Review: Matthew Belopavlovich's GOING TO THE TOP at the Tampa Fringe

It's late July, which means two things: 1) It's almost unbearable in the sticky Florida heat, and 2) it's time for the Tampa Fringe Festival. There are so many diverse Fringe acts, 24 in all, from Theatre eXceptional's A Goofy Musical to a solo work, Karen & Cass, which involves Karen Carpenter and Cass Elliot. There's Lockdown 2022 and the brilliant Scott Swenson's latest foray into Next Level Improv with One Five One. So much to see, so little time.

On Saturday night, I was privileged to experience Matthew Belopavlovich's heartfelt One Act, GOING TO THE TOP. Based on a true story, Mr. Belopavlovich's play focuses on a young man coming out at a time when discrimination is rearing its ugly head. Even though there's lots of dancing and pulsating music, the show exudes much heart and warmth as both a coming of age and coming out story.

James is a teenage soccer player who's obsessed with Franz Beckenbauer of the New York Cosmos. But he's also in love with Thomas, who's just a year older, a more open gay man who doesn't mind getting his toes wet in the rivers of activism. Music Video City, the hottest club, has an actual rule, starting in the 1950s, that same sex couples cannot dance together on the dance floor. When James and Thomas are forced to stop their dancing and leave the floor, a lawsuit follows that puts discrimination up to the mirror.

Mr. Belopavlovich uses the true story of two men removed from the Tomorrowland Terrace in 1980 and personalizes it. He adds his own story, his own spin, to this fascinating tale. (There's even a timeline included in the program, from the Stonewall riots to this particular case twenty odd years later.)

Although I greatly enjoyed Mr. Belopavlovich's work, both as a writer and director, I felt that the whole thing was too rushed, like watching an Afterschool Special in fast forward. It's a tight work with no room for flab, but it's too tight and I think Mr. Belopavlovich should expand his play, deepen it. It feels incomplete, where suddenly a character ages four years in five seconds. But the playwright thankfully tackles his story with an abundance of heart, and interestingly, it turns out to be the quiet scenes, especially the ones between James and his mother, that resonate the most.

Bo Bailey is sweet-natured and full of verve as James. We feel the enthusiastic head over heels swooning of a young man experiencing love for the first time. Jonathan O'Brien does a fine job as Thomas, the object of James' affection and a budding activist. Both Mr. Bailey and Mr. O'Brien do well in connecting with each other, which is the key ingredient in a show like this. Ryan Fisher plays pretty much all of the other parts, and really stands out with that amazing deep voice, perfectly suited for a news anchor or an oppressive security guard. Last but not least, Audrey Siegler plays what may be the perfect mother--loving her son, perhaps knowing his truth before even he does.

It's fast and fun, but it's also incredibly safe. This is a play that can go to the next level emotionally, if desired. There's a moment when James talks about his first kiss with Thomas, excitedly telling this to the audience, and then we see the scene but no real first kiss is featured in it. The show is so fast that it's unable to build much with the intimacy of the two lead characters; we know they're in love because they keep saying so. But sometimes the production needs to slow down, to quietly capture those instances even more, to show us this relationship rather than to just keep telling us about it.

The scene that works best for me is the moment James comes out to his mother. It's like all facades are dropped. We earlier saw a glimpse of James' mother's understanding, realizing that she probably knows the truth about her son. And her response to the news of his sexuality is so real, so filled with warmth mixed with a tad of fear, that we all could relate. Best of all, she tells James that she always suspected as such, but she and her husband never thought he would come forward to them with the news. It's those moments of connection, both grand and small, that make a show like this come alive.

Steven Jones' choreography is a blast, and Kyle Waves' effective music can get stuck in your head. The pre-show pop selections, featuring some of the 1980s greatest hits, was a fun addition. Entering the theater, I overheard a young couple debating which artist was singing the #1 song, "Upside Down"--Donna Summer or Diana Ross? (It was Diana Ross, of course.)

The Fringe is perfect for a show like GOING TO THE TOP (although I'm still trying to figure out that title); It's an open environment for experimentation, to see what works or what doesn't. Mr. Belopavlovich will obviously expand this story, perhaps develop it into a full-length play. I can't wait to see it when he does.

GOING TO THE TOP's Fringe Dates: Sunday July 31 @ 3:30 PM; Wednesday, August 3 @ 8:15 PM; and Sunday, August 7 @ 3:30 PM. In the HCC's Studio Theatre.

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