Review: World Premiere Musical LOBSTER GIRL Homegrown at Stoneham Theatre

Lobster Girl

Original Story and Book by Weylin Symes, Music and Lyrics by Steven Barkhimer, Directed by Weylin Symes, Assistant Directed and Choreographed by Ilyse Robbins; Musical Direction & Orchestrations, Bethany Aiken; Scenic Design, Katy Monthei; Lighting Design, Jeff Adelberg; Costume Design, Rachel Padula-Shufelt; Sound Design, John Stone; Props Master, Michela Tucci; Production Stage Manager, Rachel Policare; Dramaturgy, Jill Rafson & Dori Robinson

CAST (in alphabetical order): Bryan T. Donovan, William Gardiner, Brigit Smith, Felix Teich, Ceit Zweil

Performances through June 26 at Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main Street, Stoneham, MA; Box Office 781-279-2200 or www.stonehamtheatre.org

Stoneham Theatre closes its 16th season with Lobster Girl, a World Premiere musical written and directed by Producing Artistic Director Weylin Symes, with original music and lyrics by local actor/director/writer/composer Steven Barkhimer. Set in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, a soon-to-be stepfather invites his girlfriend's 13-year old daughter out for the day on his lobster boat in the hope of cementing their relationship, but an injudicious comment by the first mate threatens to sink his chances. In the end, the wannabe dad gets some lessons in maturity from the nerdy teenager who knows what she needs in a parent.

The cast features Bryan T. Donovan as Hank, a man with a good heart, but without a clue as to how to relate to an adolescent girl; Brigit Smith (IRNE-nominated for her role as Mary Lennox in Stoneham's The Secret Garden) as Cora, a respectful girl who says a lot with her eye rolls and body language; Felix Teich as Hank's assistant Jake, a young man who tries to bridge the generation gap between Hank and Cora; William Gardiner as Ol' Joe, a salty local tar good for a song or some comic relief; and Ceit Zweil (IRNE-nominated for her role as Smitty in last season's How to Succeed in Business) as Cora's mom Nancy, mostly on the fringes of the story, but obsessively checking in by cellphone.

Clocking in at a little over 90 minutes sans intermission, the show has about a dozen songs for Musical Director/Orchestrator Bethany Aiken to play on the ivories, accompanied by bandmates Ian Conway on guitar and Amy Ripka/Ryan Shannon on violin. Ranging from sea shanties to jazz to four-part harmony, Barkhimer's use of eclectic musical genres keeps things interesting when Symes' book lags. However, some of the song placements occur as if on a timetable, rather than because a song is actually needed at that juncture. When Jake burst out in song about his childhood dog licking his knees, I whipped out my virtual red pencil to edit it out of the score. A paring of some of the repetitive conversations could lead to deleting a couple of songs and tighten up the book. None of the characters is sufficiently developed, appearing more as unfinished outlines; Cora and Hank have the most shading, but the latter's arc requires him to do an unbelievable hairpin turn with no foundation for it. In addition, Lobster Girl's dramatic apex is blatantly telegraphed, sorely diminishing its impact and leading to a predictable ending that has been seen on every dysfunctional family sitcom.

The action occurs primarily on the lobster boat, nicely realized by scenic designer Katy Monthei, so there's not much moving around; Ol' Joe paddles by in his dinghy at intervals, and Nancy pops up on either side of the stage from various sites onshore. During the songs, the actors move with the music and show off some nifty harmonies. They all have pleasant voices, but sound designer John Stone should crank up Smith's volume for all of the lyrics to come through. Jeff Adelberg's lighting design reflects the advancing sunset and evening, projecting colorful pink and orange hues on the backdrop and twinkling stars in the sky. Rachel Padula-Shufelt helps define the characters with her costume designs, including authentic yellow coveralls for the lobstermen. Michela Tucci provides the necessary and appropriate props, including several lobster traps for the actors to haul onto the boat. Perhaps the concession stand could add real lobster rolls to the menu, just for the run of the show. Now that would be a tasty treat!

Photo credit: Nile Hawver/Nile Scott Shots (Felix Teich, Bryan T. Donovan, Brigit Smith)

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