A new musical with Shakespearean roots, Scotland, PA is one of those shows about which people say as they’re exiting the theater, “So—that was kind of cute.”
Cute. Okay. Pleasant. Not bad. Pretty good. Such are the descriptions applicable to the fair-to-middling Scotland, PA, which opened on Wednesday at the Laura Pels Theatre.
You’ve seen better musicals than this one, but heavens know you’ve seen plenty worse.
[Read David Finkle’s ★★ review here.]
Scotland, PA riffs on Macbeth by way of a 2001 film that sets the story in central Pennsylvania in 1975. Not having seen the film, there’s no knowing how closely Michael Mitnick’s somewhat labored book traces the screenplay.
The kingdom up for grabs is a greasy burger joint somewhere in the boonies. Duncan, the nasty owner, sneers at the suggestions for improvement made by Mac, a nice 30-year-old nerd prodded along by Pat, his loyal, ambitious wife. Out in the woods, Mac encounters a threesome of witches, um, hippies who urge him to follow his destiny.
After much non-Shakespearean yada-yada, particularly an elaborate song and dance number for most of the 11-member company extolling the charms of drive-through dining (Josh Rhodes did the busy choreography), the unloved Duncan splashes face first into the fryolator.
Just in time for a first act finale, new owners Mac and Pat transform the diner into a prototypical fast food operation, with a red-and-gold décor called, well, you figure it out.
A feisty detective, McDuff arrives from Harrisburg to investigate the death, and thus a second act unfolds. Trying to elude McDuff’s grasp, Mac and Pat grow desperate, another killing occurs, and the remainder of Scotland, PA offers not so much fun anymore.
The musical’s major shift in tone from goofy to something darker and ironical does not give the show any emotional clout, because the characters remain cartoon figures. Nor does the generally upbeat, retro-referential score swell into dramatic significance.
But until the musical trips over into seriousness, much of its doings sound agreeable.
Adam Gwon, the composer, delivers a group of songs that sound fine in passing even as they salute various pop modes of the 1970s, including heavy-metal, funk, blues, and country & western. Gwon’s lyrics tend to be dull, but his tunes usually are lively and they are brightly arranged for a reverberant five-musician band and a stage replete with able singers.
Director Lonny Price, who nearly always stages a show smartly, delivers a confident, well-performed premiere production for Roundabout Theatre Company that makes the best of this so-so musical.
Ryan McCartan, initially a dorky figure as Mac, grows sharp with success, even as Taylor Iman Jones, an ardent vocalist, sinks along with Pat into guilty delirium. Jay Armstrong Johnson, always a charmer, is adorable as a continually stoned dufus named Banko. Megan Lawrence, ever a scene-stealer, at least manages to commit petty larceny with McDuff’s relatively minor material. Will Meyers contends with a thankless role, but lends sincerity to an unexpectedly poignant “Why I Love Football.”
Haunting the show with their groovy presence and musicality are the three spooky hippies, clad in Haight-Ashbury dishabille by designer Tracy Christensen (who otherwise deals here in grubby flannels and uniforms). Led by Alysha Umphress, whose dynamic vocals register as electrified as the guitars in the band, and abetted by Wonu Ogunfowora and Kaleb Wells, the trio gives their “Destiny” theme a sardonic comical edge that suggests Scotland, PA will be more amusing than it finally proves to be.
