You have to be a little mad to stage a musical: all those moving parts, all those dancing feet, all those actors breaking into sudden song and trying to sell such antics as rational human behavior.
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“Yank!”
When: Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m.; plus July 28, 7:30 p.m. Through Aug. 17.
Where: Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights
Tickets: $31 to $35
Phone: (619) 220-0097
Online: diversionary.org
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By that clinical measure, here's the word on “Yank!”: It's just about crazy good. Diversionary Theatre's season opener might not be the most adventurous or spectacle-heavy or pop-hit-laden musical to hit the boards, but its understated feel serves to underline a show that's funny, moving and true.
This is the West Coast premiere for “Yank!” which debuted at the New York Music Theatre Festival in 2005 and then ran at Gallery Players in Brooklyn last year (with talk of a possible off-Broadway staging down the road).
Diversionary doesn't do a lot of musicals, but this was a smart pick, and a coup for the theater: a polished piece that fits the gay-and lesbian-centered company's big-hearted, socially conscious approach as well as its retro jones (the last two productions there were both set in the '50s).
The title makes the work sound like some abbreviated ode to George M. – a Cohan koan? – but “Yank!” actually is named for a magazine that circulated among U.S. service members during World War II.
That military campaign forms the backdrop for the story of a tumultuous romance between two young servicemen, Stu (Tom Zohar) and Mitch (Tom Doyle), who are sent to the Pacific to fight the enemy but are as much at war with themselves over matters of sexual identity.
The moral dictates of the time lend added tension to their tortured relationship, since being found out means a long stint in the brig (or worse). But while “Yank!” offers some cause for “How far we've come” sorts of sentiments, the show also makes it hard to conclude that the modern military's “Don't ask, don't tell” gospel is, by comparison, a model of enlightened thinking.
Except in the broadest terms of tolerance and acceptance, though, this is not a message show. With its snappy humor, period dialogue and perfectly diverse assemblage of characters, it takes after those old war movies that reveled in throwing together ragtag bands of guys to bond in battle.
For Zohar, “Yank!” represents a major step forward. He's been a frequent (and frequently memorable) presence at Diversionary, New Village Arts and other stages over the past couple of years, but here he's carrying a show for the first time – and doing his first musical to boot.
It turns out he can sing, and even seem natural in the process. His voice has a classic, screen-idol feel to it that's an ideal fit for this show, which overall showcases a good, consistent blend of voices, without any becoming overpowering.
Doyle makes a good vocal match for Stu as Mitch; he doesn't have quite the rakish, devastating air that his nickname, “Hollywood,” might suggest, but as the relationship between the pair deepens, his character's pain and confusion feel raw and genuine.
Zachary Bryant as the hick nicknamed “Tennessee” shines in a meaty role as Stu and Mitch's chief antagonist. Their buddies in Charlie Company – played by Juston Harlin, Sven Salumaa and Rocky DeHaro – are also good (although DeHaro's Sicilian soldier, Rotelli, might be a bit too pungent a caricature even for this type-minded play). Eric Dowdy has some standout comic scenes as Artie, the Yank magazine reporter who senses a kindred spirit in Stu and hires him as a photographer.
At 12 members, it's a big cast for Diversionary, but New York-based director Igor Goldin, who stages the show with a deft sense of flow, has the actors working in close harmony.
Speaking of which: Joseph Zellnik's score is dotted with winning ensemble numbers that showcase a knockout blend of voices. Some of the songs seem to take their cues from a decade or two before World War II, though there's a clear influence of big band and swing. Amy Biedel, the only female cast member, also steps up with a couple of moody torch songs (along with a funny turn as a tough emissary from Army brass). Pianist and musical director Amy Dalton and percussionist Nathan Hubbard, unseen behind Goldin's exceedingly simple set of rolling, olive-drab flats, breathe warmth into the evocative score.
Writer David Zellnik, who also penned the lyrics, opens and closes with a framing device that elegantly captures the poignance of the story. He introduces a modern-day San Franciscan (also played by Zohar) who has discovered Stu's tattered wartime journal in a junk store and has become fascinated with its contents and long-lost author. It's an effective way to connect our time with that long-ago wartime.
There's one other era invoked in “Yank!” if only for laughs. Tony Houck, Trevor Peringer and John Whitley, soldiers who work in the steno pool, have a taste for drag that runs particularly to the Old South of “Gone With the Wind.” (They even call themselves Melanie, Scarlett and India.) These three sweetly comic misfits, who can only dream of a time when they might find a bit of societal acceptance, would be the first to remember the words spoken by a certain Southern belle: Tomorrow is another day.
James Hebert: (619) 293-2040; jim.hebert@uniontrib.com
