Book by Claudia Shear & Tim Federle
Music by Chris Miller
Lyrics by Nathan Tysen
Directed by Steve MacKinnon
Tuck Everlasting tells the story of Winnie Foster a young girl longing to move on with her life after her father's death and her new found friendship with Jesse Tuck, a boy whose family is gifted/cursed with immortality.
This was my first visit to the Rep. A friend of mine recommended I see this show because I have been growing increasingly uninspired by local productions. The Rep produces theater for families and children, teaches classes and has a long running history in the Orlando theater community.
Pat Clark as Angus Tuck. I think of this actor as an unexpected force. Though he is animated and fun to watch, he is no superficial performer. Pat compels his audience to understand his character's point of view with the gentle strength of a loving father. We are very fortunate to have this actor in our community. Pat is subtly charismatic and bold. He makes intentional choices to further the story and keeps you fully engaged when he speaks.
Noel-Marie Matson as Mae Tuck. What a gorgeous compliment to Angus, Noel-Marie created. Mae is the emotionally driven answer to Angus’s logic. This actress made an enjoyable, vibrant and grounded character. She felt like the mother for those without, which our Winnie needed at this time in her life.
Evan Alexander Jones as Miles Tuck. If there was someone to fall in love with, it was this young man. Miles felt the most honest and complete of all the characters. Evan was able to convey a lifetime in his character’s story because of his commitment. Miles’s story was the most complicated. He had a family and life for a moment in time which were all taken away from him. This portion of the story was vital to the storytelling. The author of this story wanted the audience to understand, we only live for a short while so it is vital for us to live our lives fully and not just exist. If Evan had not flushed this character out completely, we may have heard Angus’s words but the emotional depth of this idea would be seriously lacking. An especially loud BRAVO to this guy.
Jared Warren as Jesse Tuck. Jared as Jesse felt genuinely timeless, giving us strong Peter Pan vibes. What I found exciting was Jared’s emotional depth with Jesse. When the character was reflecting, he never felt like an old man, but a boy who subconsciously recognized he was trapped in this body, then a split second later breaking himself out of it. Jesse had chosen to stay youthful in his attitude but his experiences showed the reason it was so important to actually live life to the fullest but in a different way than Miles showed us. Bravo Jared for showing the audience all of this character’s layers.
I encourage the ensemble of this production to be more conscious of their expressions. I saw some players continuously give "crazy eyes" and smiles which weren’t genuine. I understand this is a children’s production but kids are smart. They get things. I would have liked the man in the yellow suit to be a little more either menacing or manipulative. I don’t know if this was a choice by the actor or this character was made to be a caricature so as not to be too much for the children. Again, children are smart. We all had villains in our childhood who were menacing.
The dance sequence at the end of the show came a bit abruptly. It took me a moment to understand what was going on because our Winnie didn’t do much dancing up until this point. I would have liked a more fluid transition. Also, I’m not a fan of prerecorded music. I understand why it happens but the awkward hesitation it creates pulls the audience out of the reality of this world.
It is vitally important the for the Tuck family to be as strong as this cast. What an incredibly smart casting choice with these players who felt like a real family. Their relationships were fluid and every touch and gesture felt natural and comfortable. Great job.
Thank you to the cast and crew of this show for a wonderful first experience. I look forward to the next show. Bravo!
コメント