Boulder’s Dinner Theatre’s first-ever world premiere is proof of just how hard it is to create a new American musical that fires on all cylinders right off the showroom floor. It’s very, very hard.
We’re fortunate to have a dinner theater willing to be part of the creation of new works for the American theater, which is an expensive gamble. And, taken in the spirit of a work-in-progress, there is hope for the new blue-collar musical, “Slow Dance With a Hot Pickup.” It’s got great pedigree — John Pielmeier (“Agnes of God”) wrote it with Emmy winner Matty Selman. It has a few winning tunes and some interesting character sketches. The multiracial cast, with several refreshing new faces, is not only one of the best for a BDT stage, but any local stage.
But the stated goal for this shiny new “Pickup” is no less than Broadway, and by those standards, this tuner needs a wholesale tune-up before it’s ready for the open road. Right now, New York critics would slash all its tires — gleefully.
The problems start with that head-scratching title. A dance . . . with a pickup? And one word you never want in the title of your musical: Slow. (The story, set here in Boulder, is based on the far better-named 1997 Texas documentary “Hands on a Hard Body.”)
The premise all but begs for satire. Eight people — distinct slices of Americana pie (certainly not reflective of Boulder) — have been selected to participate in a degrading radio contest at a shopping mall — a grueling, marathon test of endurance where whoever can keep one hand on a $20,000 Toyota truck the longest, wins it. Think of it as a “Survivor” reward challenge, set to music. Again, words that will make any musical difficult to market would have to include degrading, grueling and marathon.
Now, you may ask, what’s fun about watching eight sad sacks grow increasingly tired and miserable over four agonizing days? And how do they sing and dance while stuck in place? The writers have concocted a few tricks that allow the actors to break free and introduce themselves to us in song. But eight is too big a payload, and the device quickly feels like paint-by-numbers. A smaller cast would allow us to get to know each character more deeply and more naturally. As is, the dialogue feels forced. Relationships are too familiar, too fast.
Still, these are likable character types, among them an Army veteran who spars with an aging hippie; a severe God Squadder mechanic; and a female cowboy of curiously indeterminate Asian heritage.
What they all have in common is their denied access to the American dream. But are the writers celebrating or lampooning them? The back stories reveal secret woes that mount like a relentless, 52-car pileup. This humiliating contest is, in itself, a mockery of the uniquely American penchant for not only seeking the easy way out, but banking on it.
The biggest bump in this musical’s road is its wildly careening tone. At times, it wants to be as pinchable as “Nunsense” — then it rears an inexplicable mean streak, most unpleasantly in the form of the faceless radio deejay who runs the contest like a rabies-infected Jeff Probst.
He’s a KBCO personality (the Boulder radio station is a presenting sponsor of this musical), but he’s a vile, invasive jerk who preys on the contestants’ failures and desperation. He’s a carbon copy of the imperiously cruel director who runs “A Chorus Line,” which begs the question … “Why?” If I were nice-guy KBCO deejay Bret Saunders, I’d sue for defamation of character.
Surely the writers are going more for a marketable musical with a heart of gold than one that tailgates David Mamet, so they need to pick a lane and stick to it.
Their work is cut out for them. But that’s what the developmental process is all about.
The serviceable score leans toward light country, but its reliance on spirituals just to prompt the audience to clap along is at times egregious.
For BDT regulars, the mere newness of this project is worth the price of a ticket. For the actors, it’s a rare opportunity to create characters no one has seen before. New BDT director Nancy Robillard isn’t messing around with a cast that includes “Ragtime” alums Dwayne Carrington and Leonard Barrett playing alongside veteran Sheila Traister and familiar BDT faces Alicia Dunfee, John Scott Clough and Barb Reeves (she’s the triumph of this show, as an easygoing cancer survivor).
