PROVO — I love it when theatre leans into purely theatrical modes of storytelling. While technology offers benefits to minimize the costs of building sets, I have a soft spot for productions that invite audiences to imagine with them. After all, while film generally lives in a world of more literal reality, theatre can be far more flexible. Theatre can use a simple object like a rope to create visual doorways, hallways, waves, snakes, or any other number of objects in a single production. Theatre can be a space for exciting abstract play, where actors and audience alike all agree to put aside limited reality in favor of the more flexible “what if?” BYU’s production of Jaclyn Backhaus‘ Men on Boats is such a show, giving audiences a purely theatrical evening of fun that could not be recreated on film.
Men on Boats is inspired by the first United States government-sanctioned expedition of the American Southwest in 1869. Led by Major John Wesley Powell, the group of ten stockpiled ten months worth of food and started down the Green River in Wyoming to its confluence with the Colorado River to travel through the Grand Canyon. Along the way, they “discovered” and named assorted landmarks, faced difficult terrain and troublesome waters, and parted ways with some company members, ultimately reaching their destination after three months of travel. Backhaus’ version of the story challenges audiences to reconsider and be more curious about how history has been framed in the present. To that end, Backhaus’ script calls for all the explorers to be played by, “racially diverse actors who are female-identifying, trans-identifying, genderfluid, and/or non-gender conforming.” This vision combined with a minimal set sets the stage for audiences to explore their existing perspectives on exploration, gender, and social justice in new ways.
Director Julia Ashworth assembled an excellent ensemble of actors who worked well collectively, each presenting distinct characters throughout. Each has moments to shine, and there’s not a weak link to be found. Sydni Bringhurst plays Major Powell and brings a determined optimism and self-assured leadership style. Bringhurst’s confident performance is an anchor point for the rest of the ensemble. Bringhurst’s physical comedy skills also shine through, particularly when Powell and Bradley (delightfully performed by a plucky Kimberly Wille) find themselves in a bit of a pickle while scaling a wall. It’s an absurd moment backed by historical fact that would be a shame to spoil, but given that the two are not actually scaling a wall and instead using barrels and a raised platform to create the moment, their dedication to the bit is marvelous and made even more impressive by Bringhurst’s doing it all with use only of one arm (as Powell had lost an arm during the Civil War).
As a foil to Powell, Ruth Lyons’ William H. Dunn brings a sarcastic, bull-headedness that adds well to the comedy throughout. Lyons and Bringhurst play off each other well, never allowing the tug-of-war between Powell and Dunn to become one-dimensional, and Lyons was particularly successful at allowing Dunn to remain likable and worth rooting for, even when he was grumpy. I was also particularly taken with Savannah Fluhman as Old Shady, who begins the show primarily in silent, stoic observation of the antics of everyone else–minus Shady’s penchant for randomly bursting into unexplained songs. It was a treat to watch Old Shady open up, and Fluhman’s patient performance was a highlight of the night.
The lighting design (led by Marianne Ohran), scenic design (led by Milinda Weeks), and sound design (supervised by Troy Streeter) contribute well to the overall imagination and humor of the piece. Take a moment as you come into the theatre to admire the backdrop. It’s made of cardboard and transforms in truly stunning ways through beautiful lighting throughout the show, and used to particularly excellent effect as the crew arrives in the Grand Canyon. The music selections were wonderful, and humorously underscored the grandiose, self-important leanings of the crew with a healthy dose of idealized Americana.
Ashworth’s direction is largely successful, and she makes good use of the minimal set and props with dynamic staging. Everything moves along at a very nice clip. There were some action sequences when the crew came on dangerous waters that may have benefitted from a touch less visual and auditory chaos as it was sometimes harder to hear the dialogue during those moments. Lowering the sound may help the unmic’d actors be heard a bit more clearly above the fray. I was also confused by the final moments of the show, where Paige Fowler (who was a delight) changes from Mr. Asa, a settler at the end of the trail, back to Goodman, an Englishman who abandoned the journey earlier. Other members of the crew who had left the party also returned for a final celebration of arrival at their hoped-for destination. It’s one of many abstract moments in the play, but the overall purpose or reasoning for this particular break from reality was hard to follow.
It is worth noting that, like other BYU productions while the long-awaited theatre facilities are finished, this performance is held at the old Provo High School building in what is known as the West Campus Studio Theatre. I’d highly recommend arriving early to ensure you can find parking and the theatre. There are signs in the building to direct audiences, and sitting closer to the front of the audience gives a better view of some moments blocked on the stage floor. Arriving early also gives more time to interact with some of the excellent dramaturgical activities outside the theatre (developed by Shelley Graham and Alyssa Call). Men on Boats is an utterly delightful adventure of a show that I highly recommend as a new discovery for your theatre-going repertoire.
