In development for seven years in various theater incubators, the musical Folk Wandering has now been given a full production by the Pipeline Theatre Company. This show seems to be about three women and their experiences in 1911, 1933 and 1955 America. One is a young girl of thirteen living in a tenement but wants to be a journalist. Another is wandering the west during the Great Depression with her daughter. The third is in a relationship with a musician who looks like James Dean.
Folk Wandering’s opening number is “Attic Song” in which the entire cast is rifling through the bins and boxes of a large attic (quality scenic design by Carolyn Mraz). All of these talismans and trinkets must have stories; they are not simply piles of junk. From this premise, the three different unconnected plots emerge. This musical’s book was written by Jaclyn Backhaus who had major success with the terrific Men In Boats a few years ago. The music and lyrics are credited to ten different artists. There are some very tuneful songs here and also some blatant borrowings, notably the Once clone.
All of this material demands that it coalesce into a whole musical with a purpose. That does not really happen. Some plots are far stronger and clearer than others. Dashes of comedy with dollops of tragedy. Perhaps that is the plight of the female experience in early 20th Century America. I loved the folk idea of the title to bind the three main character’s yearnings. The music, however, did not commit to delineating three distinct genres (or one consistent one). The overall effect is still experimental more than fully developed.
Folk Wandering has been creatively directed by Andrew Neisler. Individual moments are very memorable. A strong cast commits to this material with well-drawn characters. The men here shine a little brighter than the women which is slightly harmful given the book’s focus. Dan Tracy, DeMone and Seth Clayton were all linked in one section and developed heart-tugging emotions through their supporting characters. In other scenes, they were each hilarious with expressively theatrical physicality. Like many of the songs and scenes in Folk Wandering, these actors were an enjoyable part of an unsatisfying whole.