Stoneham Theatre Presents Timeless "John and Jen"

"John and Jen"

Music by Andrew Lippa, Book by Tom Greenwald, Lyrics by Tom Greenwald and Andrew Lippa, Directed by Scott Edmiston, Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland, Costume Design by Gail Astrid Buckley, Lighting Design by Karen Perlow, Musical Direction by Timothy Evans

Cast in order of appearance:

Jen, Leigh Barrett

John, Eric Rubbe

Performances: Now through March 6

Box Office: 781-279-2200 or www.StonehamTheatre.org

The Stoneham Theatre just north of Boston, Mass., continues its strong 2004-2005 season with a lovely production of Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald's touching two-person musical, "John and Jen." Spanning four decades from the mid 1950s to 1990s, this sentimental (but never maudlin) journey through the lives of a girl, her younger brother and, later, her son focuses on a family trying to hold onto their love as the landscape around them shifts from days at the beach to the Beatles invasion; from the Vietnam War to drugs and Watergate; and from tell-all talk shows to single-parent empty nests.

With "John and Jen," Greenwald and Lippa give us a heartwarming book and score that intelligently place the ample narrative within the context of intimate memories and emotional exchanges. We learn of never-seen parental conflicts through Jen's loving and protective opening number, "Welcome to the World," which she sings to her baby brother John. We see their early interdependence and affectionate sibling rivalry, demonstrated in upbeat and humorous childhood numbers like "Think Big" and "Dear God," later transform into disappointment and tension as they mature and make very different life choices. In "Hold Down the Fort," Jen tries to encourage John to be a man as she leaves for college in search of her dreams and freedom. John answers with "It Took Me a While" in which he proclaims he has finally learned what it means to be a man – and it isn't what Jen had in mind.

As brother and sister in the first act, Eric Rubbe and Leigh Barrett are totally believable, sharing genuinely warm smiles, playful teasing, and secret handshakes that solidify their naive vows to remain together forever. Rubbe's John is youthful and innocent without being too cute or cloying, and Barrett's Jen is a pained but endearing adult/child torn between her own ambitions and her sense of responsibility toward her impressionable brother. When the growing rift between the emerging anti-war demonstrator Jen and newly enlisted soldier John erupts in two duets of regret and disgust called "Out of My Sight" and "Run and Hide," the inevitable outcome is foretold. At the end of Act I, Jen is left mourning her brother's death, with Barrett deftly trying to contain the rage, guilt and bitterness that haunted so many families divided by the politics of that era.

In Act II Barrett's Jen has become a mother, with Rubbe now playing John the son. Here Lippa and Greenwald cleverly mirror, but change the dynamics of, the earlier sibling relationship by giving us a son far less dependent on his mother than the brother was on his sister. While Jen notes the similarities between brother and son in the poignant ballad, "Just Like You," John shows us just how different he is from his namesake as he joyously prepares to leave home for camp in the entertaining pop number, "Bye Room."

In their new roles, Barrett and Rubbe are once again completely engaging. They mix genuine affection with realistic tensions to give us unforced characters whose bond is powerful and deep, despite the generational and familial conflicts that drive them to make painful personal decisions. Barrett, in particular, is quite moving as she first expresses Jen's 20 years of heartbreak and misguided good intentions in "Smile of Your Dreams" and then resolves to release herself from her self-imposed anguish in "The Road Ends Here." Finally, Barrett and Rubbe together raise goose bumps in their stirring closing duet, "Every Goodbye Is Hello." They convey a knowing respect for each other and an optimism for the future that assure us that they will no longer let loss define their love.

Barrett and Rubbe's strong vocals and seamless ebb and flow between characters, time and place are enhanced by a rich but never overbearing three-piece band and insightful but unobtrusive direction by Scott Edmiston. A nostalgic, mercurial set by Janie E. Howland also visually underscores the layers in the performances. Paintings, postcards, memorabilia, and prints that suggest a three-dimensional family photo album mix the past with the present and place ample transformational props and wardrobe pieces within easy reach of the actors. Overhead slide projections graphically interpret the issues and social climate of each decade, with the dichotomy of the Vietnam era particularly well captured by juxtaposing photos of Gloria Steinem with John Wayne, Janis Joplin with The Carpenters, and young, long-haired peace marchers with equally young, crew-cut American soldiers.

"John and Jen" is a powerful little musical that warmly seeps into the heart and soul of its audience. Its slice-of-life book and score effectively engage us emotionally with its central characters while its cleverly interwoven 40-year cultural backdrop provides a ghostly context in which to understand the unique impact that circumstances and events had on their particular lives. In this tenderly mounted Stoneham production, Rubbe's John and Barrett's Jen speak for generations of brothers and sisters, sons and mothers. Quite simply, their performances transcend time.

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