Review: COME BACK TO THE 5 & DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley

A small Texas town 5 & Dime store is the setting of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s season ending World Premiere of Ed Graczy’s 1976 play focusing on a fan club’s reunion of the 20th anniversary death of actor James Dean and the dark secrets revealed through a series of flashbacks. Popularized by a 1980 Robert Altman film, this drama has been successfully transitioned to a musical by the heavyweight team of Ashley Robinson (Book), Dan Gillespie Sells (Music) who had a huge hit with Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and activist/actor Shakina (Lyrics). When adding a score to a play, the questions are do the songs fit the characters and storyline and do they propel the narrative. The answer here is yes and yes.

Robinson’s adaptation sticks to the development of the characters and deletes some unnecessary filler. Set in Nina Ball’s excellently appointed 5 & Dime during a drought, the once thriving town is now a dried-up skeleton, and the women brought together for their reunion are all caught up in the divergence between present realities and memories of 1955. Hard truths are revealed, friendships tested, and reconciliations achieved. The ensemble casting is accurate to the character, the singing top-notch, and the new score interesting.

Mona (Lauren Marcus) is living in the past. The most ardent of the James Dean fans, her story is she had Dean’s love child while he was filming Giant in a nearby town. She sings of her love of that shining moment in her life in “Reata: Deceiving to the Eye.” Sissy is a sassy, outspoken country gal with big hair. A hard drinker, she dreams of being a country star ("Big Time Country Singer"). Stella Mae is now a rich oil man’s wife, judgmental and unapologetic ("Goddamn, I Love Texas!"). A surprise visit by a stranger who turns out to be the transitioned male member of the old group (Joe to Joanne) has the best number in “Survival,” a tough story of her journey from gay hate crime victim to strong trans woman.

Lyricist and trans actor Shakina plays Joanne while trans actor Ellie Van Amerongen plays a dual role of Joe and Jimmy Dean. I’d like to say its bold casting, but that would diminish the authenticity of director Giovanna Sardelli and the production itself. If aren’t familiar with the play or movie, I won’t give away the plot twists and turns – you should see this exciting new musical.  It’s very contemporary with its gay and trans themes- shining a light of the terribly negative aspects of homophobia and the empowerment of living an authentic life.

Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean Jimmy Dean continues through July 13th. Tickets are available at theatreworks.org or by calling 877-662-8978.