Howard Enlivens New Rep’s "According to Tip"

According to Tip

Written by Dick Flavin; directed by Rick Lombardo; scenic design by Janie E. Howland; costume design by Frances Nelson McSherry; lighting design by Franklin Meissner, Jr.; sound design by Rick Lombardo; properties design by Larry Vigus; music supervision by Todd C. Gordon; stage manager, Jennifer A. Cleary

Starring Ken Howard as Tip O'Neill

Performances: Now through July 13, New Repertory Theatre, Mosesian Theatre, Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, Mass.
Box Office: 617-923-8487 or www.newrep.org

A one-person show requires just the right actor to turn first-person narrative into inner dialog. Fortunately for fledgling playwright Dick Flavin and director Rick Lombardo of the New Repertory Theatre in Watertown, Mass., versatile stage and screen star Ken Howard is the man playing former Massachusetts and U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill in the world premiere of Flavin's biographical history play, According to Tip.

An imposing figure at 6-foot-5, Howard is every inch the affable Boston Irish statesman. Dressed in the classic politician's black suit, white shirt, and red-and-pink diagonally striped power tie, and sporting considerable padding around the middle, a shocking white wig and eyebrows, and an enhanced proboscis, Howard looks eerily like the man whose appearance was often caricatured – red-faced, bulbous-nosed, and cigar-smoking. He has captured Tip's self-effacing manner, too, bowing his head slightly and looking up from under those bushy white brows with eyes that study, charm and persuade all at the same time. Emanating rather than impersonating Tip, Howard shares his character warmly with the audience – as a common man and an understated hero.

Flavin and his more seasoned collaborators have managed to transform what could have been a dry history lesson into a spirited 50-year journey through the working-class neighborhoods of Cambridge, the tough streets of Mayor James Michael Curley's Boston, the backrooms of Massachusetts and Washington politics, and the war-weary international stage. We get a glimpse of both the public battles and the private jokes that established Tip's persona as a shrewd, dogged, and colorful man of the people who never wavered from his democratic cause. Through his steadfast belief in fighting for what's right for the underprivileged in our society, we see the power and influence one determined man can exert on a city, a nation and a world.

We also see the loving husband, the street-smart vote-getter, the strategic poker player, the avid golfer and baseball fan, the Irish folk singer, and the man so wrapped up in his political career that he wouldn't know a movie star if he fell over one. We get a look at his Catholic upbringing, too, and how that comes into play during Roe v. Wade, Congress' landmark abortion ruling supporting a woman's right to choose.

What we don't get, however, are enough in-depth scenes to generate sustained drama. Too often According to Tip feels like a race through time, a manic effort to cover all the topical bases in less than 120 minutes. Watershed events like John F. Kennedy's assassination and Richard Nixon's resignation become blips that challenge Howard to compress into Cliff Note emotions profound grief on the one hand and astute philosophizing on the other. The Red Scare, Vietnam, Watergate, the IRA peace negotiations, and Reaganomics all get similar cursory treatment. Flavin's sharp humor and personal knowledge of his subject matter make Tip's involvement in these milestones and his relationships with the world leaders who made history with him interesting and entertaining. But as scenes tick by there is a feeling of a mark being made on a checklist. One wonders if a younger audience with no personal memory of the chronicled events would connect with the material or the person.

Perhaps the greatest lost opportunity for drama is in a scene in which Tip recalls a fight with his youngest son, Michael, who died of drug and alcohol abuse during the Vietnam War era. Here Howard must recreate an argument in which Tip, on one of his weekend trips home from Washington, is yelling at his son to stop. It's a brief, uncomfortable re-enactment that seems perfunctory instead of essential. The scene might be more effective if it were rendered as a lonely late-night reminiscence that delves into Tip's profound personal regrets at having sacrificed his private duties in order to lead a public life.

According to Tip is nonetheless an enjoyable and at times uplifting recollection of a man whose life was devoted to the people he served. Howard's sparkling charisma and passionate portrayal animate Flavin's wise and witty words, revealing a man of many layers and contradictions. Outwardly oafish but inwardly principled, intelligent and kind, Tip as written by Flavin and performed by Howard shades unforgettable historical moments with sometimes poignant, sometimes hilarious, and always engaging personal insights.

Director Rick Lombardo's creative team enhances the balance between history and humor. Janie E. Howland's colorful set is highlighted by a back wall diorama in which a braying donkey is seen kicking its heels at cartoon caricatures of the seven presidents with whom Tip battled. These larger than life talking heads are superimposed over a literal political landscape that maps the cities and towns in Tip's local, state and federal districts. Lighting by Franklin Meissner, Jr. adds to the emotional impact, creating subtle time, place and mood shifts that alternate between eloquence and intimacy.

 

By paralleling Tip's political journey with his personal one, and by peppering the unfolding chronology with unexpected insider anecdotes, Flavin and company have made According to Tip informative but also accessible. By the end of the play, we feel that a warm and wonderful historical giant has slapped our backs and given a vigorous shake to our eagerly outstretched hands.

 

PHOTOS BY ANDREW BRILLIANT

 

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