Review: THE UNTITLED UNAUTHORIZED HUNTER S. THOMPSON MUSICAL at La Jolla Playhouse

“It’s come to the point where you almost can’t run [for president],” Hunter S. Thompson once wrote in Rolling Stone, “unless you can cause people to salivate and whip on each other with big sticks. You almost have to be a rock star to get the kind of fever you need to survive in American politics.”

Politics isn’t journalism isn’t fiction writing, but Thompson was himself – in all his individualistic, whacked-out glory – every centimeter a rock star. Or he aspired to be. Now he is. As the singing, dancing, attention-whoring engine of THE UNTITLED UNAUTHORIZED HUNTER S. Thompson MUSICAL, Gabriel Ebert gives Thompson the idol treatment. Featuring music and lyrics by BE MORE CHILL’s Joe Iconis and directed by Christopher Ashley, UUHTM blows the doors off the La Jolla Playhouse’s Potiker Theatre.

Covering the American Dream as much as he is the biography of a unique dreamer, Iconis and co-writer Gregory S. Moss take us on a trippy journey across Thompson’s America. Stationed in Thompson’s head, we proceed to a Hell’s Angels camp, through Louisville, KY to the wilds of Aspen to Haight Ashbury, and of course into Sin City with plenty of fear, loathing and occasional smattering of hope at various points along the way. We meet Thompson’s wife, his son and mother, his riding buddies. And no less an individual than Richard Nixon joins the ride to serve as the ever-present thorn in our gonzo anti-hero’s paw, the most destructive of his many demons.

There is nothing subtle or minimalist about this experience. Along with Ebert, a frisky, shape-shifting cast of 11 take on the many people in Thompson’s life and in his head. Ashley and his team of scenic designer Wilson Chin, costume designer Toni-Leslie James, lighting designer Amanda Zieve and sound designer Justin Stasiw served up a carnival of delights….weed sprouts from the ground, typewriters fall from the sky, peacock puppets snort up drugs. Among the more amusing credits of a production that features Tricky Dick wearing nothing but a thong skates across the stage while brandishing the American flag is Ann James as UUHTM’s “Sensitivity Specialist” which is amusing since she’s working in a musical that possesses the sensitivity of a dentist’s drill.

No, that’s not entirely fair, either. Thompson may have been a raging asshole despite (or maybe because of) his charisma, and Ebert’s performance embraces every kink. UUHTM doesn’t sugarcoat or excuse the man’s peccadillos, the harm he caused to those around him, particularly in the second act. But we’re viewing this would-be freer of freaks through the prism of a man he couldn’t be – F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby, who – like Thompson – reached out toward a green light representing a brighter future. Early in his career, Thompson famously typed out the entire novel of THE GREAT GATSBY so he could experience how it felt to write game-changing prose. As he watches his nation stumble through Kennedy’s assassination, Kent State, Vietnam and Nixon’s presidency, the light dims and Thompson flames out right along with it. “I do believe that writing is the most potent weapon in existence to combat tyranny,” Thompson tells his running mate, Oscar Acosta, toward the end of their Vegas interlude. “I just wish change would happen quicker. “Maybe this country isn’t worth the trouble,” returns Acosta.

It is, to repeat, quite the ride. There are narrative diversions, the occasional broken fourth wall, and weird stuff emerging from nowhere, all set to the tune of a rocking, literate score led by Rick Edinger. Ashley, the Playhouse’s Artistic Director, has never been one to shy away from being adventurous with his musical theater offerings (MEMPHIS and COME FROM AWAY leap most immediately to mind) and La Jolla Playhouse audiences have been fortunate to see many of them first.  THE UNTITLED UNAUTHORIZED HUNTER S. Thompson MUSICAL seems fated to head east, particularly if Ebert (a Tony winner for MATILDA: THE MUSICAL) goes with it.

But enjoy it while it’s on our shores. In addition to their ensemble, most of the colorful figures in Thompson’s universe get a moment in the spotlight, along with a song. George Salazar’s Acosta tears up the “Song of the Brown Buffalo.”  Jeannette Bayardelle is plenty hip as Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner. Thompson’s doormat of a wife/schedule manager Sandy is a potentially thankless role, but Marcy Harriell gives her self-validation song “Adore” some heft. And Jason SweetTooth Williams is a kick as Steadman, the Brit who illustrates Thompson’s works before he gets screwed over, like everybody else. Accompanied by all manner of puppets, masks and effigies, George Abud is having a high old time, as Nixon.   

Sporting the author’s Hawaiian shirt, bucket hat and cigarette holder, Ebert delivers a performance that is equal parts magnetism and repugnance. Watching him empty bottles of Wild Turkey or pound away at his typewriter, we have no difficulty accepting that we are seeing a genius lunatic possessed of a better vision than he could put into action.

Rock stars may not be saints, but they are damned fun to hang with. Ho, Ho.

THE UNTITLED UNAUTHORIZED HUNTER S. Thompson MUSICAL plays through October 8 at the La Jolla Playhouse on the campus of UCSD. 

Photo of Jason SweetTooth Williams, Gabriel Ebert, George Salazar and Ryan Vona by Rich Soublet II.