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Peer Reviews
Don't Hug
Me
Reviewed by Cristina Martin
Entire contents copyright © 2008,
Cristina Martin. All rights reserved.
The wintry weather on a recent Kentuckiana evening,
while perhaps not as cold as it can get in Minnesota
at this time of year, demanded just as much pluck
of those who ventured out into the elements. The
intrepid souls who refused to let it keep them
from attending Derby Dinner Playhouse's production
of Don't Hug Me, a musical in two acts by brothers
Phil and Paul Olson, were not disappointed.
Stepping in from the inclement outdoors, one's
impression of entering the world of the play is
bolstered by scenic designer Lee Buckholz's rendering
of The Bunyan, a local bar in the small northern
Minnesota town of Bunyan Bay where the action takes
place. The Bunyan is owned by Gunner Johnson (Cary
Wiger), a cranky salt-of-the-earth type, and his
wife Clara (Rita Thomas), equally down-to-earth
if prone to reminiscing about her days as Winter
Carnival Bunyan Queen. The tables and chairs on
stage feel like extensions of audience seating,
though it's unlikely The Bunyan's culinary offerings
could rival the tasty variety of Derby Dinner's
pre-show buffet, which includes entrées
of cheese tortellini, fried chicken, pork seasoned
with rosemary, and roast beef, along with a salad
bar and assorted sides.
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| Derby Dinner
Playhouse brings wintry Minnesota to life
in Don't Hug
Me. From left:
Rita Thomas as Clara Johnson, Paul Kerr as
Aarvid Gisselsen, and Tina Jo Wallace as
Bernice Lundstrom. |
The cold, both literal and figurative, has addled
these characters' dreams. Gunner is seriously considering
selling the bar and moving to Florida, while Clara
would almost rather remain "A Walleye Woman
In A Cräppie Town," as she sings, than
follow him down there. Waitress Bernice Lundstrom
(Tina Jo Wallace) yearns for something more than
a humdrum future with her self-important fiancé,
Kanute Gunderson (Matt Wallace), but she doesn't
harbor much hope for any better options. The bleakness
is soon challenged, however, with the arrival of
Aarvid Gisselsen (Paul Kerr) and his "LSS
Five Sixtytwo," the karaoke machine he's selling
which is guaranteed to change lives. That it does.
Local color looms large in the figures of speech
and outrageous exclamations, delivered in an exaggerated
Minnesota accent, which pepper the dialogue. "What
in the Jell-O flambé is that?" as well
as, "Oh, fer _____ (spittin' in the laundry/
barfin' in the car/ fartin' in church/ spanking
the neighbors' baby)" are a few examples.
While hilarious, the accent is a prolonged gag
that threatens to get a little stale after a while.
Granted, the script paints each of the characters
with fairly broad strokes, but toning down the
accent a bit and speeding up the rate of speech
ever so slightly would go a long way toward a more
believable, multi-dimensional representation. Rita
Thomas stands out in creating a Clara who, while
every bit as funny as the others, shines as a real
person in whose development the audience is able
to take a genuine interest. Thomas is exemplary
in the way she is immersed in her character 100%
of the time, in her non-verbal reactions just as
much as when delivering her lines.
The entire cast comes alive during the musical
numbers (16 in all), in which the characters take
turns singing -- to the accompaniment of the karaoke
machine, of course -- uproarious pastiches of popular
songwriters (e.g., Gilbert and Sullivan; John Denver;
Madonna; Jose Feliciano; Peter, Paul and Mary)
supposedly written by Bunyan Bay's own home-grown
hero, Sven Yorgensen. The singers do a very fine
job performing in all of the featured styles; indeed,
the performance as a whole seems charged with energy
every time a song comes along. In her breakout
number, "I Wanna Go To The Mall of America," Tina
Jo Wallace, heretofore a very sweet, earnest, unassuming
Bernice, brings out the waitress' passion for singing
and desire to experience a wider slice of the world
very clearly. Throughout his smooth salesmanly
efforts to convince his clients they can't live
without his product, Aarvid sings a few numbers
himself, and the romantic spark between him and
Bernice is palpable. As Kanute tries to reassert
his claim to his fiancée's heart through
the song, "You're My Woman," Matt Wallace
does a masterful job channeling Elvis. Unfortunately
for Kanute, his over-the-top gyrations and yelps
don't quite have the intended effect.
The show culminates in Gunner's "Last Night
I Dreamed." Writing, direction, and acting
converge to reveal Cary Wiger's character in an
entirely new light as his strong and affecting
voice bears witness to the transformative power
of music. By Don't Hug Me's end, the audience is
clapping in time to a catchy yodel tune and the
chill of winter seems inconsequential. For an entertaining,
heartwarming theater experience, this play's the
ticket.
Don't Hug Me
Book and Lyrics by Phil Olson
Music by Paul Olson
Directed by Bekki Jo Schneider
February 19 - March 30, 2008
Derby Dinner Playhouse
525 Marriott Drive
Clarksville, IN 47129
(812) 288-8281
www.derbydinner.com
Posted Feb. 25, 2008
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