So take it for a spin. Just keep your present expectations in low gear.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
Fall 2011: Ten intriguing titles to watch: “Slow Dance with a Hot Pickup”
“Slow Dance with a Hot Pickup” ** (out of four stars)
World premiere musical. Presented by Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, 5501 Arapahoe Ave. Through Nov. 5. 2 hours, 30 minutes. 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 7:45 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 1:30 and 7:45 p.m. Sundays (dinner service 90 minutes before). $35-$56. 303-449-6000 or boulders
This week’s best bet: “Ragtime” at the Lone Tree Arts Center
One of the greatest American musicals follows a Harlem musician, a WASP matriarch and a Jewish immigrant father in 1904 New York, while weaving in historic figures such as Harry Houdini, Booker T. Washington and Henry Ford. Based on E.L. Doctorow’s novel, “Ragtime” is a sweeping and volatile tale of love in an intolerant time. Note: This show has transferred from the Arvada Center for a two-week stay in Lone Tree through Oct. 16.
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays; 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9; 1:30 p.m. only on Sunday, Oct. 16.
At the Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., just west of Interstate 25 and Lincoln Avenue, 720-509-1000, lone tree’s home page and here’s
This week’s other theater openings
“Hair” The musical that created history by bringing rock ‘n’ roll to the theatrical stage, “Hair” defines the ’60s generation by examining a group of young adults struggling for generational and personal identity, dealing with the Vietnam War, drugs and teenage pregnancy. Songs include “Let the Sunshine In,” “Aquarius” and “Good Morning Starshine.” Some nudity. At the Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or and here’s and here’s and here’s and here’s
“I Am My Own Wife” Doug Wright’s Pulitzer-winner about a playwright fascinated with a real life German transvestite who somehow survived both the Nazi and Communist regimes. Through Sunday. Presented by the Stage Left Theatre at the Salida Steamplant Theatre, 300 W. Sackett, 719-539-8539 or
“Making a Killing” The Mercury Cafe’s “Allied Witches” return for their annual Halloween political tragicomedy that marks the beginning of winter. Through Oct. 31. 2199 California St., 303 294-9258 or
“Meet Me in St. Louis” Four Smith daughters learn lessons in life and love as they prepare for a reluctant move to New York just before the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Songs include “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Through Oct. 16. Presented by Performance Now at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, 303-987-7845 7845 or performancenow
“Night of the Living Dead” The Bug Theatre’s fourth annual hybrid live re-make of George Romero’s 1968 zombie classic. Through Oct. 29. 3654 Navajo St., 303-477-9984, or
“Nunsense” Can you believe those five zany nuns from Hoboken are still trying to raise money to bury their felled fellow sisters, done in by tainted soup? Through Oct. 16. Presented by the Steel City Theatre Company at Central High School, 216 E. Orman Ave., Pueblo, 719-994-8298 or
“The Road to Mecca” The Creede Repertory Theatre returns to the the Arvada Center starting Tuesday with Athol Fugard’s celebrated play about an eccentric artist who transforms her home into a strange and wonderful work of art. But both her home and her reluctance to enter an old-age home are unsettling to her traditional South African community. Through Nov. 6. 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, 720-898-7200 or
“The Tempest” This innovative interpretation of Shakespeare’s stormy tale is a post-modern mashup with music inspired by the Flaming Lips, Arcade Fire, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Death Cab for Cutie, Radiohead and more. Through Oct. 22. Presented by Naropa University’s masters candidates at the Performing Arts Center, 2130 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder. 303-245-4798.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” Stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s coming-of-age tale of a Southern tomboy who experiences the wrongs of racial injustice. Through Oct. 30. Presented by the Denver Center Theatre Company at the Stage Theatre, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or
“The Unexpected Guest” A twisty mystery in which a motorist stranded near the South Welsh coastline finds a woman standing with a gun in her hand over the dead body of her husband. Through Oct. 30. Presented by the Cherry Creek Theatre at the Shaver Ramsey Showroom, 2414 E. Third Ave., 303-800-6578 or
“The Vagina Monologues” Eve Ensler’s interviews with more than 200 women are the basis of this three-woman, communal celebration of women. Tuesdays only. Through Oct. 25. 73rd Avenue Theatre Company, 7287 Lowell Blvd., Westminster, 720-276-6936 or
Complete theater listings
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