The Bear Suit of Happiness
Written by Evan Linder
Directed by Sean Kelly
at Dank Haus, 4740 N. Western (map)
thru March 30 | tickets: $20 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
Read entire review
This bear needs to shed a few furry layers
The New Colony presents
The Bear Suit of Happiness
Review by Katy Walsh
The New Colony presents the world premiere of The Bear Suit of Happiness. It’s 1943. At an American military base on an island in the Pacific, four soldiers are working on a show to entertain the troops. Woody is the writer. Frank is the composer. Tom is the leading man. And Norman is the diva-in-the-making. The guys want to present a leading lady that is alluring, sensual and funny but not at all homosexual. The illusion must be perfect or the show will tank. And worse, the guys will be outed. The Bear Suit of Happiness is about masking the truth under fur and lipstick.
 
  |
Playwright Evan Linder penned a history lesson of the military’s fondness for drag gags but not of gays. Linder develops four distinct personas in his showbiz quartet. Under the direction of Sean Kelly, the guys soldier on with purpose. There is definitely gaiety, but there is also a somberness from the inevitable future fatalities. Pat Coakley (Woody), Andrew Hobgood (Frank), Ryan Jarosch (Norman) and Michael Peters (Tom) band together to send off their comrades with a perfect show. The fellas provide a different perspective on homosexuality: angry Coakley, reserved Hobgood, over-the-top Jarosch, and good-natured Peters. It’s their individual shifts in stereotype that give the extra oomph to the story. In particular, Jarosch and Coakley are standouts as they showcase their feminine side.
I love the premise of this show. My dad has pictures from the Vietnam War where there is a King Neptune ceremony for when an air craft carrier crossed the equator. Long before a don’t-ask-don’t-tell oppression, military men celebrated respites from war duties by dressing in drag. Linder writes a tender ode to past military men struggling with identity. The story is both sweet and bitter. It is also sluggish and preachy. It starts out powerfully engaging. Sometime in the second act, it gets redundant. Repeated messages water down the impact. It also gets confusing. In the aftermath of a pivotal act, I’m unclear why Jarosch reacts the way he does. I feel like I missed something. By the time the pretend ‘show‘ starts, I’m ready for the real show to end.
If The Bear Suit of Happiness shed a few furry layers, it would definitely bear more happiness.
Rating: ★★½
The Bear Suit of Happiness continues through March 30th at Dank Haus, 4740 N. Western (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $20, and are available online through Tixato.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at TheNewColony.org. (Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes, includes an intermission)
Photos by Anne Petersen
artists
cast
Pat Coakley (Woody), Andrew Hobgood (Frank), Ryan Jarosch (Norman), Michael Peters (Tom)
behind the scenes
Sean Kelly (director), Michael Harnichar (asst. director), Garvin Jellison (production manager), Monica Brown (stage manager), Adelina Treviño Bradshaw (dramaturg), Jeff Glass (lighting), Kevin McClintock (set), Kate Setzer Kamphausen (costumes, props), Mike Przygoda (composer), Alexander Knapp (fight choreographer), Kevin Grubb (wig stylist), Anne Petersen (photos)
13-0303
