighting designer), Patrick Bley (sound designer), Mary-Catherine Mikalayunas (stage manager), Danny Bernardo (assistant director/dramaturg), Kate Garassino (executive director), Eric Martin (creative director), Geoff Bleeker (managing director), Michael Brosilow (photos)
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