May 24, 2011
World War II and Coconut Cream Pie
By KEN JAWOROWSKI
NYTimes
There’s enough corn to feed an army in `The Human Comedy,’ a severely dated
yet wonderfully staged musical by the Astoria Performing Arts Center. The
production, with 25 actors and 6 musicians, is an ambitious undertaking, met
with an impressive level of skill. But time has turned this overly sincere
tale into a gob of sticky sweetness.
Based on a story by William Saroyan, with music by Galt MacDermot (`Hair’)
and a libretto by William Dumaresq, `The Human Comedy’ is set during World
War II and follows the warmhearted residents of a small California town as
they wait for their loved ones to return from battle. Those receiving bad
news hardly seem to suffer, and helpful friends with soothing smiles are
always close at hand. The songs even include an ode to coconut cream pie.
While admiring the show on its Broadway debut in 1984 (it closed after 13
performances), Benedict Nightingale conceded in The New York Times that much
of the plot `seems too good to be true.’ Indeed. Here a gun-wielding thief
is instantly converted by his victim’s decency and returns the loot (and
hands over his weapon), while a group of soldiers, moments after gawking at
a centerfold, implore a comrade to sing a religious hymn.
It’s a testament to the ensemble that the show remains appealing. The large
cast is consistently inspired, with almost all its members onstage at the
same time throughout the 2 hours and 15 minutes. Aaron J. Libby, Nicole
Mangi and Jonathan Gregg are standouts in the company, cleverly directed by
Tom Wojtunik. Michael P. Kramer’s set and Hunter Kaczorowski’s costumes are
exceptional.
Similar in some ways to `Our Town’ and `Spoon River Anthology,’ yet without
all that pesky introspection, the show does provide an occasionally
interesting score and some honest laughs, made all the better by the Astoria
ensemble. Watching `The Human Comedy’ won’t lead to calls for the musical’s
re-evaluation. But it should encourage theatergoers to keep an eye on this
plucky and talented troupe.