Review: AMERICAN HERO - Regional Premiere at Rep Stage in Columbia

I have always just loved and respected the varied selection of plays at the Rep Stage in Columbia. They bring theater that you rarely see elsewhere.

But in the regional premiere of AMERICAN HERO by Bess Wohl, it is the actors, not the play, that make the evening enjoyable.

The title of the play refers to the sandwich known as the "hoagie", "submarine" or is some locales, the "hero". I was thinking of a different kind of hero when I saw the special sold-out Friday matinee on "Veterans' Day".

But the title could also be referring to society's "real" heroes, society's underclass who work for minimum wage in tough jobs that no one else wants to do.

I have always wondered what it would have been like to work in a fast food restaurant. I can only imagine. But after seeing AMERICAN HERO, I do not imagine anyone would want to.

There are so many parts of the play that just do not make sense. How does an immigrant invest in such a fast food business in 2008, in the middle of the recession, with a location in the corner of a mall, close to the loading dock with no pedestrian traffic?

Gary-Kayl Fletcher does a yeoman's job in four different roles starting with his character Bob, the owner of the "Tastee Torpedo". The first scene when he interviews an applicant "Sheri" (the likable Liliana Evans) really serves no purpose and could be cut.

It is clear that Bob is way beyond his element as the owner of a fast food franchise. When he assembles his staff that includes Ted (the superb Eric M. Messner) and Jamie (the always phenomenal Megan Anderson), he reads all so slowly in a thick accent how the shop will be run and that "order" includes the insane mandate that the sandwiches must be made in 20 seconds. How he does not realize that there is another "Tastee Torpedo" a short distance away which would impact his sales is beyond me.

The saving grace of the play is the camaraderie displayed between the three employees. You can see the sheer joy they have as they make a sandwich within the 20 second time-frame. I also loved their doing the "bunny hop". They truly understand their predicament. But how do they deal with a store where the owner does not even appear for the opening? They even call the franchise corporate headquarters and get nowhere. Another question I have is why would they stay? With no owner, there is no payment for the work they do. The store runs out of food for them to sell. But yet, they keep on going even making their own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to sell.

I found this play much more like a tragedy than a comedy. While it is billed as a dark comedy I don't believe I laughed one time. It exams the issues of minimum wage, the plight of the underclass, problems that mothers face with custody disputes, why one has to work two jobs to pay medical expenses for their father, and how a successful businessman can lose his job due to a sexual harassment action.

Director Co-Artistic Director Suzanne E. Beal does effective work with the script that she has to deal with. And the cast uniformly delivers. They are a talented bunch.

Once again Rep Stage impresses with their technical work. James Fouchard (Scenic Design) is responsible for the great set. William K. D'Eugenio (Light Design) does a superb job. I especially liked how the signs inside the restaurant would light up. Jessica Welch (Costume Design) makes one feel you are back in 2008. Jerry Matheny (Sound Design) is responsible for the many varied versions of the great song "The Girl From Ipanema". I wonder if that was in the script.

AMERICAN HERO continues until November 20.

There is a Pay What You Can performance Nov. 16, a Post Show Discussion following the Nov. 18 performance, and there is a Pre-Show Lecture prior to the Nov. 19 matinee moderated by Dr. Lisa A. Wilde. The topic is "The New Fact of the American Hourly Worker" by Dr. Michael Heffren, Professor of Sociology at Howard Community College.

For tickets call 443-518-1500 or visit www.repstage.org.

Next up is H20 by Jane Martin directed by Kasi Campbell running Feb. 15 to March 5, 2017.

Next year is Rep Stage's 25th Anniversary. I look forward to a new play about Etta Cone and the Cone Sisters and their incredible contribution to Impressionism that can be seen at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Photo Credit: Katie Simmons-Barth

cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

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