Review: THE OREGON TRAIL is a Rough Journey at Flying V Theatre

The hardest parts of a journey are staying the course and overcoming obstacles. The Oregon Trail, written by Bekah Brunstetter, follows Jane though her own struggles from a teenager in the late 1990's to a present day adult with depression. Whenever Jane hits rock bottom, she relies on escaping into the world of the computer game, The Oregon Trail. Simultaneously, another Jane from Missouri is told that she must leave her home with her sister, Mary Jane, and her father, Clancy, to journey to Oregon in a small covered wagon. Flying V Theatre's The Oregon Trail, directed by Amber McGinnis Jackson, does not successfully complete its journey due to a bumpy production that is full of too much 90's nostalgia, unrelatable present day female characters, and stale jokes.

Now Jane isn't a relatable character for young women and there is really nothing to like about her. Madeline Key's portrayal of Now Jane relies to heavily on stereotypes during scenes in the 1997 and present day. The 1997 Jane is the stereotypical unruly and awkward teenager who doesn't fit in due her clothes and her behavior. The present day Jane embraces the stereotypes of millennials that are often depicted in the news: laziness and a whiny attitude. Julia Klavans plays Jane's sister, Mary Anne, as her stereotypical foil. While Jane is the lazy younger child, Mary Anne is the perfect older sister. Klavans and Key do not make believable sisters and their interactions are uncomfortable to watch. They often joke about Jane's depression and these jokes fall flat on the audience. Other possible sources of comedic relief, such as Zachary Fernebok as the Voice of the Oregon Trail, are unhumorous. The Voice of the Oregon Trail makes jokes about Jane's life, but delivery of them is stilted. While the comedy isn't up to par, neither is the dramatic aspects of the production. There are unnessacary dramatic moments that do not add anything to the plot, such as Jane deciding to meet up with her longtime crush, Billy, and the acceleration of time from Jane's teenage years to adulthood. Dramatic moments are highlighted with Then Jane and Now Jane singing along to popular '90s hits. The play tries to support itself on these songs and this takes away from what could be powerful scenes without the use of music as a crutch.

Overall, the only characters who are worth caring about in this play are Clancy and Then Jane, who are pioneers apart of the Oregon Trail family. Unlike the present day characters of Mary Anne and Now Jane, the audience clearly cares about this family and wants them to succeed on their journey to Oregon. The two most well thought out scenes of the entire production occur when the focus is on the Oregon trail family. When the Oregon trail family's struggle with getting past a treacherous river, the audience begins to fear for the family. Ryan Tumulty plays Clancy as the devoted and loving father beautifully especially during a touching father-daughter scene where Clancy tries to comfort Then Jane about her melancholy. Kelsey Meiklejohn is an excellent choice to play Then Jane. Meiklejohn stands out especially when she is on stage with Tumulty. She is able to work with him to create the foundation for a believable father-daughter relationship.

Some of the technical aspects in The Oregon Trail leave something to be desired. The set, which initially starts out as a computer lab and transforms into Mary Anne's apartment, is narrow and crowded. There is a mishmash of everything from '90's nostalgia to a mural of a prairie field. Despite the limitations of the set, the props, designed by Melody Taylor, including a small wagon are well done. The Oregon's Trail music relies heavily on popular songs from the '90's, such as Alanis Morisette's "Hand in My Pocket" to Radiohead's "Creep." The loud music integrated within the play is distracting. The lighting, designed by Kristin A. Thompson, sets the tone well for transitions from daylight to nighttime and enhances the mood of scenes.

Flying V Theatre's The Oregon Trail is a long, grueling journey. It would be wise to save yourself a trip. If you are up for the journey, it runs until September 20th at the Writer's Center in Bethesda and it is part of the Women's Voices Theater Festival. Tickets can be purchased online here.

Photo caption and credit: Ryan Tumulty, Kelsey Meiklejohn and Julia Klavans in Flying V Theatre's The Oregon Trail. (Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography)

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