Review: SMALL TOWN at Ogunquit Playhouse

If memory serves, John Mellencamp last performed in Maine about a decade ago.  Now, his songs have a new way to live on in the form of a musical having its world premiere at the Ogunquit Playhouse.

With music and lyrics by Mellencamp and a book by Naomi Wallace, Small Town brings to life many of the characters known previously to fans primarily through the memorable songs.  And there is a multitude of those brought to the legendary Ogunquit stage by an energetic cast of actors, dancers, and supporting musicians.

Director Lisa Peterson and her staff have sought to establish the small-town ambiance where Mellencamp long ago found his creative muse.  In everyday casual attire (costumes by Haydee Zelideth) and without the glitz and flash that often goes with musical theater, this show sets out to approximate the folksy grit of its subject matter.  

Rusty scaffolding and ominous chemical containers (scenic design by Klara Zieglerova) establish the 1980s era of economic decline in rural America.  In such a place we find the pair made famous in Mellencamp’s early hit “Jack & Diane.” 

The two undergo the struggles of an unlikely romance among the growing sense that “life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone.”  Jack is played by Dillon Klena in a performance that may remind some of the early work of John Travolta. 

Jack’s off to college, leaving the lean and feisty Diane, played by Morgan Higgins, behind to follow in her immigrant father’s working-class footsteps.  It’s especially hard for her to abandon her dream of being a teacher.

          The lover’s early duet on “Deep Blue Heart” establishes their emotional connection while they later join, after Jack’s return, to explain themselves through “Lonely Old Night.”  Their vocals serve the overall tone of the storytelling if never quite reaching showstopper status.

Jack’s gruff, factory-owner father, played by Ron Bohmer, confronts his son about his need to return to school and forget his romantic mismatch with Diane.  The father/son conflict reaches an early peek in “Crumblin’ Down” before the dad’s environmental misdeeds are confirmed on “I Always Lie to Strangers.”

Diane’s family, consisting of father Sergio (Matt Saldivar), mother Maria (Luna Lauren Velez), and little sister Octavia (Kendall Rivera) add their own drama in English and bits of Spanish.  Saldivar shines on “Chasing Rainbow’s” while Velez soars on a moving “Hey God.”

  But the audience at the matinee performance under review clearly loved the smart little sister.  Her comedic narration quickly became a much-anticipated part of the show.  Her musical moment with her sister and mother on “Sometimes There’s God” was also a highlight.

A comic duo of Box (Kathy Fitzgerald) and Lou (Annie Golden) added folksy charm as they lovingly bickered.

 The vocal force of Mellencamp’s message was at times diffused in a chorus of voices (sound design by Kevin Heard).  But the instrumental energy was well represented by a band, led by Andy York and Jason Hart, that delivered not only guitar/drums thunder but many of the original tunes’ mix of mandolin, fiddle, harmonica, banjo, and accordion.

The best performance in the show came on “Cherry Bomb,” a rocker that had Jack leading a group of his friends on a rousing song and dance moment that had all elements in place and working as one.  The punch, kick, and stomp choreography by Richard J. Hinds and hot lighting by Richard Latta combined to great effect.

Small Town runs through November 1

Website: ogunquitplayhouse.org

Phone: 207-646-5511

Photo by Nile Scott Studios

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